Open research questions in Education and experiences of immigrants and refugees

What the literature leaves open

• The results and debate led to several recommendations that are essential for improving the sustainability, equality, and inclusivity of Turkey's refugee education programs. These suggestions highlight important areas for further study while simultaneously addressing the structural level of policymaking and the day-to-day realities of educational practice. The study emphasises how vital it is to shift from a limited focus on access to a more comprehensive model of structural inclusion at the policy level. Even though legal frameworks and circulars have mostly ensured access to education, the transformative power of these initiatives is limited by the lack of coordinated curriculum reform, intercultural pedagogy, and multilingual support systems. The creation of a national integration strategy that incorporates refugee education into the regular curriculum as a permanent, rights-based requirement rather than a stopgap measure should be the top priority for the Ministry of National Education. Measurable objectives, clearly defined roles at all levels of government, and specific financial allotments should all be part of this plan. Furthermore, rather than requiring cultural conformity, the state should embrace intercultural education models that respect the language and cultural identities of refugee pupils in order to recognise and mitigate the dangers of assimilationist methods. One of the most urgent implementation demands is the creation of strong accountability and monitoring systems. Although data collection and evaluation are mentioned in several policy texts, these procedures are either applied ambiguously or inconsistently. To support evidence-based policy changes, a more open and methodical approach to tracking the educational achievements of refugee students—including enrolment, advancement, language development, and well-being—is required. National frameworks for teacher development also need to be reinforced. In addition to basic sensitivity incorporate antiteacher preparation programs ought discrimination training, trauma-informed practices, and pedagogies for classrooms with a variety of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. To guarantee that local actors have the ability and resources to carry out the goals of national policy, support and oversight mechanisms should be included with the decentralisation of implementation. training, to More than only administrative changes are needed at the school and community levels to achieve inclusive education; the school atmosphere, leadership, and interpersonal dynamics that influence students' sense of belonging are also important.

  The Evolution of Educational Policies for Immigrant Students in Turkey (2010–2025): A Qualitative Document Analysis · 2026 · DOI

• Consequently, the findings may not be generalizable to other regions of the country. While bilingualism's impact on children with ASD remains debated (Davis et al. Here, many different skills are studied, but we are lacking in practice (P2).

  Being a Syrian Child with Autism in Türkiye: Barriers to Meaningful Access in Inclusive Settings · 2026 · DOI

• Within the framework of the findings of the study, the following suggestions can be made. 1.Assessment-oriented training should be enhanced. Teachers showed relatively lower self-efficacy in differentiating assessment tools, highlighting a need for targeted in-service training. 2. Support for less experienced teachers is recommended. The significant difference in the assessment sub-dimension between 7 and 8-year experienced teachers indicates the importance of experience in assessment competence. 3. Practical strategies for implementation should be expanded. Although self-efficacy was highest in implementation, varied responses suggest the benefit of providing model practices and classroom examples. 4. Future research should aim for more balanced participant profiles. Increasing the representation of male teachers and less common branches like Arabic Language teaching and Guidance and Psychological Counseling would improve generalizability.

  The self-efficacy perceptions of teachers working in the PIKTES project regarding differentiated instruction · 2026 · DOI

• 1.Gender imbalance in the participant group: The number of male teachers participating in the study (n = 49) was lower than female teachers (n = 104). This reflects the overall gender distribution in the PIKTES Project, where female teachers make up the majority, especially in fields like Classroom Teaching and Turkish Language teaching. As a result, comparisons based on gender should be interpreted with caution due to the disproportionate group sizes. 2. Limited sample sizes in certain fields of expertise: The number of teachers in some branches such as Arabic Language teaching (n = 3) and Guidance and Psychological Counseling (n = 2) was notably low. This is due to the fact that these branches are employed in much smaller numbers within the PIKTES Project compared to others like Turkish Language teaching or Classroom Teaching. Therefore, statistical analyses involving these groups may not fully reflect broader patterns or trends. 3. Unequal distribution across assigned units: While 108 teachers worked in Adaptation Classes, only 45 were from Language Courses. This imbalance stems from the structural emphasis placed on Adaptation Classes within the PIKTES framework, as they serve a more central role in language acquisition and educational integration. This unequal distribution may have influenced findings related to assigned units.

  The self-efficacy perceptions of teachers working in the PIKTES project regarding differentiated instruction · 2026 · DOI

• This study has several important limitations. First, although the issue of minority stress and segregation in Syrian university students has not been studied, our findings in the qualitative paradigm do not provide us with data on whether there is a widespread effect beyond the participants included in the study. Quantitative research can be conducted in this area that can test strong causal relationships and reveal the widespread effect. In addition, in this study, gender was found to be an important factor in terms of segregation due to minority stress. However, it is unclear whether there is a differentiation in terms of demographic constructs such as age, length of stay, education level, socioeconomic status. A study that includes these factors may provide more in- depth and inclusive results. Secondly, the purposive sampling method was used to select the participants and the prerequisite of voluntariness was sought; there is no evidence as to whether those who chose not to participate in the study experienced minority stress and segregation to a lesser extent. Another limitation of the study is that a significant portion of the participants reside in a single geographical region of Türkiye. Third, although the findings from the thematic analysis point to a relationship between minority stress and cultural segregation, an experimental or longitudinal design is needed for a good test of causality. Lastly, the mental health problems related to minority stress experienced by individuals may not be directly related to their social life in the host country. It is also possible that the dissociation process due to minority stress can be explained by a personality disorder or a specific affective disorder.

  Minority Stress and Socio-Cultural Segregation among Syrian University Students in Türkiye · 2026 · DOI

• Several limitations of this study should be noted. First, the research relies on a relatively small sample of thirteen adult educators and thirty-eight migrants in Türkiye and Portu- gal. As a result, the findings remain limited in scope and should not be interpreted as broadly generalizable beyond the specific context of this study. The conclusions are there- fore primarily applicable to the qualitative framework and participant group examined here. Second, the migrant participants in Portugal were pre- dominantly from Afghanistan. This reflects the period dur- ing which the fieldwork was conducted, coinciding with the arrival of a significant number of Afghan migrants in the country. Accordingly, the experiences and perspectives cap- tured in the study may not adequately represent the wider diversity of migrant communities in Portugal. Lastly, the observations and evaluations concerning the SUYE program should also be considered within these limitations. Additional research involving larger and more diverse samples of migrants and adult educators would be necessary to assess the program’s effectiveness more com- prehensively and to better understand its potential contribu- tion to migrant integration. Author Contribution 1) S.D.Ö and E.Y wrote the manuscript text pre- pared the literature reviews and discussed the data collection tech- niques. 2) E.Y studied the MAXQDA program to analyse the quali- tative data which was collected together by both authors. E.Y also uploaded the data extracted from the in depth interviews and focus groups to MAXQDA program. 3) E.Y prepared the MAXQDA charts and figure. 4) S.D.Ö wrote the draft versions of abstract, intrduction, conceptual frame and concluding remarks 5) Both authors shared and exchanged their views for the final version of the manuscript. 6) Final review was done by both authors. Funding This article is inspired by the project results obtained by the Project 2021-TR01-KA220-ADU-000028291 "Active Citizen- ship in The New Homeland / ACT-NEW HOME,2021-TR01-KA220- ADU-000028291 /ACT NEW HOME Project has been conducted with support from the European Commission and co-funded by European Union in cooperation with the Turkish National Agency. Availability of Data and Materials Due to confidentiality agreements the data cannot be publicly shared but can be provided by the authors upon request. The Project 2021-TR01-KA220-ADU-000028291 project produced an E-Learning Platform for both Migrant Groups and Adult Educators that is open for access (last access 31.10.2025) via the link: (https:// actne whome- vle. eu/? lang= en).

  Active Participation, Migration and Inclusion: Lifelong Learning Practices in Portugal and Türkiye · 2026 · DOI

• The study draws on WoS and Springer Nature for academic research and on ReliefWeb and 3RP Platform for policy-rele- vant publications by international organizations. This approach provides access to a broad and reliable body of peer-reviewed literature, though it may limit the inclusion of relevant research published in other disciplines or by additional organizations not indexed within these sources. Due to its limited geographi- cal focus, there are limits to the generalizability and broader applicability of its findings. The study excluded non-English publications, which means further research is needed to inte- grate locally produced knowledge and context-specific analy- ses. Despite this scope limitation, the review of the selected cases offers valuable insights into the vulnerabilities experi- enced by forced migrants in disaster and crisis contexts.

  A Scoping Review of the Vulnerabilities of Syrian Refugees Amid Overlapping Crises in Jordan, Lebanon, and Türkiye · 2026 · DOI

• As in any study, ours is not without limitations. Although our findings indicate several common aspects in the experiences of young adult Syrian refugees in AE centres in Que- bec, they do not distinguish the experiences of students with disruptive education from those whose education was uninterrupted, nor does it compare the trajectories of male and female youth. Such examinations have the potential to further identify the supports young adult refugee students need to achieve their educational goals and thrive.

  Resilient Learners · 2026 · DOI

• recognising in difference. influence participation Diversity within HEIs is frequently framed as an asset, yet for refugee students, it may expose institutional and Gender-related accommodating dynamics may and vulnerability to marginalisation. Disability-related diversity may be inadequate infrastructure, limited assistive technologies, or insufficient academic accommodations. Cultural and linguistic diversity can lead to exclusion when instruction, administrative procedures assume a uniform level of academic preparation. Religious diversity may further shape a sense of belonging, particularly when institutional norms privilege dominant practices. These dimensions intersect with socioeconomic precarity, producing differentiated experiences of integration. assessment, and Importantly, diversity-related are interconnected.

  Diversity Issues Among the Refugee Populations in the Selected Higher Education Institutions in Uganda: A Student Perspective · 2026 · DOI

• It is important to acknowledge the following limitations when considering the implications of the study. First, this research was conducted including only four participants attending a community college in California; however, the study sheds light on some of the educational needs the refugee students, Afghan women in particular, have as community college students. Second, two participants were the interviewer’s previous students. To ensure rigor of the study, the researcher engaged in reflexivity paying close attention to her own subjectivity and bias and their effects on the data analysis. Third, the interviews were in English which invites the question if the participants would share more if they could use their native language given that they were still learning English at the time of the interviews.

  Understanding and responding to Afghan female refugee educational needs as they pursue higher education at a California community college. · 2026 · DOI

• Intending to this gap in knowledge, therefore this qualitative phenomenological study, aims at exploring the possible sources behind the success of refugee students with high academic performance by using the opinions of school administrators, teachers, and students, triangulated with school observations.

  Exploring the sources of success for refugee students with high academic performance: experiences at two high schools in Southeast Turkey · 2025 · DOI

• Findings indicate that meaningful inclusion in terms of access to education, appropriate teaching, and a supportive learning environment remains elusive in Greece for students with refugee backgrounds, given that their educational experiences are usually limited to participation in reception classes designed almost exclusively to teach the host country’s language (Greek).

  Doomed to fail? A qualitative exploration of teachers’ perspectives on refugee students’ access to education and educational experiences in Greece · 2025 · DOI

• The review follows a systematic process of reviewing and synthesising texts compiled in the Hub for Education for Refugees in Europe (HERE) Knowledge Base to fill gaps in knowledge about the educational trajectories of learners of refugee and forced migrant backgrounds who have arrived in Europe.

  Safety, Belonging and Success in Education for Refugees in Europe: A Systematic Review · 2024 · DOI

• While further research into this area of inquiry is needed and proposed, these study findings provide a stronger understanding of the refugee education landscape in East Africa and its current insufficiencies through the example of SEL, and serve to inform other topical EiE interventions and the broader uptake of SEL by education systems globally.

  Social Emotional Learning with Refugees in East Africa · 2023 · DOI

• This study not only fills the gap in understanding the effects of uncertainties in parental educational decisions emanated from a prolonged temporariness, but also argues that living in an uncertain context causes hurdles in language acquisition which has major educational and social consequences for children.

  Uncertainties shaping parental educational decisions: The case of Syrian refugee children in Turkey · 2022 · DOI

• I offer a synthesis of the contributions and gaps in the literature and propose thoughts for future research in this area for advancing our knowledge on the experiences of refugee students in accessing HE and easing their integration into HEIs, to the benefit of the internationalization of Germany’s HEIs and the country’s labor market.

  Access for Syrian refugees into higher education in Germany: a systematic literature review · 2021 · DOI

• Why the new findings matter? This study fills the gap in knowledge by emphasising the exploration of the challenges involved in examining policies and intervention programmes for refugees' pathways into higher education institutions, and suggesting possible theoretical and empirical lenses that can broaden and deepen the research in this field.

  Research on refugees’ pathways to higher education since 2010: A systematic review · 2021 · DOI

• Although the field of refugee and forced migration studies in relation to education and sport has grown considerably in recent years, very little is known about refugee-background students’ perceptions of Physical Education (PE).

  ‘The teacher makes us feel like we are a family’: students from refugee backgrounds’ perceptions of physical education in Swedish schools · 2021 · DOI

• Evidence suggests that almost no standardized, publicly-available educational data is available for refugee, asylee, and humanitarian migrant students in the US, but what publicly-available and reported data is available is either so localized so that it can be neither replicated nor generalized or so aggregated that it cannot be disaggregated for analysis and decision-making.

  Education without evidence: Gaps in data availability for refugee, asylee, and humanitarian migrant students in US schools · 2021 · DOI

• The collection and use of empirical data for educational decision-making in the United States is required by the Every School Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Results Driven Accountability mandate, but there is insufficient data available for one population, in particular: refugee, asylee, and humanitarian migrant (RAHM) students.

  Education without evidence: Gaps in data availability for refugee, asylee, and humanitarian migrant students in US schools · 2021 · DOI

• While international humanitarian and development programming aims to respond to the disrupted lives of youth affected by prolonged displacement, little is known about how these conditions affect transitions as youth struggle to create adult lives in contexts of multiple and competing survival pressures.

  Youth transitions in protracted crises: conceptualising the ‘rupture’ of refugees' pathways to adulthood in Uganda and Jordan · 2021 · DOI

• Costs were limited to the craft supplies so far, though we recently were able to purchase more materi- als in Nepali and Pashto via the ALSC Light the Way Grant.

  On Their Turf: Serving Refugees as an Off-Site Outreach Program · 2019 · DOI

• Among the underreported numbers of refugees recently deported from the United States for minor crimes or botched adoption and/or resettlement paperwork from the Cold War, include those of Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Korean descent (Yam 2018; Pearson 2018; Sang-Hun 2018).

  Fifteen Years after Buddha Is Hiding: Gesturing Toward the Future in Critical Refugee Studies · 2019 · DOI

• Originality/value The study makes an original contribution to the limited literature on post-2011 Syrian higher education by giving voice to a community of exiled academics, and by critically evaluating a strategic initiative for supporting and sustaining Syrian academia.

  “We are still here”: the stories of Syrian academics in exile · 2018 · DOI

• With the changing contours of the neoliberal and imperial university, the waning commitment to local communities and the pressures of professionalization and institutionalization of American studies and ethnic studies have often yielded mixed results, while also leading to a renewal of scholarly political and ethical responsibilities.

  Taking Risks, or The Question of Palestine Solidarity and Asian American Studies · 2015 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Education and experiences of immigrants and refugees

• Refugees in higher education: boundaries of belonging and recognition, stigma and exclusion · International Journal of Lifelong Education · 2013 · 126 citations
• Attitudes Toward Migrants in a Highly Impacted Economy: Evidence From the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Jordan · Comparative Political Studies · 2020 · 115 citations
• The super-disadvantaged in higher education: barriers to access for refugee background students in England · Higher Education · 2020 · 88 citations
• Give me your tired and your poor: Impact of a large-scale amnesty program for undocumented refugees · Journal of Development Economics · 2021 · 83 citations
• Mobile communication and refugees: An analytical review of academic literature · Sociology Compass · 2020 · 78 citations
• Determinants of Second Language Proficiency among Refugees in the Netherlands · Social Forces · 2010 · 72 citations
• ‘#Refugees can be entrepreneurs too!’ Humanitarianism, race, and the marketing of Syrian refugees · Review of International Studies · 2019 · 72 citations
• Are Universities Responding to the Needs of Students from Refugee Backgrounds? · Australian Journal of Education · 2010 · 71 citations
• Hidden Losers? The Impact of Rural Refugees and Refugee Programs on Poorer Hosts · International Migration Review · 1986 · 71 citations
• Unraveling refugee entrepreneurship and its role in integration: empirical evidence from the hospitality industry · Service Industries Journal · 2019 · 71 citations

Most recent work

• Refugees' Postsecondary Pursuits in a “College for All” Landscape · Anthropology & Education Quarterly · 2026
• The hope industrial complex: resisting manufactured and false hope with critical hope in peace education, Thailand's refugee context · Teaching in Higher Education · 2026
• From segregation to diversity · Journal of International Students · 2026
• Syrian refugees under temporary protection and the YEDAM Service Network in Türkiye: An ecological perspective on regional balance · Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions · 2026
• It takes two to court: Partnership formation in the context of forced migration · Research in Social Stratification and Mobility · 2026
• Individual purpose in life and entrepreneurial self-efficacy: two antecedents to social entrepreneurship intention among refugees in Lebanon · Social Responsibility Journal · 2026
• Engaging, Learning, and Thriving Within and Beyond the Classroom Walls: Family-School-Community Partnerships with Refugee-Background Students and Families · The Educational Forum · 2026
• Predictive factors for giftedness among Syrian refugee students: A focus on academic achievement, gender, and school context · Gifted and Talented International · 2026
• Understanding and responding to Afghan female refugee educational needs as they pursue higher education at a California community college. · The CATESOL Journal · 2026
• “Free of Mind, Though I Am a Refugee”: Borderless Graduate Education and the Politics of Knowledge Production · American Educational Research Journal · 2026

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