This study explores how school administrators and teachers experience the management, leadership and teaching in an inclusive education context which also includes refugee education in a public school located in Türkiye’s Central Anatolia region. The school represents a distinctive educational context in which refugee students are educated alongside students with special educational needs and those enrolled in mainstream classrooms. The coexistence of multiple student profiles within a single institution creates ongoing challenges related to leadership, communication, instructional practices, and organizational functioning.

The study addresses the following research questions:

What are the experiences of teachers and administrators working in a school serving refugee students? What challenges do teachers experience in working with refugee students?
What challenges do administrators experience in managing refugee education?
What characteristics and practices appear to contribute to students’ well-being, including adaptation, academic success, and communication?

This study is guided by Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory, which conceptualizes human development as the result of dynamic interactions between individuals and multiple, interconnected environmental systems (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). From this perspective, refugee education should not be examined solely at the classroom level; rather, it must be understood within a broader ecological context that includes family structures, school environments, community conditions, cultural norms, and socio-political influences.

The microsystem encompasses settings with direct interactions, particularly family and school. In refugee education, classrooms represent critical microsystems where teachers play a central role not only in academic instruction but also in supporting students’ social and emotional development. The mesosystem refers to interactions between these settings, such as family–school relationships. Effective communication and cooperation among parents, teachers, and school administrators are therefore essential for supporting refugee students’ adaptation and well-being (McDiarmid et al., 2022).

The exosystem includes contextual factors that indirectly influence students’ development, such as parents’ employment conditions and access to economic and social resources. For refugee families, poverty, housing instability, and limited access to social services may negatively affect students’ academic engagement and emotional regulation (Kiessling et al., 2025). At the macrosystem level, broader cultural values, migration policies, and social attitudes toward refugees shape educational experiences and may generate tensions related to identity, belonging, and social integration. The chronosystem highlights the impact of change over time, including prolonged displacement and evolving socio-economic conditions.

In line with this ecological perspective, the study focuses on teachers and administrators as key actors within students’ immediate microsystems. While families play a primary role in child development, schools often assume compensatory responsibilities when refugee students experience disrupted family structures, trauma, or economic deprivation (Lembke et al., 2024). In such contexts, schools can provide stability, emotional safety, and continuity through supportive relationships and inclusive practices. Consistent with Bronfenbrenner’s emphasis on inter-system collaboration, schools are expected to work in partnership with families, fostering parental involvement that positively contributes to students’ academic and social outcomes (LaBahn, 1995).

Within the Turkish context, research on inclusive education highlights persistent challenges related to overcrowded classrooms, limited institutional capacity, and insufficient teacher preparation for diversity (UNESCO, 2020). Studies on refugee education in Türkiye indicate that school administrators and teachers play a crucial role in managing linguistic, cultural, and socio-economic diversity, often in the absence of systematic policy support or professional development (Emin, 2016). Management-related issues such as coordinating support services, engaging refugee families, and creating inclusive school climates remain central concerns in schools serving diverse student populations.

The study also draws on principles of multicultural education emphasizing equity, inclusivity, and critical reflection on power relations within educational settings (Shannon-Baker, 2018). This complementary lens enables an understanding of how schools and their leaders in Türkiye respond to diversity, particularly in contexts involving refugee and special education students.

This study employed a qualitative case study design to examine refugee education practices in a public middle school located in Türkiye. The school enrolls approximately 1,850 students, including 75 students with special educational needs and 57 refugee students originating from Syria (n = 20), Iraq (n = 34), and Afghanistan (n = 3). The teaching staff consists of 70 teachers, 52 of whom are tenured and 18 contract-based. The school operates under a double-shift system, with fifth- and seventh-grade students attending afternoon sessions and sixth- and eighth-grade students attending in the morning. The study aimed to explore the experiences and challenges of school administrators and teachers related to refugee education. A case study approach was selected because stakeholders’ experiences with refugee students cannot be meaningfully examined without close attention to the institutional and classroom contexts in which they occur (Baxter & Jack, 2008). To enhance the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings, multiple sources of evidence were used, including interviews, observations, and document analysis. Data were collected primarily through semi-structured interviews with five school administrators and ten teachers who had taught at least one refugee student. Interview questions were developed based on a review of the literature on refugee education and inclusive schooling and were aligned with the specific contextual features of the case school. Separate interview protocols were prepared for different participant groups, focusing on classroom practices, instructional challenges, institutional responses, and coordination related to refugee education. Interviews consisted of 8–12 open-ended questions, lasted between 30 and 60 minutes, and were conducted face-to-face. Participant observation was conducted to capture everyday school practices and interactions related to refugee education. The researcher assumed a participant-as-observer role, observing classroom activities and routine school interactions during regular school days. Observations focused on teacher–student interactions, peer relationships, and responses to linguistic and cultural diversity. Detailed descriptive field notes were recorded immediately following observation sessions. In addition, document analysis was conducted to contextualize interview and observational data. Relevant school documents and national policy texts related to refugee education were reviewed thematically. Data analysis followed a thematic analysis approach (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Interview transcripts were coded collaboratively by the researcher, a doctoral peer, and the thesis supervisor to enhance reliability. Codes were developed inductively and organized into broader themes, with comparisons made across stakeholder groups. Observational and document data were used to support interpretation and deepen contextual understanding.

The findings reveal that language-related communication barriers constitute the most pervasive and influential challenge shaping both instructional practices and school management. Limited Turkish proficiency among refugee students was reported to hinder classroom interaction, academic engagement, and social adaptation. Consistent with previous research, language emerged not only as a pedagogical concern but also as an organizational and leadership issue affecting coordination, classroom management, and inclusion practices (Gümüş & Buyukgoze, 2023). A second major finding relates to insufficient institutional support and professional preparation. Teachers and administrators reported a lack of systematic in-service training focused on refugee education, culturally responsive teaching, and trauma-informed approaches (Demir-Başaran, 2022). In line with earlier studies conducted in Türkiye, educators were largely required to rely on personal initiative and experience rather than structured guidance or policy-driven frameworks ( Jusufbašić & Kenan, 2022). This absence of professional support increased uncertainty in practice and placed an additional emotional burden on school staff. The study also highlights challenging working conditions, particularly overcrowded classrooms and limited resources, as key structural constraints. High student–teacher ratios restricted opportunities for individualized instruction and weakened student–teacher relationships, thereby limiting schools’ capacity to foster a sense of belonging and emotional safety. Despite these findings, teachers and administrators demonstrated empathetic and supportive attitudes toward refugee students. Positive teacher dispositions, inclusive school climates, and flexible leadership practices were identified as critical protective factors supporting students’ well-being and adaptation (Akman, 2020). This aligns with bioecological perspectives emphasizing the central role of schools as key microsystems capable of mitigating broader structural and contextual challenges (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). Overall, the study highlights the need for multilevel interventions that strengthen institutional capacity, enhance professional learning opportunities, and support inclusive leadership to ensure more sustainable and equitable refugee education practices in public schools.

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