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

Yıl 2026, Cilt: 19 Sayı: 1, 25 - 49, 13.01.2026
https://doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.1738522

Öz

This study examines the evolution of educational policies for immigrant and refugee students in
Turkey between 2010 and 2025 through a qualitative document analysis of Ministry of National Education (MoNE) policy texts. The analysis reveals significant progress in guaranteeing access to education, especially following the influx of Syrian refugees, but also highlights persistent challenges related to policy implementation, assimilationist tendencies, and the temporality framing of refugee education. While access is broadly secured, deeper aspects of inclusive education—such as cultural recognition, multilingual support, and systemic equity—remain underdeveloped. The study situates these findings within critical policy analysis, integration theory, and inclusive education frameworks, emphasizing the gap between discursive commitments and operational realities. The paper concludes by recommending a shift toward long-term, rights-based inclusion strategies, stronger monitoring mechanisms, enhanced teacher training, and greater community engagement to foster equitable educational opportunities for refugee students in Turkey.

Kaynakça

  • Ainscow, M. (2016). Struggles for equity in education: The selected works of Mel Ainscow. Routledge.
  • Aksoy, P., & Arıner, Ö. (2021). Access to education for Syrian children in Turkey: Barriers and policy responses. Migration Research Center at Koç University.
  • Akyüz, Y., Aksoy, A., Madra, A., & Polat, S. (2018). Suriyeli çocukların eğitimi: Entegrasyonun geleceği için bir yol haritası. Eğitim Reformu Girişimi.
  • Arnot, M., & Pinson, H. (2021). Education, asylum and the “non-citizen” child: The politics of compassion and belonging. Policy Press.
  • Arnot, M., Pinson, H., & Candappa, M. (2009). Education, asylum and the 'non-citizen' child: The politics of compassion and belonging. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Asylum Information Database. (2024). Overview of main changes since the previous report update. European Council on Refugees and Exiles.
  • Ball, S. J. (1994). Education reform: A critical and post-structural approach. Open University Press.
  • Ball, S. J., Maguire, M., & Braun, A. (2012). How schools do policy: Policy enactments in secondary schools. Routledge.
  • Bazeley, P., & Jackson, K. (2013). Qualitative data analysis with NVivo (2nd ed.). Sage.
  • Berry, J. W. (1997). Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation. Applied Psychology, 46(1), 5–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.1997.tb01087.x
  • Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027
  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
  • Büyükboyacı, M. (2025). Integration challenges in refugee education: The case of Syrian students in Turkish public schools. Journal of Migration and Education, 3(1), 22–38.
  • Çelik, Ç., & Erdoğan, E. (2017). From guest workers to refugees: Syrian refugee children’s access to education in Turkey. Migration Letters, 14(4), 699–712. https://doi.org/10.33182/ml.v14i4.358
  • Çelik, Ç., & İçduygu, A. (2019). Educational integration of Syrian refugee children in Turkey: Policies and challenges. International Migration, 57(2), 253–267. https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.12533
  • Çelik, Ç., & Özenç-İra, A. (2024). Teachers’ strategies and challenges in the inclusion of refugee children in Turkish schools. European Education Research Journal, 23(2), 142–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904124123471
  • Crul, M., Lelie, F., Biner, Ö. S., Biner, C., & Yükleyen, A. (2019). How the different dimensions of integration matter: A comparative analysis of Syrian refugee integration in Turkey and Europe. Migration Policy Centre.
  • Darling, J. (2017). Forced migration and the city: Irregularity, informality, and the politics of presence. Progress in Human Geography, 41(2), 178–198. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132516629004
  • Demir-BaĢaran, S., Yılmaz, E., & Özdemir, E. (2024). No country for young refugees: Barriers and opportunities for inclusive refugee education practices. Journal of Refugee Education, 7(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/10591478241243382
  • Dryden-Peterson, S. (2016). Refugee education: The crossroads of globalization. Educational Researcher, 45(9), 473–482. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X16683398
  • Dryden-Peterson, S. (2022). Right where we belong: How refugee teachers and students are changing the future of education. Harvard University Press.
  • European Court of Auditors. (2023). Support to education for refugees in Turkey: A significant EU contribution, but improvements needed in monitoring and sustainability. EU Publications Office. https://www.eca.europa.eu
  • European External Action Service. (2024, July). Education brief no. 5: Refugee education in host countries [Policy brief]. https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/2024/Education%20BN_No.5_V2.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
  • Fereday, J., & Muir-Cochrane, E. (2006). Demonstrating rigor using thematic analysis: A hybrid approach of inductive and deductive coding and theme development. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5(1), 80–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690600500107
  • Guest, G., MacQueen, K. M., & Namey, E. E. (2012). Applied thematic analysis. Sage.
  • Hurriyet Daily News. (2018, September 17). Over 610,000 Syrians enrolled in Turkish education system during 2017–2018 school year. https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/over-610-000-syrians-enrolled-in-turkisheducation-system-during-2017-2018-school-year-136172
  • İçduygu, A. (2015). Syrian refugees in Turkey: The long road ahead. Migration Policy Institute.
  • Kaya, A., & KiriĢci, K. (2022). Syrian refugees in Turkey: Policies and challenges. Brookings Institution Press.
  • Kirişci, K., & Yıldız, E. (2023). The politics of migration governance in Turkey: From humanitarianism to securitization. Mediterranean Politics, 28(2), 123–142.
  • Lipsky, M. (1980). Street-level bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individual in public services. Russell Sage Foundation.
  • McCarthy, K. (2018). The politics of refugee education: Educational administration of the Syrian refugee crisis in Turkey. Journal of Educational Policy and Administration, 33(2), 174–190.
  • Ministry of National Education. (2014). 2014/21 numbered circular on the education and enrollment of foreign students under temporary protection [2014/21 sayılı genelge: Geçici koruma altındaki yabancı öğrencilerin eğitime erişimi]. MoNE.
  • Ministry of National Education. (2015). 2015–2019 strategic plan [2015–2019 stratejik planı]. MoNE.
  • Ministry of National Education. (2016, August 22). A road map determined for the education of Syrian children [Suriyeli çocukların eğitimi için yol haritası belirlendi]. MoNE Press Release.
  • Ministry of National Education. (2017). Recruitment announcement for temporary teachers – PICTES Project [Suriyeli Çocukların Türk Eğitim Sistemine Entegrasyonunun Desteklenmesi Projesi (PICTES) geçici süreli öğretmen alımı duyurusu]. MoNE.
  • MoNE. (2023). Education statistics of children under temporary protection in Turkey. Ministry of National Education. https://www.meb.gov.tr
  • Ozga, J. (2000). Policy research in educational settings: Contested terrain. Open University Press.
  • Özçürümez, S., Tursun, Ö., & Tunç, A. (2023). Exploring the impact of teachers’ past migration experience on inclusive education for refugee children. International Journal of Inclusive Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2023.2221255
  • Özel, H., & Erdur-Baker, Ö. (2023). Struggles of refugee-receiving schools in Turkey: Challenges in integration and resource allocation. Social Sciences, 12(4), 231. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/4/231?utm_source=chatgpt.com
  • Presidency of Migration Management. (2024). Migration statistics annual report. Ministry of Interior, Republic of Türkiye.
  • Pinson, H., & Arnot, M. (2010). Citizenship, education and social exclusion: The construction of asylum-seeker and migrant identities in UK education policy. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 31(3), 293–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425691003700588
  • Prior, L. (2003). Using documents in social research. Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857020222
  • Seçgin, N. (2019). An analysis of immigrant education policies in Turkey (M.S. thesis). Middle East Technical University, Department of Political Science and Public Administration. (If a URL is used: https://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12624365/index.pdf
  • Shaw, J., & Bailey, M. (2019). Discourse, policy, and the politics of education: A critical document analysis approach. Educational Policy, 33(4), 600–627. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904817719528
  • Taylor, S. (1997). Critical policy analysis: Exploring contexts, texts and consequences. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 18(1), 23–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/0159630970180102
  • Unutulmaz, O. (2019). Turkey’s education policies towards Syrian refugees: A macrolevel analysis. Migration and Education, 1(2), 107–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741175.2019.1672659
  • UNESCO. (2009). Policy guidelines on inclusion in education. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
  • UNICEF Türkiye. (2023). Education for Syrian children under temporary protection in Türkiye: Monitoring report. UNICEF Türkiye Country Office.
  • UNICEF. (2021). Assessing the development-displacement nexus in Turkey. https://www.icmpd.org/content/download/48203/file/Assessing%20the%20Develop ment_%20Displacement%20Nexus%20in%20Turkey%20EN.pdf
  • UNICEF Türkiye & MoNE. (2024). Report on analysis of out-of-school Syrian children in Türkiye (July 2024). UNICEF Türkiye. https://www.unicef.org/turkiye/reports/report-analysis-out-school-syrian-children
  • UNHCR. (2024). Refugee education research digest (Q4 2024). United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. https://www.unhcr.org/
  • UNHCR. (2024). Annual results report: Turkey 2024 [Rapor]. UNHCR. https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/2025-06/T%C3%BCrkiye%20ARR%202024.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
  • UNHCR Türkiye. (2023). Türkiye’de geçici koruma altındaki Suriyeli çocuklar: Durum raporu 2023. UNHCR. https://www.unhcr.org/tr

Türkiye’de Göçmen ve Mülteci Öğrenciler İçin Uygulanan Eğitim Politikalarının Evrimi: 2010–2025 Yılları Arasında Politika Belgelerinin Nitel Analizi

Yıl 2026, Cilt: 19 Sayı: 1, 25 - 49, 13.01.2026
https://doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.1738522

Öz

Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de 2010-2025 yılları arasında göçmen ve mülteci öğrencilere yönelik eğitim politikalarının gelişimini, Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı’nın politika belgeleri üzerine yapılan nitel belge analizine dayanarak incelemektedir. Analiz, özellikle Suriye krizinin ardından eğitim erişiminin sağlanmasında önemli ilerlemeler olduğunu ortaya koymakla birlikte, politika uygulaması, asimilasyon eğilimleri ve geçicilik vurgusuyla ilgili devam eden zorlukları da göstermektedir. Eğitim erişimi büyük ölçüde güvence altına alınmış olsa da, kültürel tanınma, çokdillilik desteği ve sistematik eşitlik gibi kapsayıcı eğitimin temel bileşenleri yeterince gelişmemiştir. Bulgular, eleştirel politika analizi, entegrasyon kuramı ve kapsayıcı eğitim yaklaşımları çerçevesinde değerlendirilmiş; söylemsel taahhütler ile uygulama arasındaki boşluk vurgulanmıştır. Çalışma, uzun vadeli, hak temelli kapsayıcı stratejilerin benimsenmesi, izleme mekanizmalarının güçlendirilmesi, öğretmen eğitimlerinin artırılması ve toplumsal katılımın desteklenmesi yönünde önerilerle son bulmaktadır.

Kaynakça

  • Ainscow, M. (2016). Struggles for equity in education: The selected works of Mel Ainscow. Routledge.
  • Aksoy, P., & Arıner, Ö. (2021). Access to education for Syrian children in Turkey: Barriers and policy responses. Migration Research Center at Koç University.
  • Akyüz, Y., Aksoy, A., Madra, A., & Polat, S. (2018). Suriyeli çocukların eğitimi: Entegrasyonun geleceği için bir yol haritası. Eğitim Reformu Girişimi.
  • Arnot, M., & Pinson, H. (2021). Education, asylum and the “non-citizen” child: The politics of compassion and belonging. Policy Press.
  • Arnot, M., Pinson, H., & Candappa, M. (2009). Education, asylum and the 'non-citizen' child: The politics of compassion and belonging. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Asylum Information Database. (2024). Overview of main changes since the previous report update. European Council on Refugees and Exiles.
  • Ball, S. J. (1994). Education reform: A critical and post-structural approach. Open University Press.
  • Ball, S. J., Maguire, M., & Braun, A. (2012). How schools do policy: Policy enactments in secondary schools. Routledge.
  • Bazeley, P., & Jackson, K. (2013). Qualitative data analysis with NVivo (2nd ed.). Sage.
  • Berry, J. W. (1997). Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation. Applied Psychology, 46(1), 5–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.1997.tb01087.x
  • Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027
  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
  • Büyükboyacı, M. (2025). Integration challenges in refugee education: The case of Syrian students in Turkish public schools. Journal of Migration and Education, 3(1), 22–38.
  • Çelik, Ç., & Erdoğan, E. (2017). From guest workers to refugees: Syrian refugee children’s access to education in Turkey. Migration Letters, 14(4), 699–712. https://doi.org/10.33182/ml.v14i4.358
  • Çelik, Ç., & İçduygu, A. (2019). Educational integration of Syrian refugee children in Turkey: Policies and challenges. International Migration, 57(2), 253–267. https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.12533
  • Çelik, Ç., & Özenç-İra, A. (2024). Teachers’ strategies and challenges in the inclusion of refugee children in Turkish schools. European Education Research Journal, 23(2), 142–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904124123471
  • Crul, M., Lelie, F., Biner, Ö. S., Biner, C., & Yükleyen, A. (2019). How the different dimensions of integration matter: A comparative analysis of Syrian refugee integration in Turkey and Europe. Migration Policy Centre.
  • Darling, J. (2017). Forced migration and the city: Irregularity, informality, and the politics of presence. Progress in Human Geography, 41(2), 178–198. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132516629004
  • Demir-BaĢaran, S., Yılmaz, E., & Özdemir, E. (2024). No country for young refugees: Barriers and opportunities for inclusive refugee education practices. Journal of Refugee Education, 7(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/10591478241243382
  • Dryden-Peterson, S. (2016). Refugee education: The crossroads of globalization. Educational Researcher, 45(9), 473–482. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X16683398
  • Dryden-Peterson, S. (2022). Right where we belong: How refugee teachers and students are changing the future of education. Harvard University Press.
  • European Court of Auditors. (2023). Support to education for refugees in Turkey: A significant EU contribution, but improvements needed in monitoring and sustainability. EU Publications Office. https://www.eca.europa.eu
  • European External Action Service. (2024, July). Education brief no. 5: Refugee education in host countries [Policy brief]. https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/2024/Education%20BN_No.5_V2.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
  • Fereday, J., & Muir-Cochrane, E. (2006). Demonstrating rigor using thematic analysis: A hybrid approach of inductive and deductive coding and theme development. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5(1), 80–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690600500107
  • Guest, G., MacQueen, K. M., & Namey, E. E. (2012). Applied thematic analysis. Sage.
  • Hurriyet Daily News. (2018, September 17). Over 610,000 Syrians enrolled in Turkish education system during 2017–2018 school year. https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/over-610-000-syrians-enrolled-in-turkisheducation-system-during-2017-2018-school-year-136172
  • İçduygu, A. (2015). Syrian refugees in Turkey: The long road ahead. Migration Policy Institute.
  • Kaya, A., & KiriĢci, K. (2022). Syrian refugees in Turkey: Policies and challenges. Brookings Institution Press.
  • Kirişci, K., & Yıldız, E. (2023). The politics of migration governance in Turkey: From humanitarianism to securitization. Mediterranean Politics, 28(2), 123–142.
  • Lipsky, M. (1980). Street-level bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individual in public services. Russell Sage Foundation.
  • McCarthy, K. (2018). The politics of refugee education: Educational administration of the Syrian refugee crisis in Turkey. Journal of Educational Policy and Administration, 33(2), 174–190.
  • Ministry of National Education. (2014). 2014/21 numbered circular on the education and enrollment of foreign students under temporary protection [2014/21 sayılı genelge: Geçici koruma altındaki yabancı öğrencilerin eğitime erişimi]. MoNE.
  • Ministry of National Education. (2015). 2015–2019 strategic plan [2015–2019 stratejik planı]. MoNE.
  • Ministry of National Education. (2016, August 22). A road map determined for the education of Syrian children [Suriyeli çocukların eğitimi için yol haritası belirlendi]. MoNE Press Release.
  • Ministry of National Education. (2017). Recruitment announcement for temporary teachers – PICTES Project [Suriyeli Çocukların Türk Eğitim Sistemine Entegrasyonunun Desteklenmesi Projesi (PICTES) geçici süreli öğretmen alımı duyurusu]. MoNE.
  • MoNE. (2023). Education statistics of children under temporary protection in Turkey. Ministry of National Education. https://www.meb.gov.tr
  • Ozga, J. (2000). Policy research in educational settings: Contested terrain. Open University Press.
  • Özçürümez, S., Tursun, Ö., & Tunç, A. (2023). Exploring the impact of teachers’ past migration experience on inclusive education for refugee children. International Journal of Inclusive Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2023.2221255
  • Özel, H., & Erdur-Baker, Ö. (2023). Struggles of refugee-receiving schools in Turkey: Challenges in integration and resource allocation. Social Sciences, 12(4), 231. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/4/231?utm_source=chatgpt.com
  • Presidency of Migration Management. (2024). Migration statistics annual report. Ministry of Interior, Republic of Türkiye.
  • Pinson, H., & Arnot, M. (2010). Citizenship, education and social exclusion: The construction of asylum-seeker and migrant identities in UK education policy. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 31(3), 293–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425691003700588
  • Prior, L. (2003). Using documents in social research. Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857020222
  • Seçgin, N. (2019). An analysis of immigrant education policies in Turkey (M.S. thesis). Middle East Technical University, Department of Political Science and Public Administration. (If a URL is used: https://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12624365/index.pdf
  • Shaw, J., & Bailey, M. (2019). Discourse, policy, and the politics of education: A critical document analysis approach. Educational Policy, 33(4), 600–627. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904817719528
  • Taylor, S. (1997). Critical policy analysis: Exploring contexts, texts and consequences. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 18(1), 23–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/0159630970180102
  • Unutulmaz, O. (2019). Turkey’s education policies towards Syrian refugees: A macrolevel analysis. Migration and Education, 1(2), 107–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741175.2019.1672659
  • UNESCO. (2009). Policy guidelines on inclusion in education. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
  • UNICEF Türkiye. (2023). Education for Syrian children under temporary protection in Türkiye: Monitoring report. UNICEF Türkiye Country Office.
  • UNICEF. (2021). Assessing the development-displacement nexus in Turkey. https://www.icmpd.org/content/download/48203/file/Assessing%20the%20Develop ment_%20Displacement%20Nexus%20in%20Turkey%20EN.pdf
  • UNICEF Türkiye & MoNE. (2024). Report on analysis of out-of-school Syrian children in Türkiye (July 2024). UNICEF Türkiye. https://www.unicef.org/turkiye/reports/report-analysis-out-school-syrian-children
  • UNHCR. (2024). Refugee education research digest (Q4 2024). United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. https://www.unhcr.org/
  • UNHCR. (2024). Annual results report: Turkey 2024 [Rapor]. UNHCR. https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/2025-06/T%C3%BCrkiye%20ARR%202024.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
  • UNHCR Türkiye. (2023). Türkiye’de geçici koruma altındaki Suriyeli çocuklar: Durum raporu 2023. UNHCR. https://www.unhcr.org/tr
Toplam 53 adet kaynakça vardır.

Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil İngilizce
Konular Eğitimin Felsefi ve Sosyal Temelleri, Çok Kültürlü Eğitim, Karşılaştırmalı ve Kültürlerarası Eğitim
Bölüm Araştırma Makalesi
Yazarlar

Aysun Doğutaş 0000-0002-2928-5156

Gönderilme Tarihi 9 Temmuz 2025
Kabul Tarihi 22 Aralık 2025
Yayımlanma Tarihi 13 Ocak 2026
Yayımlandığı Sayı Yıl 2026 Cilt: 19 Sayı: 1

Kaynak Göster

APA Doğutaş, A. (2026). The Evolution of Educational Policies for Immigrant Students in Turkey (2010–2025): A Qualitative Document Analysis. Journal of Theoretical Educational Sciences, 19(1), 25-49. https://doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.1738522