Browsing by Author "Kucukcayir, Gulnur Ak"

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    Culturally relevant school leadership for Syrian refugee students in challenging circumstances
    (2019) Arar, Khalid; Orucu, Deniz; Kucukcayir, Gulnur Ak
    This article presents two rich case studies of schools catering for Syrian refugee students in the Turkish city of Ankara. The article attempts to identify the challenges facing the two schools in this complex reality and the strategies developed by the two principals and their teaching staff to cope with academic, pedagogic and administrative functioning difficulties. Qualitative data collection and analysis were chosen for this investigation. Interpretation followed the four dimensions suggested by Horsford, Grosland and Gunn (2011) in their Framework for Culturally Relevant Leadership: political contexts, pedagogical approaches, personal journeys and professional duties. Findings indicate that although the schools cope with difficult circumstances in the field, the government's policies are naive and unclear. The principals are motivated by a pedagogy of compassion, containment and humanistic-universal commitment. Conflicting discourses are found among the staff who feel 'trapped' in this difficult reality. The principals employ a style that encourages synergistic collective commitment and social cohesion. Conclusions and recommendations are discussed.
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    A holistic look at education of the Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey: policy, leadership and practice
    (2020) Arar, Khalid; Orucu, Deniz; Kucukcayir, Gulnur Ak
    We sought to provide a holistic view of education of the Syrians under temporary protection by exploring two schooling models in terms of policy and practice for integration. Relying on social justice (SJ) framework as redistribution, recognition and representation, and on ecological framework, we adopted qualitative phenomenological approach with both interviews with principals and teachers integrating Syrian students and related policy text analysis. Our findings indicated that this is a patchy space although SJ framework is evident in the implementations of the school practitioners. Yet, the existing discrepancy between policy and practice as well as the unsystematic approach in evaluating various implementations leaves the rigor vague. Further conclusions and implications are discussed.