The research on educational leadership for refugees since 2009: an international systemic review of empirical evidence

Abstract

Research on educational responses for forced-migrants, refugees and displaced people has increased in recent years, whereas research about the relevant educational leadership addressing these populations is still limited. This study presents a systematic review of recent international empirical evidence, published in peer-reviewed journals between 2009 and 2021, on educational leadership for forced-migrants and refugees through meta-analysis. This review systematically collected, documented, scrutinized, and critically analyzed the extant research on education& leadership for the forcibly displaced people, refugees and asylum-seekers. Three questions guided this review: (a) What are the major themes in the literature about educational leadership for refugees? (b) What are the dominant theoretical and methodological frameworks in the related publications? (c) What is missing to date in scholarship about educational leadership for refugees? By doing so, the article presents evidence from meta-analysis of 31 papers organized around three main themes: (a) Models of welcoming educational leadership; (b) Educational leaders' responses to refugees' needs; and (c) Advocacy for social cohesion and community engagement. The paper concludes with theoretical and methodological conclusions, empirical evidence of the importance of leadership and policy in shaping the lives of refugee students, and recommendations for future research and educational interventions to better address refugees' needs. Across the three themes, there is an intersecting pattern that complements one another. That is; the systemic leadership through solid and targeted policies either facilitate or hinder the healthy integration of the refugee students. At school level, the moral agency, sensemaking, community engagement and influencing various parties are cruical strategies for the school leaders in addressing the challenges. From a broader angle, the above mentioned leadership styles that emerged from the studies (Social justice leadership, ethical leadership, systemic leadership and culturally relevant leadership modes) inostensibly involves the strategies employed within schools.