An examination of school administrators' and teachers' culturally responsive leadership approaches in the context of Syrian students

This study aims to explore the role and scope of culturally responsive leadership in the management practices of school administrators, teachers, and guidance counselors working in schools with a high concentration of Syrian refugee students in Ankara. This research is significant as it highlights the impact of culturally responsive leadership practices on the educational processes of Syrian students and underscores the need for more inclusive educational policies.The research was conducted within the framework of qualitative research methodology. To achieve this, interviews were conducted with school administrators, teachers, and guidance counselors from 11 primary schools in the Altındağ district, which hosts the largest number of Syrian refugee students. In this study, the qualitative data analysis process was conducted within a four-stage framework based on the data analysis model proposed by Miles and Huberman (1994). In the first stage, all interviews conducted with participants were transcribed verbatim into written text. The obtained data were read in detail in line with the research sub-problems and theoretical framework; meaningful data clusters were identified, and the texts were analyzed line by line. During this process, recurring concepts, notable expressions, and commonly shared views were examined and labeled with appropriate codes. In the second stage, categories were identified by considering semantic similarities and content-related associations among the codes. The codes were grouped according to their similarities, and each group was organized under specific main themes and sub-themes. Theme formation was carried out both inductively, based directly on the data, and deductively, guided by the research questions and theoretical framework. In the third stage, the generated codes and themes were reviewed holistically. Some codes were revised or merged based on their relationship with the overall data set. In order to enhance the reliability of the study, the coding and thematization processes were also re-evaluated in consultation with the research advisor and field experts. In the final stage, participants' opinions were systematically interpreted within the framework of the identified themes. Relationships between themes were analyzed, and explanations were made in connection with the main objectives and research questions of the study. The findings were supported by direct quotations, allowing for the analysis of participants' views to be firmly grounded in qualitative data. This process enhanced the internal consistency of the research and enabled a more in-depth contextual understanding of the data. The findings indicate that the curriculum needs to be made more flexible and culturally responsive, teacher training programs should be enhanced, psychosocial support services should be expanded, and language learning programs should be developed. Moreover, it was observed that current educational policies fall short of addressing the needs of refugee children. Based on the findings, it is recommended to adapt the curriculum to be more flexible and culturally sensitive, increase training on culturally responsive leadership and trauma awareness for teachers, expand psychosocial support services, and involve families in this process. Additionally, it is suggested to enhance language learning programs and technological support for Syrian students.