Abstract
This qualitative phenomenological study explored Turkish refugee college students’ perceptions of their educational experiences in Turkey and the U.S. that the crackdown following the failed July 15, 2016, coup attempt in Turkey affected. Twelve refugee college students studying in the U.S. were purposefully selected, and individual and focus group interviews with open-ended questions were used to collect data. The findings revealed the students’ perspectives of their personal and educational journeys, from young adults suffering persecution in their homeland to college students in the U.S. who faced challenges of unfamiliar culture, language, educational institutions, and societal structures. This study found that the participants became resilient and achieved personal and academic success. The findings highlighted the need for educational stakeholders to be informed of the uniqueness of each group of refugee students and to be equipped with the tools and resources that enable them to provide a safe, fair, and equitable educational experience for refugee students.
