Primary school pupils’ views on refugee peers: are they accepted or not?

ABSTRACT In this study, the situation of Syrian refugee children, their acceptance by their peers, and their socialisation with one another were examined. The research was conducted using a case study design and a qualitative research method. Twenty-nine Turkish pupils were selected using a purposive sampling method. The school with the highest number of Syrian refugee pupils was selected from the public schools in Kocaeli. Semi-structured interviews and short stories created by the researchers were used as data collection tools. The data were analysed using content analysis. Results showed that the in general, Syrian pupils were accepted by their Turkish peers. The fact that the speech of Syrians was different, and the belief among Turkish students that they were inclined to physical violence, were other results of the study.