شبكة المعلومات العربية التربوية

The refugee crisis has become a global crisis and concern. Refugees flee their country of origin and seek refuge in host countries, where they need to survive in a new society and culture. English language is an international language and refugees in Egypt aspire to resettle in a developed country like the United States of America or Canada where English language is a necessity for them to communicate and find job opportunities to advance their socio-economic standard. The purpose of this study is to explore and understand in depth the aspects that shape the experiences, perceptions, and roles of English as Second Language teachers of kindergarten through twelve (K-12) for Sudanese and Syrian refugees in Cairo. This study is a qualitative multi-case study that was conducted in two community learning centers in Cairo, one for Sudanese and the other for Syrians. Semi-structured interviews were conducted face to face with the participants of both learning centers as well as the researcher's non participant observations. The study critically examines the challenges and problems the ESL teachers face with their refugee students in these two learning centers, their attitudes, and the approaches they use to deal with them. In addition, it compares and contrasts between the two case studies. Findings of this research have shed light on the vital importance of preparing the pre-service and in-service ESL teachers with refugee education so that they can support and help their students to overcome their psychological traumas and ensure their emotional well-being in order to achieve academic advancements. Furthermore, the study sheds light on the vital importance of enhancing peace education and global education and multiculturalism through the education sector to enhance the harmony between the natives of the host country and the refugees. (Author’s abstract)