Education Journal 2017; 6(6): 207-214 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/edu doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20170606.17 ISSN: 2327-2600 (Print); ISSN: 2327-2619 (Online) Classroom Management Experiences with Syrian Refugee Students Emine Saklan 1, * , Aysun Erginer 2 1 Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey 2 Faculty of Education, Department of Primary Education, Nevsehir Haci Bektas Veli University, Nevsehir, Turkey Email address: eminesaklan@gmail.com (E. Saklan), aysunerginer@nevsehir.edu.tr (A. Erginer) * Corresponding author To cite this article: Emine Saklan, Aysun Erginer. Classroom Management Experiences with Syrian Refugee Students. Education Journal. Vol. 6, No. 6, 2017, pp. 207-214. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20170606.17 Received: December 8, 2017; Accepted: December 27, 2017; Published: December 28, 2017 Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate classroom management experiences with Syrian refugee students from the perspective of teachers. The study has a qualitative design and uses the case study method. The study group of this research was teachers in primary and middle schools in the central district of Tokat province who taught Syrian refugee students who had been forced to migrate to Turkey. This research found that most of the teachers' classroom management experiences with Syrian refugee students had negative aspects, and that the teachers stressed their linguistic challenges. It was found that refugee students’ pronunciation problems had caused them to be ridiculed. Teachers stated that they did not know what to do when they encountered with communication problems with these students. A variety of events (in-class activities, school trips, etc.) should be planned to prevent the other students from being biased against the Syrian refugee students and enable both groups to be integrated. Teachers’ awareness on how to behave with Syrian refugee students should be raised through the in-service training. Keywords: Migration, Syrian Refugee Students, Classroom Management 1. Introduction Migration is a phenomenon that has a great impact on individuals, families, countries and communities. Particularly individuals who migrate; families, the countries who has immigration and emigration are influenced by migration socially, culturally, economically, demographically, politically, spiritually and educationally [12]. The group most affected by the adverse conditions created by migration is undoubtedly the children. Almost half of the refugees (51.9%) who forced to migrate from Syria to Turkey (3,097,390) are children (0-18 years) [38]. Nearly half of the children who migrated from Syria has no opportunity to access education, for this reason [1]; [39]; [22] enrolment to school rates are declined; the problems like the number of schools do not meet the demand of increasing population is arise, classes become crowded day by day, families cannot devote resources to education, the children experience understanding and speaking problems to educational language [36]; [37] and teachers motivation is affected negatively [24]. It is necessary to minimize the problems in the classroom to function the teaching-learning process effectively and provide a healthy learning environment [16]. Classroom management is a set of techniques and activities related to control, change and organize the teaching environment and students’ attitudes towards the classroom goals. In addition, classroom management can be defined as creating and sustaining a learning environment that provides both effective and qualified training system, improving the working conditions of the class and destroying any distractions that may arise [27]. However, the students from different cultural background studying in the same classes might bring some classroom management problems. Nevertheless, the importance of classroom management approaches and methods cannot be denied at the point of refugee students' adaptation to a new society, their schools, teachers and friends. Refugee students come from many different countries and socioeconomic, political, linguistic and ethnic origins. The