Beyond pedagogy: psychosocial and intercultural transformation of language teachers in inclusive refugee education

Language teachers in refugee-inclusive classrooms are increasingly expected to perform responsibilities that extend substantially beyond conventional pedagogical competence. This reflexive thematic analysis (Braun, V., and V. Clarke, 2006. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 (2): 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa; Braun, V., and V. Clarke. 2019. “Reflecting on Reflexive Thematic Analysis.” Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health 11 (4): 589-597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806) examined 50 instructors in Türkiye's PIKTES project through semi-structured interviews and focus discussions, exploring how teachers perceive and negotiate expanding demands of displacement-affected settings. Four primary themes emerged: language teaching as a process of social integration; intercultural mediation as constitutive professional responsibility; psychosocial expansion of teacher roles and professional precarity alongside institutional recognition gaps. Key findings: 72% identified psychosocial competencies as defining characteristics of their role; 94% described sustained empathic engagement as a routine feature of practice; 64% found existing training and certification programmes inadequate for displacement-affected teaching realities. The study reconceptualises language teacher competence as multidimensional, integrating psychosocial responsiveness, intercultural mediation and emotional labour management with pedagogical-linguistic frameworks. Current competency frameworks were developed without systematically incorporating practitioners' experiential knowledge. Recognising teachers as legitimate knowledge producers is essential for adequate frameworks in displacement-affected education.