The Role of Religion and Religious Education in Refugee Students’ Social Integration, Belonging, and Identity Construction

This study explores the educational experiences of Syrian Muslim refugee students in higher education in Türkiye, with particular emphasis on social integration, belonging, and identity construction in relation to religion and religious education. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 19 participants and analyzed through content analysis, leading to the development of thematic categories. The findings indicate that these experiences constitute a non-linear, multi-layered, and dynamic process shaped by temporal and contextual influences. Language proficiency, social interaction, and the educational environment are identified as key determinants of social integration, which emerges as a fragile and reversible rather than linear process. The sense of belonging develops through individual experiences and does not necessarily align with social acceptance, pointing to a distinction between its internal and external dimensions. Identity construction is characterized as flexible, hybrid, and continuously negotiated. The study’s primary contribution lies in revising the initial conceptual model. While the mediating role of social integration is supported, religion and religious education are shown to function as context-dependent and ambivalent factors. Although religion may promote meaning-making, social connection, and belonging, it may also contribute to exclusion depending on the context. Its influence is largely indirect, operating through social integration. Overall, the study offers a more nuanced and dynamic model for interpreting refugee students’ educational experiences.