Preservice Teacher Education for Refugee and Displacement-Affected Learning Environments: A Scoping Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68050/JAMS.2026.630Keywords:
Preservice teacher education; refugee education, displacement contexts, unconventional learning spaces, education in emergencies, Preservice teacher educationAbstract
Purpose: This scoping review examines how preservice teacher education prepares teachers to work in refugee and displacement-affected learning environments, particularly within emergencies (EiE) contexts. The review aims to map existing literature, identify emerging patterns, and highlight gaps in how teacher preparation is conceptualized and implemented across diverse settings.
Design/methodology/approach – Using a scoping review approach, literature was identified through broad database searches conducted across four academic databases - ERIC, Education Source, Online Wiley Library, and Google Scholar - supplemented by backward citation tracking and screened based on relevance to preservice teacher preparation in displacement contexts. Four themes were identified through a synthesis matrix and theme development process.
Findings – The literature reveals a persistent gap in preservice teacher preparation for refugee and EiE contexts, which has been documented since 2006 and remains unresolved. Approaches such as experiential and community-based engagement represent the most evidence-based pathway for addressing this gap, yet their implementation remains uneven and program-dependent. Third, literature consistently identifies relational, psychosocial, and culturally responsive competencies as essential for effective teaching in displacement-affected settings, but they remain largely absent and insufficiently integrated into formal training. Fourth, systemic and structural conditions, including resource constraints, policy limitations, and geographic instability, define the operating context within which all preparation gaps are embedded.
Practical implications – The findings suggest a need for teacher education programs to expand beyond traditional coursework by integrating context-specific content, structured field engagement, and relational competencies into preservice preparation in the form of teaching practice -clinicals. Greater alignment between teacher education and the realities of displacement contexts is necessary to support effective teaching. Its value remains, offering a foundation for developing more responsive and contextually grounded approaches to teacher education in education in emergencies contexts.
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