Ethnographic Case Study on the Adaptation Process of Communities that Migrated to Turkey: The Case of Isparta Province


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Erişti S. D., Baltacı R.

JOURNAL OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN EDUCATION-EGITIMDE NITEL ARASTIRMALAR DERGISI, cilt.32, sa.1, ss.128-160, 2022 (ESCI) identifier

Özet

This research aims to examinethe perceptions of refugee families and childrenabout the migration process, their lives in Turkey, education, and social interactionsin Isparta,Turkey.The province Ispartahas a multicultural structure mainly due to the migrationsfromthe Middle East and Africa.The researchdesignedas an ethnographic case study was carried out with12students and eightmothers at an elementary school.The data werecollected through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, students’ drawings,anddocuments of the students’ narratives about their pictures. The data were analyzed throughout the research with aholisticapproachthroughthe content analysismethod. The findingsoutline the difficulties therefugee families experienced during the migration processand when they first arrived.Although some of these difficulties have beeneliminatedintime, some of them are persistent. Satisfaction with education, in general,attracts attention. However, certain important findings, particularly from student data, suggest that the concepts of family, home, and country, as well as the social cohesiveness process, are not structured.. Another problem in the adaptation process is language. Language stands out as a factor that facilitates the adaptation process of the refugees who can use it effectively. Adult education is also an important requirement besidesthe education of children of refugee families in the adaptation mechanism. Epecially for mothers, language learning, adjustmentto cultural differences, adoption of socio-cultural rules emergedas critical points that have positive reflectionsinthe adaptation process.