A Study on Turkish and Syrian Educational Experiences of Syrian Refugee Students and Parents Residing in Turkey

Abstract

In this study, Turkey and Syria education experiences of Syrian refugee students and parents residing in Turkey were examined. In the research, the data were collected through a qualitative semi-structured interview form, and the interviews were conducted face to face. The interviewees were coded as E1, E2, E3… and K1, K2, K3… and their real names were not used. The data obtained were analyzed with the descriptive analysis method and the interview items used in the research were interpreted separately. According to the results of the research, the majority of the participants regarding the education practices in Turkey stated that they are happy to receive education in Turkey, they thought their time spent in schools is productive and their children are valued in Turkish schools. When their views on their school experiences in Syria are examined, some of the participants stated that school hours are short and there are more out of shcool learning opportunities. However, the majority of the participants in the research stated that they are discriminated as Arab or Turkmen in schools, almost all teachers’ paractice violence and therefore students do not like school. When the school memories in Turkey were examined, half of the participants did not express any opinion, half of the rest stated that they had positive memories, and the other part stated that they were exposed to racial discrimination. Smilarly, when their school memories in Syria were examined, very few of the participants expressed positive opinions about school memories, on the other hand nearly half of the participants stated negative opinions about school memories in Syria, such as racism, physical and psychological violence, and traumatic environments. The same participants stated that there is a democratic educational atmosphere in Turkey, guidance service is more effective in education and education is more advanced in terms of technical equipment. Smilarly, it was stated that exams are fair in Turkey, they in Syria the situation is verse. When the answers given by the participants to the teacher students relationships in Syria physical violence and intimidation are frequently seen, but the teachers in Turkey are more flexible and sensible. Participants indicated that mixed-sex schooling system was seen positive. It is thought that the findings obtained as a result of this examination can contribute to the integration of Syrian students and their parents