Adjustment of Syrian refugee children into pre-school education in Turkey

Abstract

A qualitative case study was used in this study in order to determine the pre-school education adjustment problems of a Syrian child refugee who had fled from his homeland and took refuge in Turkey. The research participants were the child’s family, teachers, and the principal of the school where the child was educated at pre-school. For the purposes of the study, data were collected through interviews and analyzed by the qualitative content analysis method. According to study results, one of the important factors affecting the adaptation of the children to the school is the communication problem. Another factor is the fact that Syrian families do not have sufficient financial condition. Also, official procedures, though not directly affecting the child, can indirectly affect children through parent-teacher relationships. Another remarkable result is prejudices, which have been examined in three different dimensions as children, parents and teachers, and recommendations for solutions were presented.