The Role of Sports in School Belonging of Syrian Refugee Students in Turkey

Abstract

In this study, it is aimed to determine how being in school sports teams with Turkish students affects the sense of school belonging of Syrian students and to analyze the process before and after joining school sports teams. Explanatory sequential design, one of the mixed research methods, was used in the research. In the quantitative aspect of the study, a school belonging scale was applied to a total of 472 Syrian and Turkish students. In the qualitative dimension, interviews were conducted with 7 Syrian students in the school sports teams. Syrian students have a lower level of school belonging compared to Turkish students. When the school belonging levels of the Syrian students who are in the school sports team and the Syrian students who are not in the school sports teams are compared, it has been revealed that there is a significant difference in favor of the Syrian students who are in the school sports teams. Qualitative interviews were also found to support these findings. As a result of the research, it is shown that the participation of Syrian students in sports activities can prevent many psychosocial problems they experience in school. At the same time, it is seen that sports teams can contribute to Syrian students' forming a social circle of friends, socialization, accelerating the adaptation process, cooperation, complying with school rules, and increasing their level of satisfaction with the school.