Teachers’ Views on Parent Involvement for Refugee Children’s Education

Abstract

Wars, with their exhaustively long effects, cause people leave their countries and become refugees. Children are those who are affected most due to this situation. Undoubtedly, education is one of the basic rights of refugee children. Active and efficient family involvement is crucial to achieve the sufficient level in education. In this context, the aim of this study is to determine the level of parent involvement of refugee children. The study is designed as a phenomenological research. To this end, semi-structured interviews have been conducted with classroom teachers selected from those who have at least one refugee student in her/his classroom in Mersin, a metropolitan area and a city center in the southern region of Turkey. With its multi-cultural context, Mersin hosts around 200.000 refugees according to the statistics provided by Mersin governorate. Maximum variation sampling method has been used to determine the participants. According to the findings parent involvement is at low level for refugee students. Besides, it is determined that the parents of refugee students do not attend the parent-teacher meetings, they do not contact with teachers, and they do not support their children at home about their academic development. Parents' inability to speak Turkish (the native language of the teachers), their perception of their status in Turkey as temporary, the fact that they care physiological needs more than the education are found as major reasons of low parent involvement for refugee students.

The Problems of Teachers Who Have Immigrant Students in their Classes and Solutions

“…Mace, Mulheron, Jones and Cherian (2014) found that economic problems and language barriers were the reasons parents were indifferent to school. The problems that administrators have with parents are mostly problems caused by parents' long working periods, due to financial difficulties, students are not adequately cared for, some parents cannot support children because they are illiterate, so attendance at parent meetings is low (Sönmez, 2018;Zengin, Ataş-Akdemir, 2020). Kultas, (2016) has produced similar results in its research.…”

“…Otherwise, many problematic behaviors such as violence, bullying, sexual abuse may occur. In this regard, family-related studies are listed as promoting cultural beliefs, maintaining cultural life, education for children and employment for adults in order to facilitate family harmony (Fazel, Reed, Panther Brick & Stein, 2012;Zengin, Ataş-Akdemir, 2020). Carrying out studies on the development of peer relations with children within the school, organizing activities can be considered as factors that facilitate their adaptation.…”

Inclusion Teacher Qualifications as a Basis for Refugee Education: A Framework Review According to Views of Turkish Teachers

“…Hâlbuki öğretmenlerin velilerle işbirliği ve iletişim içinde olması öğrencilerin uyumsuz davranışlarının altında yatan nedenlerin bulunmasında faydalı olacaktır (Alidou, 2000). Buna karşın ebeveynlerin Türkçe konuşamamaları, Türkiye'deki durumu geçici olarak algılamaları gibi nedenlerle mülteci öğrenciler için ebeveyn katılımı ve işbirliği düşük düzeyde kalabilmektedir (Zengin ve Ataş-Akdemir, 2020). Dolayısıyla öğretmenler, mülteci öğrencilerin aile katılımını artırmada, iletişim ve işbirliğini geliştirmede etkili stratejiler geliştirebilmeli ve eğitim ortamlarını buna göre çeşitlendirebilmelidir.…”

Göç Mağduru Çocuklarin Covi̇d-19 Salgini Süreci̇ndeki̇ Öğrenme Deneyi̇mleri̇

“…Son yıllarda Türkiye'de yürütülen çalışmalarda Suriyeli göç mağduru çocukların eğitim sürecinde yaşadıkları sorunlara ve bu sorunlara yönelik çözüm önerilerine ilişkin çok sayıda çalışma yürütülmüştür (bkz. Akpınar, 2017;Aydin & Kaya, 2017;Başar, Akan & Çiftçi, 2018;Emin, 2016;Erçetin & Kubilay, 2018;Erçetin, Potas & Açıkalın, 2017;Ertaş & Çiftçi Kıraç, 2017;Hauber-Özer, 2019;Kazu & Deniz, 2019;Seydi, 2014;Şentürk, 2018;Zengin & Ataş-Akdemir, 2020). Salgın öncesi dönemde ön plana çıkan bu sorunların daha çok dil ve iletişim sorunları olduğu ayrıca bu çocukların yaşadığı yoksunluk, şiddet ve ölüm olaylarının yarattığı travmaların etkisiyle psiko-sosyal sorunlar ve uyum sorunları yaşadıkları tespit edilmiştir.…”