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

Abstract

This research aims to examine the perceptions of refugee families and children about the migration process, their lives in Turkey, education, and social interactions in Isparta, Turkey. The province Isparta has a multicultural structure mainly due to the migrations from the Middle East and Africa. The research designed as an ethnographic case study was carried out with 12 students and eight mothers at an elementary school. The data were collected through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, students’ drawings, and documents of the students’ narratives about their pictures. The data were analyzed throughout the research with a holistic approach through the content analysis method. The findings outline the difficulties the refugee families experienced during the migration process and when they first arrived. Although some of these difficulties have been eliminated in time, 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 besides the education of children of refugee families in the adaptation mechanism. Epecially for mothers, language learning, adjustment to cultural differences, adoption of socio-cultural rules emerged as critical points that have positive reflections in the adaptation process.