Abstract
GEÇİCİ EĞİTİM MERKEZLERİNİN SURİYELİ ÇOCUKLARIN UYUMU ÜZERİNDEKİ GİZLİ ADAPTİF ROLLERİ
Whichever form it takes, migration entails experiences of loss and upheaval, through witch a migrant/refugee must go if he or she is to adapt to the new culture. Yet the mode of migration dictates the very nature and scale of these experiences. Forced immigrants enter the host country under very different circumstances than voluntary or economic immigrants. Immigrants who can easily and frequently visit their countries of origin suffer less than refugees who are barred from such opportunity. As a result, the refugee often resorts to the culturally and emotionally supportive environment of homo-ethnic enclaves/community in the host country. This article attempts to situate the schools established by Syrian community in Turkey, Temporary Education Centers (TECs), within Syrian refugees’ acculturation process. It then assesses the capacity of TECs to function as psychological shelters that provide the needed support and security through the critical stage of transition to the new culture and society. Finally, the article points to the current studies carried out in the field of refugee education that underscore the critical role of schools/institutions established by refugee/migrant communities in terms of providing stable acculturation process. The article argues that any approach towards integration that doesn’t equally place refugees and hosts needs at the center of the process, will produce outcomes that are opposite to those were intended.
Keywords
Syrian refugees, acculturation, culture shock, temporary education centers.
