Teachers' and parents' views of the problems faced by bilingual preschool children

As well as Turkish, the major languages spoken in Turkey include Kurdish, Laz, Zazaki, Arabic and Syriac, with Kurdish being predominant in two of the country’s seven provinces (East and Southeast Anatolia). Large numbers of... [ view full abstract ]

As well as Turkish, the major languages spoken in Turkey include Kurdish, Laz, Zazaki, Arabic and Syriac, with Kurdish being predominant in two of the country’s seven provinces (East and Southeast Anatolia). Large numbers of Kurdish children start preschool without knowing Turkish, but are nevertheless expected to communicate with their teachers and friends in Turkish while at school. These first educational experiences of bilingual children raise challenges for preschool teachers whose own mother tongue is Turkish, as well as for parents who wish to support their children’s language acquisition but who do not themselves know any Turkish words. If effective language teaching is to be developed and maintained, it is crucial that parents as well as teachers take active roles. Therefore, the key aim of this study is to collect and compare parents’ and teachers’ views related to the first experiences and special problems of bilingual children in Turkish preschool classrooms. A semi-structured interview protocol developed by the researchers was used to interview 20 parents and 20 preschool teachers. The data will be analyzed through the word-list technique, and the findings and main themes will be discussed at the 69th OMEP World Assembly and International Conference.