Analysis of middle school Turkish coursebooks in terms of folklorical elements

Textbooks are undoubtedly teachers' greatest enablers in conveying elements of folk culture to students. Thanks to Turkish textbooks, students have the opportunity to become familiar with their own culture and develop an awareness of the need to preserve it. In line with this importance, this research aimed to examine the adequacy, quality, and diversity of folklore elements in Turkish textbooks published by the Ministry of National Education and distributed in schools. The study aimed to identify folklore elements in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade Turkish textbooks and to reveal how they are handled. The study employed a descriptive survey model. A total of seven books were examined: two books each from 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, and one book from the 5th grade level. The textbooks were examined according to the five main topics established at the International Folklore Congress (folk literature, material culture, traditions and beliefs, games, entertainment and music, and general topics). The study identified 142 elements of folk literature, 48 elements of material culture, 30 elements of traditions, customs, and beliefs, 36 elements of music, games, and entertainment, and 38 elements of folklore related to general topics. It was determined that elements of folk literature were more prevalent in the works. It was determined that the texts did not include some types of folk literature elements and traditional Turkish theater, with the exception of Karagöz. It was determined that there was repetition and a lack of diversity in the text types, folklore elements included in the texts, and the topics covered in the texts. It was concluded that the textbooks were inadequate in introducing elements of folklore and transmitting cultural elements to future generations in a balanced manner. Keywords: Turkish textbooks, folk culture, folklore, cultural elements