Transfer of cultural elements in lifelong Turkish courses and workbooks used in the project of supporting the adaptation of Syrian children to the Turkish education system

In today's world where foreign language learning and teaching activities are increasing, the importance of learning Turkish is also increasing for those whose native language is not Turkish. Language is not only a means of communication but also contains a culture and represents the essence of the nation it belongs to. Turkey is flooded with immigrants due to its rich cultural heritage and geographical location. For this reason, educational activities aimed at immigrants, whose numbers are increasing day by day, are also increasing. Language education and teaching come first among these educational activities. Today, the majority of the immigrant population in Turkey consists of Syrians. The influx of Syrian refugees into Turkey since 2011 has posed a significant challenge for the Turkish education system. However, despite everything, important steps have been taken to maintain the quality of education and to ensure the adaptation of foreign students. The PIKTES project, which is financially supported by the European Union, is one of the initiatives that aims to support this process. It is certain that Turkish education and teaching is the most crucial stage of this adaptation process. Therefore, the necessity and importance of using cultural elements in the preparation of educational materials for foreign students has also increased. In order to meet this need, the Directorate General for Lifelong Learning has published the "Lifelong Turkish" series, which includes texts and visuals that strengthen the cultural context. In this study, the "Lifelong Turkish" series was subjected to a comprehensive review. In the review, special attention was paid to cultural elements such as subject, visual presentation and text formats. In addition, it was investigated to what extent these elements reflect Turkish culture and to what extent they contain universal cultural elements. In the study, the document analysis method was used primarily to examine the available material. The findings showed that Turkish cultural values were heavily reflected in subjects and visuals inspired by Turkish culture and personal experiences. These results are of great importance in terms of emphasizing the fact that language education covers more than just grammar and vocabulary teaching. In addition, the importance of transferring cultural values in the process was also discussed. The "Lifelong Turkish" series offers content that reflects Turkish culture and contains universal cultural elements. In addition to being an important resource for foreign students learning Turkish, this teaching set will also be a useful resource for those who want to learn about Turkish culture.