Metaphoric perceptions of Syrian children in Turkey towards the school concept

Due to the Syrian civil war since March 2011 millions of Syrian individuals were forced to immigrate to Turkey. According to the Republic of Turkey Directorate General of Migration Management and UNICEF's actual data, the number of Syrians who took refuge in Turkey has exceeded 3.5 million and a major part of this number consists of children. This forced migration by civil war has brought along very important psychological and sociological processes with it, especially for the children. Syrian children, who face enormous barriers, notably the language barrier in accessing education and adaptation to society, become an important disadvantaged group in this context. The thesis aims to supply a project to the concept of school in the eyes of Syrian high school refugees in Turkey, by metaphors. To reveal a new understanding by establishing a similarity between two different familiar objects will enable us to discover the concept of school in the eyes of Syrian children who had a tragic migration experience. At the same time, expressing emotions, thoughts, and ideas with symbols is an easier and more creative way for a community that has language problems and avoids making long sentences. In this context, a phenomenological study was conducted to measure school perceptions of 10 high scool students, 5 girls and 5 boys, receiving academic and psycho-social support by Yeryüzü Çocukları Derneği. The children who were asked to develop metaphors about school were asked to fill in the gaps in sentence "School is like ….., because ……" and then to answer the semi structured questions in depth interviews. The metaphors developed by children were analyzed in detail in the light of the data obtained from the interviews. As an outcome of the research, children who develop positive metaphors in general, stated that they are very willing to read, go to school and receive education, and have goals in terms of acquiring a profession. In this regard, it has been observed that children who use positive metaphors for school establish dialogs in an unplanned manner in their daily lives, by using metaphors and discovering new paths in their minds by this way. At the same time, the fact that their educational life is supported by a non-governmental organization can be an important factor on children's positive school perception.