Integration Experiences of International Students in Life Science Classes in Turkey: A Study on Intercultural Education through Textbooks
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17509/mimbar-sd.v13i1.60Keywords:
Cultural Integration, Foreign-National Students, Inclusive Education, Intercultural Understanding, Life Science ClassesAbstract
This study investigates the growing need for inclusive educational practices in Turkish primary schools, where the number of refugee and international students has been steadily increasing. It focuses on how foreign-national students engage with cultural themes in Life Science classes and how these experiences shape their integration into Turkish culture, values, and identity. Employing a phenomenological research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with students from diverse migration backgrounds to capture their lived experiences. The data were analyzed thematically, revealing two interrelated themes. The first theme highlights the role of cultural elements and symbols—such as national holidays, historical figures, monuments, and the Turkish language—in shaping students’ sense of identity and cultural belonging. These elements provided opportunities for reflection and comparison, enabling students to relate Turkish cultural content to their own backgrounds. The second theme demonstrates the influence of language proficiency, ethnicity, and family context on students’ integration processes. Students with higher levels of Turkish language proficiency engaged more actively in cultural learning, while family practices, particularly food traditions and parental influence, played a significant role in transmitting cultural knowledge. Overall, the findings suggest that while textbooks support cultural belonging, deeper intercultural understanding requires more inclusive, contextualized, and experiential representations of diversity to ensure sustainable integration.
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