A RELATIONAL SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SYRIAN STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES IN OSMANIYE PROVINCE ON INTEGRATION TO HIGHER EDUCATION PROCESS

Abstract

Syrian civil war, which has caused more than five million Syrians being forced to migrate to othercountries since 2011, was the beginning of an ongoing process of uncertainty and change for theSyrians migrated to neighboring countries such as Turkey. With the changing condition of Syriansin Turkey from temporary position to a permanent one, integration of Syrians became asignificant issue of concern for both sides. Considering the fact that one in four of the Syrians inTurkey are young Syrians who have to create a life and a future here, Turkey changed theeducation policy in the way to integrate them to Turkish higher education system. Integration tohigher education policy is a mutual exit door for both sides to diminish the risk of a lost Syriangeneration in Turkey and to create a hope for the Syrian youth for a better future. Along withthese desired positive outcomes, integration of Syrian students to higher education also bringschanges and challenges for both sides. In this study, the relational changes and challengesexperienced by Syrian students in integration process to Turkish higher education are exploredusing a relational sociological approach. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 13Syrian students (six women, seven men) who aged between 18 and 23 and who have beenstudying in Osmaniye Korkut Ata University. The experiences of Syrian students in our studyreveal that attending higher education is a turning point of their lives in terms of having a chanceto control the uncertainities surrounding them and having more space to increase their areas ofagency. While their families and the teachers in Turkish Language Learning, Research andApplication Center have been the most significant support mechanisms for them, there is stillrelational challenges they face in their interactions with Turkish students. To achieve a successfulintegration process, relational dynamics and psychosocial support mechanisms should be takeninto account in educational policies.