Language Conflict, Language and Culture Shock in The Context of Bilingual Primary School Students

Abstract

Many bilingual students studying at schools in rural areas of Eastern and Southeastern Turkey experience language conflict in the process of acquiring Turkish. Likewise, teachers appointed to schools where bilingual students are educated, especially from the western regions of Turkey, have problems adapting to the region's culture and language. The problems experienced and seen cause language and culture shock for teachers. At the same time, these problems lead to various negativities on students and teachers in the education process. In this study, language conflict experienced by bilingual students was evaluated according to teacher opinions. Likewise, it is aimed to question the dimensions and consequences of language and culture shock in teachers. Teachers from different branches (n=120) working in the district villages of Van province were included in the study group. Research data were collected via an online questionnaire in the spring semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. The collected data were analyzed with the MaxQDA 2020 program. It was concluded that the students experienced intense language conflict at school. Similarly, it was concluded that the teachers also experienced language and culture shocks in the eastern regions where they were assigned.