Revisiting Resilience: Case of Syrian Children in Turkish Education Ecosystem

Abstract

Resilience is studied by researchers from various disciplines such as psychology, psychiatry and biological disciplines. Though the resiliency literature has expanded to a considerable extent, only a few studies have examined the resiliency patterns in child asylum-seekers/refugees. Using the constructivist perspective, the aim of the research to identify whether Syrian asylum-seeker children are able to develop resilience in Turkish education system. The date for this research were collected through a comprehensive field work based on interviews with a total of 100 Syrian children who are in the Turkish education system aged 13–18 living in Turkey, Kocaeli province. In the study, participants identified eight resilience strategies to deal with current traumatic stress generators and five education resilience parameters. These strategies positively influenced Syrian children to strengthen their sense of belonging, self-confidence and self-esteem. Based on the results, %64,4 of the participants believed that education is a significant tool to deal with struggles in host society; %60,6 stated education enabled them to find out their abilities; %81,6 emphasized if they did not join a class, they could feel more anxious and depressed; %82,2 reported that they have a fulfilling relationship with their teachers, %88,9 stated that they feel safe at school environment.