Examining Secondary School Students’ Perceptions of the Concept of Migration: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

<p>The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of the eighth grade students<br />regarding the concept of migration covered in the 6th and 7th grades social studies curriculum.<br />To this end, the metaphors produced by the students in regard to this concept and the<br />pictures/cartoons drawn by them about it were examined. Survey model was used in this<br />study. Qualitative research techniques considered suitable for triangulation (collecting data<br />via metaphors and document analysis) were used together. The study group consisted of 334<br />eight grade students (176 males and 158 females) attending secondary schools located in the<br />central districts of Ankara, Kilis, and Gaziantep provinces in the fall semester of the<br />2014-2015 academic year. The participants were randomly selected through purposeful<br />sampling. The data obtained from the participants were analyzed and interpreted through<br />content analysis. Results indicated that most of the participants, whether or not they had been<br />exposed to migration, perceived migration as “compulsion”, “continuity”, and “cause of<br />separation”. Another result of this study was that especially the participants exposed to<br />migration perceived migration as “time-dependent differentiation” and “unhappiness” and<br />thought that migration is an undesirable temporary event that occurs at certain times and<br />disappears after a while.</p>