Investigation of the readiness level of Syrian students having received preschool education and not having received preschool education for primary education

Abstract

The current study aims to determine the readiness level of Syrian students having received and not having received pre-school education for primary education. To this end, on the basis of the main research question “What are the opinions of primary teachers about the readiness level of Syrian students having received and not having received pre-school education for primary education?”, their level of readiness was investigated in terms of their cognitive, physical, socio-emotional, language and self-care skills. The current study employed the case study design, one of the qualitative research methods. The study group is comprised of 15 primary teachers teaching first graders including Syrian students attending schools in the city of Şanlıurfa, which is located in the Southern Anatolian region of Turkey and where the Syrian population is intense. The participating teachers were selected by using the criterion sampling method. The data were collected through the semi-structured interview technique. In the analysis of the collected data, the content analysis method was used. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the Syrian students having received pre-school education are more ready for primary education in terms of their cognitive, physical, language, socio-emotional and self-care skills and that the Syrian students not having received pre-school education encounter many problems in the first grade of primary education.