Analysis of Leisure Time Activities of Syrian Children in Turkey as an Adaptation Process

Abstract

Leisure is one of the important discussions among immigrants. Leisure time activities also carry importance for migrant children. These activities establish bridge between a migrant’s own culture and the new country and help development of a new cultural understanding. Most of the Syrian children currently attend Temporary Education Centers in Turkey. The aim of this research is to evaluate the leisure time activities of Syrian children attending Temporary Education Centers. The qualitative research method was used in this study. The participants consist of 29 Syrian children. Findings show that most of the children live their own culture in a low-education and low-income household with several children. It was found that they mostly spend their times by attending Quran course, reading Arabic books and watching Arabic TV channels. These children read Turkish books, watch Turkish TV channels and do homework at the least in their leisure times. Implications for further research are also discussed.

Keywords: Leisure time, Syrian children, adaptation process, Temporary Education Center, Turkey.