Intercultural pedagogical experiences of Turkiye-Origin early childhood educators living in Australia: An analysis from the perspective of the cultural reflective model and school social work
Hacettepe University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Ankara, Türkiye
Abstract
In Australia, where cultural diversity is highly visible, there is a need to understand the experiences of Turkish early childhood educators working in multicultural environments. These experiences have the potential to contribute to early childhood education in Turkiye as well, where increasing migration is making cultural diversity more prominent. This study aims to understand the multicultural experiences of Turkish-origin early childhood educators living in Australia with families and children from different cultural backgrounds, within the framework of the school social work perspective and the cultural reflexive model. The study seeks to examine the socio-demographic characteristics of the educators, their multicultural experiences, how they cope with cultural diversity, and how they manage education and care processes. It also aims to reveal their expectations and suggestions from a school social work perspective. Designed as a qualitative research study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight Turkish-origin early childhood educators living in Australia. The data obtained were analysed and interpreted based on a theoretical framework. The research findings are evaluated under the following themes: participants’ demographic and social characteristics, definitions and experiences of multiculturalism, barriers encountered in the process of language and cultural adaptation, educational practices in multicultural settings, and participants’ expectations and recommendations.
Keywords
Early Childhood Education in Australia,Cultural Reflection,Multiculturalism,School Social Work
How to Cite
Bozan, Y., & Ozkan, Y. (2026). Intercultural pedagogical experiences of Turkiye-Origin early childhood educators living in Australia: An analysis from the perspective of the cultural reflective model and school social work. International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, 17(65), 1101–1112. https://doi.org/10.70736/ijoess.1728
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Yasemin Ozkan