PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' OPINIONS ON THE PROBLEMS OF REFUGEE-ASYLUM-SEEKING CHILDREN

: In this study, it is aimed to determine the views of undergraduate teacher candidates on the concepts of refugee and asylum seeker and the problems these children experience. In the study carried out with the qualitative method, the case pattern was used. The sample of the study consists of 18 teacher candidates determined by the criterion sampling method. While determining the sample, pre-service teachers were asked to know concepts such as refugees and asylum seekers, and in this context, students who took or already took the "inclusive language teaching" course were included in the sample. Data were collected with an open-ended question form and the questionnaire consists of 5 questions. After the data was transferred to the computer environment, codes were created with the help of another researcher and the themes were reached by bringing together similar codes. The data of the research were collected from teacher candidates by face-to-face application. When we look at the findings of the research, it is seen that the candidates generally know why refugees and asylum seekers have to migrate from their countries, and they have a good grasp of the problems experienced in the migration process and in the country, they come from. Participants stated that language and communication problems were especially effective on children and this situation would cause problems in participating in education and adapting to society. The candidates, who offered constructive suggestions on the subject, stated that especially refugees and asylum seekers should return to their countries after a certain period of time and that the problems experienced in their countries should be solved and a welfare environment should be created during this period.


Introduction
The development of technology in the world has benefited humanity in many areas. In particular, phenomena such as education, transportation and communication have evolved with technology and have developed positively. Although technology has created positive situations for humanity, the development of the weapon industry and transportation facilities has brought the phenomenon of war to a different dimension. Today, especially as a result of the development of war technology, wars between masses or countries have increased, which has led people to migrate from their countries against their will. The occupation of Iraq by the United States of America after 2000, the civil war in Syria, the political turmoil in Afghanistan and finally the invasion of Ukraine by Russia caused millions of civilians to leave their countries and migrate to different countries. As a result of the spread of such situations, concepts such as refugee and asylum seeker came to the fore again.
Although concepts such as refugees and asylum seekers differ according to the perspectives of countries and the level of the problem that arises, when we look at the literature, the explanations about refugee and asylum seeker are as follows. According to UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) (2022), refugee "someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion". Deniz (2014) defined the concept of refugee as people who are outside of their country of origin and cannot benefit from the opportunities of this country and do not want to return to their own country because they fear that they may be oppressed for any reason or lose their life. He also defines people fleeing the civil war and the resulting turmoil as refugees (Yılmaz Eren, 2018: 75). The Turkish Language Association (TLA) (2022), on the other hand, defines a refugee as an "asylum seeker". Although refugee and asylum seeker are cases with different meanings, it is thought-provoking that TLA uses these two cases as similar. As a matter of fact, it is important for the measures to be taken or the policies to be planned that such concepts are clarified, especially in a country like the Republic of Turkey, which has much political turmoil and war environments around it. According to the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Legal Situation of Refugees, a refugee is "a person who is outside the country of his/her nationality and cannot benefit from the protection of that country because he/she is a well-founded fear of being persecuted because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. because of fear, unwilling to take advantage; or a person who does not have a nationality and is outside the country of his/her former residence as a result of such events, unable to return there or unwilling to return due to such fear". Looking at the definitions, it is open to debate which situation or which persons will be granted refugee status. In this context, to summarize the definitions, a refugee is "a refugee who leaves his/her country with the assumption that his/her life and property is in danger due to any reason (war, conflict, revolution, natural disaster) occurring in his/her country and wants to take refuge in another country, it can be defined as the person or persons taken to the country in question as a result of the completion of the process". The important point here is that in order for a person to enter refugee status, he or she must make a legal application and this application must be positive. Because of this criterion, the concepts of asylum seeker and refugee differ.
Another concept that is often confused with the concept of refugee is asylum seeker. Asylum is entering another country or foreign country's representatives, warships or planes due to various pressures or legal situations of the country of residence or citizenship and seeking the protection of that country (Pazarci, 2013: 215). According to another definition, an asylum seeker is a person who can legally gain refugee status, but who is not accepted as a refugee in the country they are in or whose refugee application has not yet been concluded (Kıratli, 2011: 17). They are people who cross the borders to be protected but do not meet the criteria set by the 1951 convention (Abadan-Unat, 2017). An asylum seeker, who is included in the classification of forced migration, is a person who crosses an international border for fear of persecution and seeks asylum from a country other than his/her nationality (Kale, 2016: 607). The main difference between asylum seeker status and refugee status is that the legal application has not been concluded. Due to the civil war that broke out in Syria in the recent past, people had to immigrate to Turkey due to this sudden event due to their safety of life. In this context, these people were admitted to Turkey with the status of an asylum seeker, as it was known that legal processes would take time due to the urgency of the situation and the large crowd.
There are many problems that can be experienced as a result of the migration of people living in different regions in any country to another region. People experience problems in this process as it will take a certain time to adapt to cultural differences, behavior patterns, eating-drinking, tradition-custom and custom-based differences. Despite having the same language, same legal regulations and common cultural background in the same country, these problems cause bigger problems for people from very different languages or cultures. Especially the languages, cultures, social behavior patterns, etc. of the Syrians who took refuge in Turkey. Since many of its features are different, it is very difficult to adapt to Turkey and this problem continues.
Especially language differences made it very difficult for this group to enter business life and earn enough money to make a living, and this situation gave rise to different problems. Refugees and asylum seekers are concepts that express people or masses who have to leave their country against their will, and although there are many problems in general, children are most affected by this situation. Refugees have serious problems in counseling, primary health care and preventive services, diagnosis, treatment opportunities and access to medicine (Karadag and Altinbas, 2010: 56). While adults, in particular, know why this forced asylum is a positive situation because it provides their life safety, it relieves them to some extent, but the situation is very different for children. It is a difficult situation for them to empathize with, especially when primary school children and younger children cannot understand abstract concepts such as war, refugee, asylum seeker and go to school in a country where a different language is spoken. In particular, the fact that parents are unemployed and have economic problems due to not knowing the language affects children very seriously. According to Buz (2002), the economic problems that asylum seekers and refugees experience are as follows: • Asylum seekers and refugees have no income.
• Considering that the majority of asylum seekers and refugees are in financial distress. • The fact that asylum seekers or refugees receiving aid do not find the aid they receive sufficient. • According to the UNICEF Turkish National Committee (2020), assistance is provided to Syrian refugee / asylum-seeking children in the following areas: • In cooperation with the Ministry of National Education, teachers are supported to receive trainings that increase their skills and competencies in providing inclusive education for all disadvantaged groups. • Grants are given to Syrian volunteer teachers, schools and "Temporary Education Centers" are established. ensuring school continuity, reducing drop-out rates and encouraging school enrollment. • Family, Labor and Social Services provide psycho-social support to children exposed to war by establishing "Child Friendly Spaces" in and outside the camps. • Adolescents and young people are trained to take positive roles in their communities. • Activities that will bring together peer adolescents and young people with the aim of social cohesion are carried out. • Parents are supported to cope with their children's problems.
• Basic needs such as vaccination, food, school supplies and clothing support are met.
The problem of not knowing the language of the country caused by migrating to a different country is an important main problem that feeds other problems (Gunes Aslan and Gungor, 2019). In this context, as stated above, the basis of the problems that Syrian children face, especially in educational activities, is the lack of language skills. In this context, teaching Turkish to these children at a basic level, at least at a level to communicate, before continuing formal education in public schools will both facilitate their adaptation to school and enable them to be more successful academically.
Altintas (2018, pp. 496-497) offers the following suggestions for the integration of Syrian children: Studies can be carried out to facilitate the increase of both educational and socio-cultural competences of teachers who teach Syrian children and youth. Schoolage Syrian children and youth and their families can be supported more financially. Psycho-social support opportunities can be increased and expanded. In order for Syrian and Turkish peers to lead their lives together in harmony, content and activities can be created in the schools of both groups to raise awareness of anti-discrimination and to live together in harmony. Socio-cultural activities that provide cohesion can be given more space in schools. All teachers can receive more hands-on training on psychosocial support for refugees. Campaigns can be organized to prevent bullying in schools and schools can be made places where refugee students can feel safe. Children who have not learned Turkish adequately may not be immediately enrolled in existing public schools; After learning Turkish well in temporary education centers accompanied by qualified Turkish teachers, they can be taken to public schools. Families can be supported to create bilingualism in children in the home environment in order to eliminate the obstacles to learning Turkish. Turkish teachers can be given basic Arabic speaking training. Various extracurricular activities can be organized in which Turkish and Syrian children can participate together, and language learning and socialization opportunities can be created by interacting with their Turkish peers. In family meetings with translators, parents can better understand and adapt to the Turkish education system. Local government employees, together with school personnel, can prevent refugee children from being isolated and facilitate their adaptation to the school environment with various social activities. Practical training on refugee education can be given to teachers and administrators in public schools. School administrators have the most critical role in the adaptation process of Syrian children to public schools. In public schools where there are Syrian children due to the language barrier, a staff who can support school administrators can be employed with advanced knowledge of Arabic.
In Turkey, the number of people defined as refugees according to the law is only 28, and the rest are under temporary protection status (KHA, 2022). Although there are people from many different countries in Turkey, the majority of them are those who fled the Syrian civil war. According to MD (2022) data, the total number of Syrians under temporary protection status registered in Turkey is 3 million 762 thousand 385 people. The distribution of Syrians under temporary protection status by age and gender is shown in Table 1. Looking at Table 1, it is seen that the accumulation is especially between the ages of 0-29. It includes the primary and secondary school levels between the ages of 5-14, and there are over one million children in this age range. These people, who are referred to as refugees, asylum seekers or with different terms, have come to Turkey by leaving their country against their will, due to foreign intervention, civil war, political turmoil or other reasons. In this case, especially children experience great problems. Children, who are not even aware of the event, migrate to a country where they do not know their language, culture or even their games and try to adapt to it. Considering that the exclusion or economic problems experienced by their families in this process deeply affect children, these children need to integrate into the country in order to live a healthy life. In this process, the greatest support comes from the teachers. In particular, the attitudes of classroom teachers toward refugee or asylumseeking children and their knowledge of this subject will facilitate the adaptation of these children to the new order. As a matter of fact, in this study, the views of primary school teacher candidates on the concepts of refugee and asylum seeker and the problems these children experience were determined. The following sub-problems were prepared within the scope of the research: • What are the opinions of teacher candidates about the reasons for refugees and asylum seekers to leave their countries? • What are the views of teacher candidates on solving the refugee and asylum seeker problem? • What is the awareness of teacher candidates about the problems experienced by refugee and asylum-seeking children? • What are the solution suggestions of teacher candidates regarding the problems experienced by refugee and asylum-seeking children? • What are the views of teacher candidates on the adaptation of refugee and asylumseeking children to the country?

Material and Methods
In the research, the case design, one of the qualitative researches, was used. The situation pattern is one of the most preferred patterns in qualitative research (Baskarada, 2014). According to Sturman (1997), a case study is a general term for the exploration of an individual, group or phenomenon. Case study is a distinguishing approach used in seeking answers for scientific questions (Mcmillan, 2000 cited in Yurdakal andKirmizi, 2014). The sample of the study consists of 18 Faculty of Education undergraduate students. The criterion sampling method was used to determine the sample. Students who have information about refugee and asylum-seeking children were included in the sample because the sample to be selected in the criterion sample should be rich in terms of information (Marshall, 1996). In this context, students who took or took the "inclusive language teaching" course, which includes concepts such as refugee and asylum, were included in the sample. 17 of the 18 teacher candidates are female and 1 is male. An openended question form created by the researcher was used to determine the views of teacher candidates. Expert opinions were obtained from a language expert and an assessment and evaluation expert for the draft questionnaire. The questionnaire was applied to the teacher candidates face-to-face by the researcher. After the purpose of the study and how to fill in the form were explained to the candidates, they were given 15 minutes to fill out the form. Before the application, it was determined whether the candidates took the "inclusive language teaching" course, and the students who did not take the course were excluded from the sample. The collected data were transferred to the computer environment in accordance with the purpose of the research and analysis was made by giving each opinion. Similar codes were brought together to reach the themes, and the content analysis method was used in the data analysis of the research. Content analysis is a technique used to reveal valid and reliable results from the collected data (Krippendorff, 1980). The data obtained as a result of the content analysis are shown in tables and the tables are supported by quotations. Participants were given participant numbers with F (female) and M (male). In the analysis of the data, the percentage of consensus was calculated with the help of another researcher. The calculation was made with the formula "reliability = consensus / consensus + disagreement x 100" (Miles & Huberman, 2015, p. 64). The agreement among researchers was calculated as 88.3%. This ratio shows that the results are reliable.

Results
The data collected within the scope of the research were first shown in tables and then supported by quotations. Since the participants gave more than one answer on some subjects, the sum of "n" is more than 18. The first sub-problem of the research is "What are the opinions of the pre-service teachers about the reasons for refugees and asylum seekers to leave their countries?" The opinions of the pre-service teachers regarding this sub-problem are shown in Table 1. Some of the opinions of the candidates regarding the aforementioned sub-problem are as follows: "They become refugees because of the civil war in their country. The war environment also negatively affects the welfare level." (2, F) The second sub-problem of the research is "What are the opinions of the teacher candidates about the solution of the refugee and asylum seeker problem?" The views of the pre-service teachers regarding this sub-problem are shown in Table 2. Some of the opinions of the candidates regarding the aforementioned sub-problem are as follows: "I do not see myself as competent to solve this problem." (F, 1) "If there are more refugees than we can afford, I take the qualified ones and use them." (F, 2) "I try to convince them that I am making their country more livable. I create a livable environment with economic support." (4, F) "I will take it temporarily in their country and send it back when the problem is resolved." (5, F) "I only buy what will be useful to my country, I do not take the rest. (7, E) "I reduce the number of refugees coming into the country. I only take women and children." (9, F) The third sub-problem of the research is "How is the awareness of teacher candidates about the problems experienced by refugee and asylum-seeking children?" The views of the pre-service teachers regarding this sub-problem are shown in Table 3. Some of the opinions of the candidates regarding the aforementioned sub-problem are as follows: "It creates problems for them to live in an environment where a language they do not understand is spoken." (2, F) The fourth sub-problem of the research is "What are the teacher candidates' suggestions for solutions to the problems experienced by refugee and asylum-seeking children?" The opinions of the pre-service teachers regarding this sub-problem are shown in Table 4. Some of the opinions of the candidates regarding the aforementioned sub-problem are as follows: "Turkish language should be taught to refugee and asylum-seeking children from a young age." (3, F) "Adaptation studies and activities should be carried out for children." (4, F) The fifth and last sub-problem of the research is "What are the views of teacher candidates on the integration of refugee and asylum-seeking children into the country?" The views of the pre-service teachers regarding this sub-problem are shown in Table 5. Some of the opinions of the candidates regarding the aforementioned sub-problem are as follows: "Psychological support should be provided." (1, F) "Children must first integrate into the country. In this context, they should be distributed equally to the normal classes. Cultural education should also be given in education." (2, F) "An environment of tolerance towards refugees and asylum seekers should be created in the society." (3, F) "These children first need to learn language and culture. In this context, separate pilot schools and language courses should be opened for these children" (5, F) "Activities to increase communication with other children should be organized." (11, F) "Environments should be created where these children can freely express their views and problems. Here, the responsibility lies with the classroom teacher." (14, F) "The education curriculum should be updated in order to break the prejudices of the children living in the country and to enable them to empathize." (17, F)

Conclusion and Discussion
Within the scope of the research, it is seen that teacher candidates know the reasons that lead to the problem of refugees and asylum seekers. Considering the opinions, it is seen that they think that the situation of refugees and asylum seekers arises due to natural and artificial reasons. Cases such as civil war, internal security, regime and unfair practices are stated as artificial reasons; It is seen that natural disasters and unemployment are natural causes. Candidates especially stated that the civil war emerged as a result of external factors. Considering the opinions received in this context, pre-service teachers state that it is normal for refugees and asylum seekers to leave their country and migrate to another country, whether for natural or artificial reasons, and that the countries that protect these masses are also doing the right thing.
Candidates have different views on the current refugee and asylum seeker system. In particular, the majority of the candidates think that the refugee and the asylum-seeking issue will be resolved by sending them back to their countries. However, before doing this, it is seen that they stated that the current country's economy and infrastructure should be corrected and that other countries should support while doing this. In this context, as stated above, it is a normal process for refugees and asylum seekers to come, but they have to go back to their countries after a certain period of time. It has been observed that the candidates stated that it is wrong for countries to force people to migrate, especially by creating artificial reasons, and that it is essential for foreign countries to make the country a livable environment again by providing the necessary support and assistance in this regard. In addition, the opinions that refugees and asylum seekers should be divided into certain categories are interesting. There are opinions that people's professional expertise, qualifications or educational status should be looked at and accordingly they should be included in the economy with guidance. They also state that people who lack any education should be educated in accordance with the cultural and educational structure of the country in question before becoming a refugee or asylum seeker. Some candidates have a negative view of the incident and it is seen that they stated that those who are not particularly women and children should not be taken into the country or that they can be used as cheap domestic power.
Kuçukkaraca (2001) concluded in his study that the local people have a negative attitude towards the refugees who are overpopulated. The results of the research are consistent with the literature in this context. A candidate states that borders should be removed all over the world, but while doing this, countries should try to equalize their economic and welfare levels. Participants stated that refugee and migrant children especially have language and cultural problems. In the study by Ozoruc and Sıgırtmac (2022), language was found to be the biggest problem faced by refugee children in education by preschool teachers. As a matter of fact, language education should be given priority in order to restructure their social environment (Karaman and Bulut, 2018). This problem seriously affects both children and families. Seker and Aslan (2015) state that families also have communication problems in their research. It is seen they stated that language and cultural problems will lead to exclusion from social life and education, which will make it difficult to adapt to society. Kirmayer et al. (2011) state that children face discrimination and social exclusion at school and in their place of residence after migration. Candidates emphasize the concept of communication along with language. They state that especially children who have problems communicating cannot adapt to society and school. Mercan Uzun and All (2016) concluded in their research that refugee children cannot communicate with their teachers and peers due to language problems. In addition, hopelessness and future anxiety are among the views of the participants. In this context, we can say that the problem of not knowing the language is the biggest obstacle to adaptation. Considering that the auditory-linguistic language learning approach can be used in such situations, it is necessary to acquire a language in which they can communicate at least at a basic level, especially with language activities that improve speaking and listening skills at the first stage.
It is seen one teacher candidate stated that especially children are abused. With abuse, there is both sexual abuse and labor abuse. Especially child labor and sexual abuse is serious problems and the competent authorities in this regard should make serious legal arrangements and follow this situation. Participants organize conferences, seminars, etc., in order to raise awareness of refugees and asylum seekers, especially citizens living in the country where refugees and immigrants come from. It was seen that they stated that informative activities should be done. Goker and Keskin (2015) argue that the discourses used by the media in the news about refugees directly affect the perception of society. In this context, the media should be careful while preparing news content for refugees and asylum seekers. As a matter of fact, social problems can turn into acts of violence as a result of biased or provocative news coverage. While the candidates stated that refugees and asylum seekers have problems, their suggested solutions are as follows: • First of all, people who have problems in communicating in the new order should learn a language. In this context, language courses should be opened for children and adults. • Citizens of the current country are an important variable in the integration process.
In this context, training should be given to the citizens of the country to think empathetically and to see the situation with a realistic eye. • Refugees and asylum seekers stay in tent cities in the first stage. In this context, first of all, shelters should be provided for refugees and asylum seekers. While doing this, cities should be created in certain regions. In a study, it was concluded that refugee-asylum-seeking children cannot receive adequate education in any field, and that their nutrition, physical conditions and home environments are not sufficient (Kuçukali and Cevik Ozdemir, 2018). • Refugees and asylum seekers need a livelihood to survive. In this context, job opportunities should be provided, taking into account the qualifications of individuals. In his research, Eren (2019) concluded that forced children to work in bad conditions in our country pose health, nutrition and safety risks. • Some candidates do not find it appropriate for children and adults to stay in the same tent city, and it is necessary to build "children's cities" with educational and entertainment opportunities for children and with environmental arrangements suitable for children. With such an environment, children will be motivated and easily adapt, and they will acquire language and culture. • Legal regulations are important especially in solving the compliance problem. In this context, legal regulations should be made and implemented immediately. • The problems experienced by children during the adaptation process should be determined and psychological support should be provided free of charge according to the problem.

Conflict of Interest Statement
The author declares no conflicts of interest.

About the Author
Dr. Ibrahim Halil Yurdakal is a lecturer at Pamukkale University (Turkey), Faculty of Education, Primary School Teaching. He has many articles, book chapters and scientific symposiums on Turkish language, reading and writing, dyslexia, creative reading, violence in education, curriculum, scale development and digital transformation in education.