Abstract
AN INVESTIGATION OF TEACHERS' VIEWS ON TURKISH CULTURE TEACHING: THE CASE OF THE REPUBLIC OF NORTHERN MACEDONIA
The Republic of North Macedonia, a Balkan country, has a dense Turkish population as in other Balkan countries. The Turkish presence in the country, which started in the 4th century A.D., turned into a long-lasting domination with the Ottoman transition to Rumelia in the 14th century. Macedonia left the Ottoman rule with the Balkan Wars. However, since a large number of Turks continue to live in Macedonia, who have considered it as their homeland for centuries, and in accordance with the right to development and education as stated in the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Child, it is considered important to continue activities for the teaching of Turkish culture in the region. The aim of this study is to determine the views of teachers working in North Macedonia on the teaching of Turkish culture. In the study, in which the special case method, one of the qualitative research approaches, was used, the data obtained from a total of 65 teachers working in 5 different cities and 7 schools in North Macedonia in the 2021-2022 academic year with a semi-structured interview form were analyzed with descriptive analysis technique. It was determined that teachers generally stated that curricula and textbooks were not sufficient in terms of teaching Turkish culture. As a result of the study, suggestions such as ensuring school-family cooperation and examining curricula and textbooks were presented.
Keywords
North Macedonia, Turkish culture, teacher.