Views and Experiences of Turkish-French Bilingual Children, Their Parents, and Teachers Regarding the Language Acquisition Process

Abstract

This research aims to explore the views and experiences of Turkish-French bilingual children, their parents, and teachers regarding language acquisition in the context of bilingual experiences in early childhood. This research adopted a case study design, which is one of the qualitative research methods. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling methods from among Turkish families living in France, based on the children’s age and bilingualism criteria. Four bilingual children aged 5-6 living in France, eight of their parents, and three Turkish teachers teaching Turkish and Turkish culture to the children participated in the study. The data were collected using semi-structured interview forms designed for children, families, and teachers. To examine the language acquisition processes, semi-structured interviews were conducted independently with parents, teachers, and children. Parents and teachers stated that children should first acquire their native language correctly and adequately, and subsequently learn the second language at a good level. On the other hand, while children noted that they used French more easily in speaking skills, they felt more comfortable with Turkish in listening and comprehension skills. The findings indicate that children have stronger comprehension skills in their native language, but use their second language more effectively, particularly in speaking.