We Get Happy, We Write A Song. We Have A Funeral, We Lament“: Turkish Immigrant Parents’ Educational Beliefs and Practices

Research indicates that parents play an essential role in their children’s musical and language development (Clair, Jackson and Zweiback, 2012; Davidson, Howe, Moore and Sloboda, 1996; De Houwer, 1999; Mallett, 2000). Moreover, neurocognitive studies point to the similarities between music and language processing (Patel, 2003; Schön, Gordon and Besson, 2005). Based on the previous literature, the present study focuses on the Turkish immigrant parents’ beliefs and practices regarding three crucial educational areas: Music education, bilingual language acquisition and benefits of music education for bilingual language acquisition. Interviews, observations, and post-activity questionnaires are applied to generate qualitative data. Comparison of the results from three categories indicate that the participants’ positive beliefs are influenced by distal factors (cultural features, parents’ own backgrounds, and socio-demographical characteristics). However, the lack of their theoretical knowledge regarding the subjects seems to have a negative impact on these beliefs. Because parents may not be improving themselves regarding the discussed subjects, parent-child practices seem to come short, or they face different difficulties. In the light of this information, recommendations for practice (policy makers, practitioners, parents) and for further research are discussed at the end of the study