Investigation of the Perceptions of Turkish Language Teacher Candidates Regarding Multiculturalism

Purpose of this studying is to examine the perception of the multiculturalism of Turkish teachers. For this purpose, descriptive survey design which is one of the quantitiative research methods is used by reforming the philosophical foundations of positivist paradigm. The sample of this research is to create a university in the field of Turkish teachers in Marmara region of Turkey. Similar homogonous samples and measure samples together are used. Datas obtained to Turkish teachers demographic informations collection form and security, multicultural perception scale, by using validity study. This data analyzed with SPSS program. As a result of findings, it has been discovered that the awarenesses of the perception of multiculturalism. Which Turkish teacher candidates who will take on active duty in teaching language which is carrier of concept of culture. Consequently, it has been developed suggestions for administrators who take a part in departments of Turkish Teacher and researchers who will study in the context of multiculturalism.


Introduction
The world is advancing rapidly due to emerging technology, economic, social and political factors. As a result of this rapid progress, concepts such as globalization, nationality, locality, national culture, intercultural rapprochement, multiculturalism, multilingualism, and international harmony have started to come into the agenda very often (Parekh, 1997;Santrock, 2001;Taylor ve Gutmann, 2010).
In contemporary societies, the awareness of valuing people because he is only human has been risen by the influence of existentialist philosophy and psychology, regardless of individuals' religion, language, race. Education could be said to be one of the most important means of creating this awareness. The concept of multiculturalism which is defined as respecting individuals' differences and accepting people just as a mere human has also emerged in this context, and the members of the society which have adopted multiculturalism is expected to respect each other's differences and to live together in peace (Taylor ve Gutmann, 2010).
Accordingly, education should focus on accepting everyone with the differences they have and improving their abilities individually, rather than uniformly educating them. Therefore, there is a need for educators who can accept learners' differences as natural and count these differences as wealth ignoring their religion, racial, cultural, sexual, biological, economic, political origin, etc. This concept has become more and more important in the countries that are members and candidates of the European Union, which have multicultural structure due to the intensive migrations they have received. It is seen that our country, Turkey, focuses on the concept of multicultural education in primary education programs as an important step taken in the process of adaptation to the European Union. Therefore, it is important that teachers who will take an active role in this process should be predisposed to multicultural education and should carry out the process properly to function this concept properly (Polat, 2009, p. 153).
Culture is a tradition that has developed within hundreds of years starting with the emerge of man, depending on the society in which man lived. This concept, which took hundreds of years to form and develop spontaneously without being connected to any pattern, has been transferred from generation to generation and has continued to exist. This element, which started with the first emerge of man in the world and has continued as long as man lived, has formed an interaction with the migration of different individuals and thus cultural interactions have occurred among people from a different cultural background (Güvenç, 1993) The norms, beliefs, values and languages that form the small building blocks of educational culture are the elements that differ from individual to individual. Due to the changes in location as the world globalized, many individuals of different ethnicities or differences had to be educated together.
Turkey has been known to host different cultures for many years. The situation has been clearer, especially the recent Syrian migrant it has received over the past few years is considered. The situation is no different in other countries around the world. Especially in many countries such as the USA, Canada, Germany, different cultures live together and receive an education. The member states of the Council of Europe, which is aware of this fact, have published the Common European Framework of Reference on the issue. In this reference, they focused on the concepts of "multiculturalism and multilingualism". The framework has developed a view towards the preservation of different languages and different cultures by recognising the diversity that exists in Europe as a wealth. In the reference; it was emphasized that diversity should not be seen as a disruptive factor or obstacle that would cause discrimination or create a difference, and that it would be possible only through an educational effort to uncover its positive aspects rather than its disadvantages (Sengstock, 2009;Akıncı Çötok, 2010;Common European Framework of Reference, 2013).
To realize the purpose and objectives of multicultural education correctly following this purpose, the educators who will take the most active role in this concept by displaying a positive attitude and have sufficient knowledge about the differences that reveal the positive aspects of people should have the central role. The prerequisite for teachers to be able to understand this concept in a multicultural education environment is to have cultural relativism (Akıncı Çötok, 2010).
The candidates of teachers who will start their profession should graduate as individuals who accept each student with different personality traits, who are open to recognizing students' cultures, who can think universally and who are not stuck with stereotypical ideas. However, only in this way, different cultures can be accepted together and a safe educational environment can be created by controlling the communication of students with each other in the classroom. Therefore, universities should add new courses on multiculturalism to their curriculum for prospective teachers, and teacher candidates should internalize them by enriching their subject content (Erbaş, 2019a;Kelm, Warring and Rau, 2001;Kea, Campbell-Whatley and Richards, 2006;Milner, 2006;Ligget ve Finley, 2009). Milner (2006) argued that teachers begin training programs without internalizing the idea that each student belongs to a different culture. However, in contemporary education, teachers should care about the lifestyles of their students, the cultures from which they come, and that each student is unique and different. Activities in and out of the classroom should be carried out keeping these points in mind. Multicultural education offers equal education to individuals with different perspectives and lifestyles (Ayaz, 2016;Riedler & Eryaman, 2016).
Based on the written sources and studies, it is observed that the concept of multiculturalism, which also affects the policies applied, has been explored with increasing importance abroad. When we look at the research carried out on the concept of multiculturalism in our country, it could be said that the studies related to this subject have increased in recent years compared to abroad. In particular, educators ' perspectives on multiculturalism are evaluated with different approaches with various studies (Cırık, 2008;Eryaman, 2007;Parekh, 2002;Evkuran, 2014).
Turkish course is an area given in the context of mother tongue and reflects the concept of culture to a significant degree. Turkish courses are an area which offers various activities -writing activities where students can express their thoughts clearly, which allows students to learn about different cultures through reading activities, cultural trips, theatre and drama, as well as demonstrations. With Turkish language courses, students can clearly express themselves culturally, where they can recognize different cultures. In our society which has multicultural structure, it is important to find out the viewpoints of the candidates of Turkish language teachers who are likely to

Research Model
To examine the multiculturalism perceptions of Turkish language teacher candidates, the 'relational screening model', which is one of the general screening models, was used as a research model. The research carried out using the whole or a specific part of the universe is defined as 'General screening models' to produce generalizable findings for the whole universe with a large number of units. The research-based on this model is the research that aims to portray a situation in the past or present in the way it exists. The relational screening model, which is one type of general scanning model, is a model used to determine whether a relationship exists between one or more variables and the degree of the relationship that exists (Karasar, 2010).

Sample of the Study
The sample of the study consisted of 240 Turkish teacher candidates studying at a state university Education Faculty, Department of Turkish Language Teaching located in the west of Turkey. The participants selected to the sample group of the study were determined using the "convenience sampling method". This sampling method is based on the selection of the required number of participants for the research in the simplest way, with the least cost, time and labour (Büyüköztürk, 2008).

Data Collection Tool
In the research, sociodemographic data form and multiculturalism perception scale were used as data collection tools.

Sociodemographic Information Form
In the sociodemographic data form used in the research, there are 12 demographic questions on gender, age, grade point average, place of residence, socioeconomic status, mother's educational background and father's educational background.

Multiculturalism Perception Scale
Multiculturalism perception scale is a measurement tool developed by Ayaz (2016) to determine teacher candidates' perceptions regarding multiculturalism. A total of 15 items were included in the scale. Each item on the scale was rated as (1) Strongly Disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Neutral, (4) Agree, and (5) Strongly Agree in a 5-grade Likert type. The minimum score that could be obtained was 15 and the maximum score was 75. There is no reverse item on the scale. The scale consisted of a single sub-dimension and total point was calculated adding the score of each item. The scale was replied personally by each respondent and there was no time limit in the process of replying.
The increase in scores from the scale means that the perception of multiculturalism is positive, while the decrease in scores means that the perception of multiculturalism is negative.
The validity and reliability studies of multiculturalism perception scale were conducted by Ayaz (2016). Factor analysis was used in the validity study. To evaluate the suitability of the data for factor analysis, the KMO value and the Bartlett Test value were first examined. For factor analysis, KMO needs to be higher than 0.60 and the Bartlett test needs to be statistically significant (Büyüköztürk, 2014). The KMO value was calculated as 0.932 as a result of the Compliance Test. The Bartlett test was found to be significant (χ 2 =883.450, Sd=325). In line with these results, it was decided that the data was appropriate for factor analysis. Principal Component Analysis and Direct Oblimin Rotation Method were used in the factor analysis. The analysis revealed a single-factor structure that explained 43.127% of the total variance. However, the correlation of the findings obtained with ÇAÖ and ÖÇTÖ was calculated. A significant relationship was found between the scales administered to the same group at r=.74 (p<.01) Cronbach Alpha, Spearman-Brown and Guttman Split-Half coefficients were used in the reliability study of the scale. The Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient was calculated as 0.942, Spearman-Brown correlation coefficient was 0.882 and Guttman Split-Half coefficient was calculated 0.882 and they were all found to be above 0.70. Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient was also calculated as 0.911 in the sample group. All these findings revealed that the multiculturalism perception scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool to be used in this research.

Data Analysis
The data analysis process consisted of two basic steps: In the first stage, frequency tables were created and lost and incorrect values were examined evaluating these tables, and necessary controls and corrections were made on the data. In the second stage, descriptive statistics of the measurement tools and variables used in the research were shown and the data obtained from the measurement tools were analysed in terms of socio-demographic variables.
When deciding on the tests to be used in the analysis process, some parameters must be evaluated and some assumptions must be met. These assumptions are the normality assumption, the homogeneity of the variances, and the group numbers assumptions. Parametric tests are used if these assumptions are met, and non-parametric tests are used if they are not met.
The normality assumption was evaluated using Q-Q, stem and leaf and boxplot graphs and skewness-kurtosis values. The Levene test was used to evaluate the assumption of homogeneity of variances.
Skewness and Kurtosis values were found to be between ±1.50. The fact that skewness and kurtosis values are in the range of ±1.50 is an indication that the data meets the normal distribution assumption. (Tabachnick and Fidell, 2013). For this reason, that the data is normally distributed was confirmed with these results, and one-way variance analysis (ANOVA) and independent groups t-test were used from parametric tests. When the group number assumption was not met (n<30), Kruskal Wallis H test was used from nonparametric tests. SPSS (Statistical Package Program for Social Sciences) 25 package programs were used in the analysis of the data. In Table 1, the results regarding the demographic characteristics of the participants are given.
grade students, 46 of them (19,5%) were 2 nd -grade students, 93 of them (39,4%) were 3 rd -grade students and 21 of them (8,9%) were 4 th -grade students. 37 of the participants (15,7%) lived in a village, 41 of them (17,4%) lived in town/county, 87 of them (36,9) lived in a city and 71 of them (30,1) lived in the metropolis. 56 of the participants (23,7%) were from lower-income level, 142 of them (60,2%) were from the middle, 38 of them (16,1%) were from high-income level. When participants were evaluated according to their mother's educational background, it was found that 24 of them (10,2%) did not attend any school, 134 of them (56,8%) were primary school graduates, 32 of them (13,6%) were graduates of secondary school, 33 of them (14,0%) were graduates of high school 13 of them (5,5%) were graduates of university. When participants were evaluated according to their father's educational background, it was found that 10 of them (4,2%) did not attend any school, 83 of them (35,2%) were graduates of primary school, 54 of them (22,9%) were graduates of secondary school, 56 of them (23,7%) were graduates of high school and 33 of them (14,0%) were graduates of university. In Table 2, minimum-maximum values for the scores of Multiculturalism perception scale, skewness-kurtosis values and standard errors, mean and standard deviation values are given. For multiculturalism perception scale, the range was found to be between 65-124, skewness was found to be 0.452 and standard error was found to be 0.158, kurtosis was found to be 0.411 and standard error was found to be 0.316, mean was found to be 102.32 and the standard deviation was found to be 12.03. Cronbach's Alpha reliability analysis of multiculturalism perception scale is given in Table 3.
Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient of multiculturalism perception scale was calculated as 0.911.   In          In  In

Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendations
This study aimed to reveal the perceptions of multiculturalism of the teacher candidates who are trained in the field of Turkish Language Teaching and to evaluate their perceptions based on different variables. As a result of the research conducted, it was found that the perceptions of multiculturalism of Turkish language teachers were at a high level in general. Many similar studies have been carried out regarding this study of prospective teachers' multicultural perceptions (Barry and Lechner, 1995;Gorski, 2009;Karakaş and Erbaş, 2018;Pohan, 1996;Fueyo & Bechtol, 1999;Martines, 2005, Krummel, 2013. When other studies in the literature were examined, Damgacı andAydin (2013) andDemir (2012) conducted studies on academics and concluded that their attitudes regarding multicultural education were high. Similarly, the research conducted on different sample groups has produced results that support these findings (Coşkun, 2012;Demir and Başarır, 2013;Çoban, Karaman and Doğan, 2010;Yavuz and Anil, 2010;Polat, 2009). As a result, when the studies related to multicultural education in Turkey and the world are examined, it is seen that educators have a positive attitude towards multiculturalism (Damgacı and Aydin, 2013;Parekh, 2002;Shaw, 1988).
The results of the study revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the perceptions of female and male participants regarding multiculturalism and that the perceptions of female participants regarding multiculturalism were higher than those of male participants. Arslan and Çalmaşur (2017) obtained similar results in their study conducted on a sample of primary and secondary school teachers and similarly to the study conducted by Demircioğlu and Özdemir (2014). Akkaya, Kırmızı and İşçi (2018) found that the perception of multiculturalism did not differ based on gender. Besides, some similar studies in the literature which examined attitudes towards multiculturalism and competencies found that there were no significant differences in the perceptions of the participants regarding multiculturalism based on gender (Toprak, 2008;Gencer and Çalışkan, 2016;Polat, 2009;Polat, 2012;Bulut and Basbay, 2014;Akkaya and İşçi, 2017;Basbay, Kagnici and Sarsar, 2013). These results show that the research results in the literature do not match with each other. These differences in the findings in the literature may have been caused by the differences in cultural, demographic or personal characteristics of the sample group used in the research.
It was found that the participants' perceptions of multiculturalism did not differ significantly based on the age variable. Similar to the results of this study, Damgacı andAydin (2013), Demircioğlu andÖzdemir (2014) and Arslan and Çalmaşur (2017) found out in their study that age variable does not cause any significant difference in the perception of multiculturalism. However, Çalışkan and Gençer (2016) found that there was a positive correlation between age and attitude towards multiculturalism. These results show that the research findings available in the literature are not consistent. Based on these findings, it could be said that the age of the participants did not make any difference in the perception of multiculturalism and that the participants in all age groups had a similar perception of multiculturalism.
It was determined that participants' perceptions of multiculturalism did not differ significantly in terms of grade point average variable. When the studies in the literature were examined, there was not any study in which the perception of multiculturalism was investigated based on the grade point average. Based on these findings, it could be said that the grade point averages of the participants did not make any difference in the perception of multiculturalism and that the participants with different grade point averages had a similar perception of multiculturalism.
It was found out that participants' perceptions of multiculturalism did not differ significantly according to the grade variable. In the study of Akkaya, Kırmızı and İşçi (2018), it was found that teacher candidates' perceptions of multiculturalism did not differ significantly according to grade variable similar to the findings of Çalışkan and Gençer (2016). The results obtained from this research appear to be in line with the research findings in the literature. These findings indicate that the grades of the participants did not reveal significant differences in the perception of multiculturalism and that the participants who were educated at different grades had similar perceptions of multiculturalism.
Although there were no significant differences, both studies reveal that the higher grade groups have a higher perception of multiculturalism.
It was found that the perceptions of the participants regarding multiculturalism did not differ significantly in terms of the place of residence variable. When the studies in the literature were examined, similar results were found. Aslan and Çalmaşur (2017) and Demircioğlu and Özdemir (2014) have found that the perception of multiculturalism does not differ according to the place of residence. The results of this study are consistent with the research findings in the literature. Based on these findings, it could be said that the participants' places of residence did not make any difference in their perception of multiculturalism and that the participants who lived or grew up in different places had a similar perception of multiculturalism.
It was determined that the participants' perceptions of multiculturalism differed statistically significantly according to the economic situation variable. Participants with higher income had a higher perception of multiculturalism than those with middle-income level. A study by Çalışkan and Gençer (2016) shows that attitudes of teacher candidates of social studies towards multiculturalism do not differ significantly according to their family income levels. The findings of these studies appear not to be in line with each other. This may be due to the differences in the cultural, demographic or personal characteristics of the sample group used in the research. The difference resulted from higher income may have been as a consequence of their being more sensitive to multiculturalism as they have received a higher quality education.
It was determined that the participants' perceptions of multiculturalism did not differ significantly according to the mothers' education background variable. Similarly, the research by Akkaya, Kırmızı and İşçi (2018) shows that teacher candidates' perceptions of multiculturalism did not differ according to mothers' education background. When these findings are considered, it could be said that the participants ' perception of multiculturalism did not make any difference in terms of mothers' educational background and that the different educational background of the participants' mothers had a similar perception of multiculturalism.
It was determined that the participants' perceptions of multiculturalism did not differ significantly according to the fathers' education background variable. Similarly, the research by Akkaya, Kırmızı and İşçi (2018) shows that teacher candidates' perceptions of multiculturalism did not differ according to fathers' educational background. When these findings are considered, it could be said that the participants' perception of multiculturalism did not make any difference in terms of fathers' educational background and that the participants who had fathers with different levels of education background had a similar perception of multiculturalism.
The scores of multiculturalism perception scale were found to differ significantly according to gender and economic situation variables. Female participant ' perception of multiculturalism was found to be higher than that of male participants, and participants with higher economic status were also found to be more likely to perceive multiculturalism than participants with average economic status.
It was determined that multiculturalism perception scale scores did not differ significantly in terms of age, grade point average, class, place of residence, maternal and paternal education background.

Recommendations
* In this study, multiculturalism was analysed according to gender, economic status, age, grade point average, grade, place of residence, mother's and father's educational background. In further studies, multiculturalism could be examined based on different demographic variables.
* This research was conducted on a sample of Turkish language teacher candidates. The accuracy of the results obtained with this study could be tested with the help of various studies to be conducted on different sample groups from different branches based on age and demographic characteristics.