Author(s): Bekir SAVA
Migrations to the developed countries, which started in the wake of WWII and which are still going on increasingly due to the globalization, have brought about not only advantages but disadvantages, as well. The most important issue is education of language minority children. There are two main approaches to the problem; monolingual education which requires education only in the national language due to assimilation or differential exclusion policies and bi-lingual education which tries to teach children both in their first and second languages according to multi-culturalist policies. The former is the most widespread approach, but fails to meet the needs of language minority children. The latter is successful but cannot include all LM students due to the expenses it requires and objections of host people. In this study, a third approach, acculturation through shared reading of translated children’s literature, is discussed as a solution to the problem within the frame of linguistic theories of first and second language learning put forward by Vygotsky, Piaget, Bruner, Berstein and Krashen. We also benefited from cross-linguistic transfer theories of Cummins, Clark and Hacqueboard together with translation studies of Even-Zohar, Venuti, Jacobson and Eco to support the hypothesis. It has been concluded that the power of translation to create a cultural identity may help LM children acquire functional literacy (cultural and academic competence) both in L1 and L2. And this may eliminate the academic, cultural and social disadvantages of migrations they suffer.
The Journal of International Social Research received 7760 citations as per Google Scholar report
