The Values and Attitudes Towards TEU in a Cross-Cultural Sample *

The aim of this research is to determine the attitudes towards the TEU (Turkey's entry to the European Union) in terms of group-based values, system justification theory, SDO (social dominance orientation), human rights, gender roles, and socio-demographical variables in two different cultural groups. The sample consisted of 151 college students from Ege University in Izmir, Turkey (37 males and 61 females), and Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany (29 males and 24 females). The mean age of Turkish participants was 22.7 years old (range = 19-38, SD= 3.47) and of German participants was 23.7 years old (range = 18-59, SD= 6.14). Participants filled out a questionnaire including Schwartz value scale (1992; 43 items) modified to measure the value priorities of Europeans at group level rather than their own values, system justification survey Keywords: TEU (Turkey's entry to the European Union) membership, values, SDO (social dominance orientation), system justification, human rights, gender roles Introduction Turkish community is in a new period on the process of entry to the EU (European Union) in its westernization process since the administrative reforms until today. Turkey's accession process to the EU is not only one of the important political phenomena in aspect of the democratization of the country, but also an academic limelight in recent years because of its dynamic and changing structure This ongoing accession process sometimes causes a rigid political polarization in several social and political groups in Turkey. Turkey's efforts towards democratization related to the undertaking of attaining admission to the EU have brought into the focus of interest in the citizens' attitudes, values, beliefs, and ideologies related to democracy and the democratic lifestyle. Thus, the present study aimed to provide a social-psychological analysis to one of the most controversial topics in Turkey's current agenda. The analysis was based on individual values and several social-psychological variables that predict rationalization ideology of political conservatism. Two core dimensions of conservative ideology are resistance to change and acceptance of inequality The theoretical framework of the current study is outlined in the following paragraphs: (1) Schwartz Value Taxonomy. Values were defined as desirable, transsituational goals, varying in importance, which serve as guiding principles in people's lives One of the mechanisms justifying or even feeding the unequal relations among groups is the justified myths "raising the hierarchy" rather than "adopting to hierarchy" Method Sample and Procedure The sample of the present study consists of Turkish and German college students who are assumed to possess relatively advanced understanding of the cross-cultural differences. With pending accession of Turkey to the EU, of which Germany is the biggest member, Turkish-German relations seem to become one of the main axes of the relations between Turkey and EU. Turkey is a big Muslim country that is trying to access the EU, and at the same time, a large number of its nationals constitute immigrant communities within countries of the EU (Kirişçi, 2007). Relations between Turkey and Germany have deep roots and they are bound by close ties back over the centuries. This relation dates back to the times of the Ottoman Empire that led to the development of strong bonds with many facades that include economic, military, cultural, and social relations. The sample consists of 151 college students. The participants were drawn from various sections of the state universities in Izmir, Turkey (37 males and 61 females) and Bochum, Germany (29 males and 24 females). The mean age of Turkish participants was 22.7 (range = 19-38, SD = 3.47) and of German participants was 23.9 (range = 18-59, SD = 6.14). The Turkish and German samples were not homogenous in terms of their ethnicity and religion. That is, the Turkish sample comprised 70.4% Turkish, 5.1% Kurdish, 3.1% Arabian, 2% Caucasian, 1% Georgian, 1% Circassian, and 1% Rhodian participants. Sixteen participants did not report ethnicity. The German sample comprised 88.5% German, 7.7% Russian, 1.9% Austrian participants. One participant did not report ethnicity. Forty point eight percent of the Turkish sample reported their religious background as Sunni, 14.3% Hanafi, 6.1% Alevi, and 10.2% Atheist. The German sample comprised 37

Göç Araştırmalarında Mekan Boyutu: Kültürel ve Mekansal Bütünleşme

Research and theoretical models on international migration as a process of continuing contact between different cultural groups have examined the issue in terms of the reasons for movement, several socio-demographic features of immigrants and host majority’s perceptions towards the migration and immigrants. In cross-cultural psychology, acculturation strategies of immigrants have been the subject of numerous studies. Nevertheless there is much less ef- fort to examine the acculturation strategies in the context of internal migration. Moreover the acculturation research does not offer satisfactory evidence for adaptation to a new physical setting. The present study aims to discuss how the physical features of urban environment affect the integration of immigrants. Moreover this study aims to discuss how the migrants adapt to a new physical environment and how this relation between human and environment affects the integration of immigrants. This theoretical approach suggests an integrative perspective that combines the view points of cross-cultural psychology and environmental psychology in acculturation research.Farklı sosyal bilim alanlarında göç konusunda yapılan araştırmalar ve teorik modellemeler göç sürecini genel olarak, göçmenlerin özellikleri, göç gerekçeleri, göç edilen yerdeki yerli kültürün göçe ve göçmenlere yönelik algı ve değer- lendirmeleri kapsamında; iki ya da daha fazla sosyal yapının karşılaşması süreci olarak ele almaktadır. Kültürlerarası Psikoloji yaklaşımıyla, “kültürleşme” kavramı bağlamında önerilen kavramsal çerçevede, göç edilen yerin mekansal özellikleri, göçmenlerin uyum süreçlerinde önemi vurgulansa da pek az çalışmada temel değişkenlerden biri olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Bu makalenin amacı, entegrasyon sürecini, kentin fiziksel yapısının ve göçmenlerin bu yapıyla kurdukları ilişkinin nasıl etkilediğini ve bu süreçte göç edilen yerdeki toplumun ve kamu otoritelerinin yaklaşımları- nın etkin rolünü tartışmaktır. Bu yaklaşımın, çevre psikolojisi ve kültürlerarası psikoloji yaklaşımlarından hareketle kültürleşme araştırmalarında kullanılabilecek ve göç sürecini göçmenler açısından kolaylaştırabilecek disiplinler arası bir kuramsal çerçeve önerisi geliştirme konusunda katkıda bulunabileceği düşünülmektedir

The relationship between normative-humanistic attitudes and discipline beliefs in a turkish pre-school teachers’ sample

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between pre-school teachers’ discipline beliefs and normative-humanistic orientations. The sample consisted of 156 female pre-school teachers from public (89%) and private (12%) pre-schools in the western Anatolian region of Turkey. A Polarity Scale consisting of 45 items related to normative-humanistic orientation, a Beliefs on Discipline Inventory consisting of seven paired items related to low-high discipline orientation, and a general survey questionnaire were administered to participants. The results from comparisons of the total scores of the two scales show a positive and significant relationship between low- high discipline beliefs and normative-humanistic attitudes. The results and correlations between discipline beliefs, normative-humanistic attitudes of the teachers and background variables such as satisfaction level with occupation, beliefs about the prestige of teaching, age, seniority, type and the properties of the institution, age of students, and in-service training opportunities were discussed with reference to teachers’ personality characteristics and belief systems © 2004 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC