The notions of 'Yesevi', Bektashi', and 'Mevlevi' philosophies within the Turkish and literature textbooks

Abstract

Undoubtedly each society and culture does have its unique traits and features that are conveyed through the generations by means of tools such as language. The mother tongue education should not only be structured upon the teaching of proper use of the linguistic units but also a profound understanding of the cultural and moral features of that society should be provided to the learners of that language. This point of view stems from the idea that language itself includes notions shaping the cultural forms of the society throughout the history. Thus, the Turkish language learners, who are natives in this case, should be taught the cultural values immersed within the society where the native Turkish learners keep living. Hence, the notions of Islamic mysticism such as Yesevi, Mevlevi and Bektashi which affected the cultural and moral asset of the Turkish society should be taught. This study was set out to analyse the content of the Turkish language and literature course books implemented into the sixth, seventh, eighth graders Turkish language curriculum in terms ofhow those notions and philosophies have been reflected through the instructional materials. The current research using the document analysis method includes a profound analysis of the goals, texts, activities, and assessment strategies provided within the Turkish course books of secondary school pupils. Aiming to the elaborate on how clearly those notions were reflected through the course books, the study tried to explain the extent and quality of the instruction of these philosophies.