Examination of Turkish and refugee/immigrant students' perspectives on children's rights: A comparative case study

Background and Purpose: Children's rights represent a fundamental framework crucial for the healthy development and socialization of all children, regardless of their backgrounds. In multicultural educational environments, examining how different student groups perceive these rights is essential for creating inclusive schools. This study aims to examine and compare the perspectives of Turkish and refugee/immigrant primary school students regarding children's rights. Methodology: Employing a comparative case study design, data were gathered from a purposively sampled cohort consisting of 42 fourth-grade primary school students (21 Turkish and 21 refugee/immigrant). Comprehensive data triangulation was achieved through demographic information forms and student drawing protocols administered to the entire cohort (N=42). To capture deeper socio-ecological insights, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a strategic sub-sample of 12 students (6 Turkish, 6 refugee) and their respective families (12 parents/guardians), complemented by 12 contextual home observations. The qualitative datasets were systematically analyzed using inductive content and categorical analysis to establish rigorous themes and codes. Findings: The findings revealed similarities and significant differences between Turkish and refugee/immigrant students' perceptions of children's rights. While Turkish students heavily emphasized the right to education, play, and general welfare, refugee/immigrant students' drawings and expressions prominently reflected themes of physical safety, survival, longing for peace, and basic protection needs. Family and environmental factors were found to deeply influence these distinct conceptualizations. Contributions: This study contributes to the literature by providing a direct comparative analysis of children's rights from the perspectives of vulnerable and host-community children in a single educational setting. The results offer practical insights for educators, school administrators, and policymakers to design inclusive educational policies and rights-based interventions in multicultural schools. Keywords: Children's rights, comparative case study, primary school, refugee children, qualitative research. Cite as: Bakır, K. F. & Akcan, E. (2026). Examination of Turkish and refugee/immigrant students' perspectives on children's rights: A comparative case study. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 11(2), 168-188. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol11iss2pp168-188