EDUCATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN A LATINIZED KAZAKH LANGUAGE: PERCEPTIONS OF PARENTS

Abstract

At present, Kazakhstan is at the initial stage of shifting to a Latinized Kazakh Language (LKL), based on a decree by former President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2017. As the first educators of their children, parents are one of the important stakeholders who play a huge role in the implementation of reforms (Williams et al., 2002). However, little is known about their perceptions of the Latinization reform which may affect their involvement in children’s education, and thus the implementation of the reform overall. To fill this gap in knowledge, this study investigates parents’ perceptions of Latinization and its possible impact on their children’s education. Moreover, it studies the effect of parents’ backgrounds on their perceptions and the support they need to help their children study in LKL. The study employed a qualitative research approach with an instrumental case study and conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 primary school students’ parents from different regions and with different linguistic backgrounds. The findings revealed that parents perceive Latinization negatively, viewing it as a change adversely affecting their children’s education, especially their academic performance, motivation to study in Kazakh, and literacy skills such as reading and spelling. On the other hand, a few parents perceived Latinization as advantageous for acquiring Latin-based languages, increasing children’s flexibility for change, and responding to globalization needs. The findings also showed that English-speaking parents tend to support Latinization more because of their familiarity with English. To be more prepared for the reform, parents mostly need governmental support rather than individual and school-based support. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of raising awareness among the public and deliberative preparation for reforms.