Abstract:

Dede Korkut narratives which are among the basic creations in the history of Turkish culture and literature constitute one of the most significant research fields in social sciences and have been the subject of many studies. However, it is ascertained that, these narratives haven’t been investigated from the point of applied folklore. Following the periods of collection and evaluation, folklore’s passing through the phase of application has resulted in a change which emphasizes social effectiveness. The concept of applied folklore which emerged in United States and Europe following the World War II and also new perspectives within the scope of this concept may help us handle the folklore studies from a different point of view. At this point, it is necessary to examine the concept of applied folklore in terms of oral narratives in Turkey. Evaluation of Dede Korkut narratives from this perspective may be beneficial in terms of the transmission of culture and tradition in formal education. The institutions of formal and widespread education are the most important structures which are expected to come into prominence in transmission of folk culture elements to young generations in 21st century in which the natural contexts of cultural transmission have substantially disappeared. The aim of this paper is to identify how and how much Dede Korkut narratives take part and are transmitted in education system of Turkey with regard to applied folklore. Some suggestions will also be proposed in relation to what can be done on this issue. Accordingly, three schools-one of which is private- have been chosen. The place of Dede Korkut narratives and its characters in the minds of fourth-grade primary school students is tried to be identified based on the analysis of the students’ answers to the questions in the semi-structured interviews

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