According to the academic plan at Comrat State University for the 2025–2026 academic year, on November 7, 2025, the V International Scientific-Practical Conference took place at the Faculty of National Culture. The conference included six sections. Section 3, “Gagauz Philology. Turkish Language and Literature”, moderated by Assoc. Prof. Ivanna Bancova and Dr. Burcu Yımaz Çebin, brought together 8 participants whose research topics focused on Gagauz philology and Turkish language and literature.
The authors of the reports included doctors, university lecturers, doctoral students, and Gagauz language teachers from schools and kindergartens. Presentations were held in a mixed format, both offline and online. The reports covered current issues in teaching Gagauz and Turkish languages, including methods of teaching foreign languages, integrated learning in kindergartens, the use of information technologies in education, and the formation of ethnocultural competencies in Gagauz language.
A theoretical linguistic study on “The Influence of Slavic Languages on the Gagauz Vocabulary: Cross-Linguistic Perspectives” was presented by Aygül Mirzayeva, doctoral student, Institute of Oriental Studies, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.
During the session, it became clear that teaching and learning the Gagauz language in pre-university institutions remains highly relevant. Practitioners and educators shared practical experiences on incorporating Gagauz culture elements into preschool education. Presenters included Mariya Garçeva, Snejana Demirbag, Evdokiya Dragni, Praskovya Duleva, Galina Mutaf, and Svetlana Madjar from Moldova, and Candan Varol, Ayşegül Varol, and Evrim Kaşıkçı from Turkey, who discussed innovative teaching methods, action-oriented activities for teaching Turkish as a foreign language, and studies on oral heritage and cultural continuity among Gagauz communities.
The session included active discussions and highlighted the importance of didactic materials, dictionaries, and visual aids to support Gagauz language learning. Three countries were represented: Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Moldova.
The moderators of Section 3 were Assoc. Prof. Ivanna Bancova and Dr. Burcu Yımaz Çebin.
