AN ASSESSMENT ON ADAPTATION PROBLEMS FACED BY STUDENTS STUDYING IN TURKEY WITH THE SCHOLARSHIP GIVEN BY PRESIDENCY FOR TURKS ABROAD AND RELATED COMMUNITIES
YURTDIŞI TÜRKLER VE AKRABA TOPLULUKLAR BAŞKANLIĞI (YTB) BURSLARI KAPSAMINDA TÜRKİYE’DE ÖĞRENİM GÖREN ÖĞRENCİLERİN YAŞADIKLARI UYUM SORUNLARI ÜZERİNE BİR DEĞERLENDİRME

Author : Mehmet ER -- Hatice SAAT & Aliye USLU ÜSTTEN
Number of pages : 331-346

Abstract

International students make significant contributions to economic and sociocultural areas in developed and developing countries around the world. Therefore, many institutions and organizations including Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, support foreign students studying in Turkey. According to the data of 2016 Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities provided scholarships over four thousand at undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level in 2016-2017 to improve mutual relations between Turkey and other countries and to contribute to the global knowledge wealth. Students coming to Turkey in order to experience different cultures and existence as well as learning Turkish as part of Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities scholarships are faced with certain difficulties. Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities and other related institutions prepare various adaptation programs and orientation trainings in order to solve the cultural, economic and communication problems arising from language deficiency that these students may encounter. Cultural ties between Turkey and foreign students’ countries, positive relationships among these countries has a positive effect on the process of undergraduate and gradute students’adaptation to social life. However, in spite of all these studies, students may experience negativities such as zenophobia and social exclusion. In this study, problems faced by foreign students coming to Turkey within the scope of Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities scholarships are determined. For this purpose, a sample of 100 students studying with the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities scholarship at the Gazi University Turkish Learning, Research and Application Center was taken. Students’ motive to prefer to Turkey, socio-cultural, economic and academic problems were tried to determine with survey method. In general, students have been experiencing difficulties based on language and culture in dormitory life, living problems in health, and suffering loneliness. The data obtained according to the results of the research are examined and solutions for these problems are presented.

Keywords

Teaching Turkish to Foreigners, foreign students, adaptation problem

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