Adaptation Challenges for International Students in Turkey

Abstract

The number of international students has increased greatly in the past few years. As part of the efforts to internationalize its higher education, Turkey is one of the top destinations for international students hosting over 100 thousand international students by 2018. Research shows that with the increasing number of international students come socio-cultural and academic adaptation challenges. This study employed a qualitative approach to understand the adaptation challenges international students face in Turkey. The research discusses findings from focus group discussions with participants from more than 20 countries on adaptation challenges. Results from the focus group discussions showed that international students face challenges in their everyday life, dormitory life, campus life, social life and academic life. The range of challenges includes socio-cultural challenges, language challenges and academic challenges. Notably, findings of this study highlighted that language barrier is at the center of all other challenges affecting socio-cultural adaptation and the students' academic life. The results were discussed under three categories: socio-cultural challenges, language barriers, and academic challenges.

Factors Affecting Adaptability of International Students in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Adaptability is a person's capacity to adjust emotionally, physically, cognitively, and behaviorally in order to function effectively in a new environment (Makhmutova et al, 2018). The adaptability of international students refers specifically to their ability to adjust to the overall environment in their host country (Gebru & Yuksel-Kaptanoglu, 2020). Adaptability has also been evaluated in relation to the amount of stress international students experience (Muraru et al, 2020).…”

“…This is likely due to the fact that most nations strive to internationalise their education systems, especially their higher education systems (de Wit, 2019). As a result, these nations offer enticing incentives, such as scholarships, study aid, and infrastructures for higher education (Gebru & Yuksel-Kaptanoglu, 2020). Supporting students so they can easily adapt to the learning environment may be one of the most effective ways to attract and retain international students (de Wit, 2019; Hussain & Shen, 2019;Gebru & Yuksel-Kaptanoglu, 2020).…”

Indonesian Students' Psychological Well-Being in Istanbul, Turkey

“…Turkey is one of the favorite countries for prospective students from all over the world who will study science from various fields (Gebru & Yuksel-Kaptanoglu, 2020). As in the field data findings, several factors caused Indonesian students to choose Turkey as a place to recite and study science, as shown in the following table: Affordable cost Prospective Indonesian students are interested in studying in Turkey regarding the low cost of living but still comfortable and prosperous for students and thus becomes a magnet and a strong attraction for prospective students in Turkey.…”

“…Lack of confidence in mastering a foreign language also becomes an obstacle for a new student to adapt and establish positive relationships with other friends; in the end, it fades familiarity and is unable to establish good cooperation between students. c. Low Environmental Mastery Facts on the ground also show that some students had low mastery of the new environment (Gebru & Yuksel-Kaptanoglu, 2020). Mastery of the environment is one of the things determining the fast and slow periods of self-adaptation.…”

Investigation of the Turkish Cultural Adaptation of International Students Living in Turkey

“…The biggest adaptation problem for international students stems from cultural differences (Çetin et al, 2017;Gebru & Yuksel-Kaptanoglu, 2020). The difference between the society in which a person grew up and the culture he / she…”