Adjustment issues of international students in Turkey

In this study, it is intended to develop a scale to measure the adjustment of international students to Turkey. In addition, the relationship of various demographic characteristics (age, gender, education level, marital status, religious belief, length of stay in Turkey, accommodation, the number of countries previously lived before) with adjustment and its sub-dimensions were examined separately. The sample of the study consisted of 339 international students (156 females, 183 males) studying at the state and private universities in Turkey. The International Students Adjustment Scale (ISAS), which was developed within the scope of the study, was used as a data collection tool in the research. SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) program was used in the statistical analysis of the data of the study. The validity and reliability of the scale have been found in the study. As a result of the explanatory factor analysis (EFA), it was determined that the scale had 5 sub-dimensions. These sub-dimensions were named academic adjustment, social adjustment, personal adjustment, general living adjustment, and institutional adjustment & discrimination. As a result of the research, a significant difference was found between the length of stay and the academic adjustment of the students (p<0.05). It has been determined that male students have a higher level of adjustment than female students. In addition, results showed that students who lived in more than five countries have a higher general living adjustment. Moreover, a significant difference was found between the education levels of the students and their social adjustment (p<0.05). The data obtained as a result of the study were discussed and interpreted in light of the information in the literature. Suggestions have been presented to researchers for studies to be carried out in this area.