A study on intercultural communication competence of international students: Turkiye scholarship students

Türkiye Scholarships, as a government funded higher education scholarship program designed for international students, attract more and more students every year. Türkiye scholarship students study at every level (undergraduate, graduate, PhD and research) after attending one-year language course to learn Turkish. To help international students in Turkey increase their intercultural communication competence, it is crucial not only to understand the way Türkiye Scholarship students interact with Turkish people and culture, but also identify the problems they face as a result of their intercultural communication experiences in Turkey. Within this respect, this study focuses on intercultural communication experiences of Türkiye Scholarship students. In line with the purpose of this study, seven focus group interviews, including one test group, were conducted with 47 participants. The results of this study show international students, who encountered Turkish culture for the first time, face problems related to issues such as cultural and geographical differences, language competency, racism and differences in perception of personal space. The solutions international students use for their intercultural interaction and factors increasing their intercultural communication competence are discussed in the results of this study. Key Words: Türkiye Scholarship Students, intercultural communication, intercultural communication competence.