Overview of foreign education college students in Turkey: Gaziantep sample

The purpose of this thesis is to reveal, examine and analyse the positive-negative opinions of those foreign students, who came to Turkey to get their university degree and still continuing their education in Gaziantep, about higher education, as well as those factors affecting their education and their adaptation problems. During the study, a quantitative research method was used. The results of the research were obtained from survey questions used during the interviews made with 350 foreign students, who were chosen randomly from those students studying in different universities in Gaziantep in 2018-2019 academic year. Following the surveys, questions were compiled through SPSS 22.0 package program and evaluated through frequency analysis. The findings obtained were interpreted by using the descriptive scanning method adapted according to the relational scanning model. In accordance with the findings of this study, almost all foreign students who came to Turkey are from the Middle East and Central Asia. In Gaziantep, most of the undergraduate students are from Syria. In the consequence of this study, several findings about foreign students were obtained. It was revealed that students' parents are well-educated and the majority of the students live with their parents. The income status of these students were also determined to be insufficient and most of them were found to be supported by their families. The reason for their choice of Turkey to get their university degree was found to be physical closeness of the country and the main reason lying behind their move to Turkey was war. It was also revealed that the students who took the survey were satisfied with their study in Turkey. In addition, the major problems students face about education in Turkey were determined as the existence of a long and difficult registration process, the problems resulting from language differences during registration, difficulty in speaking in Turkish, negative effects of living abroad, loneliness, and the lack of support in their adaptation process. The overall satisfaction of the students with education was found to be at medium level since they consider the instructors, their friend relationships and educational level to be at a medium level. The study revealed that they are generally satisfied with living and studying in Turkey. However, most of them were found to be indecisive about staying in Turkey after completing their education. In this sense, providing these foreign students with all kinds of supports and opportunities is essential in changing their opinions and encouraging them to stay in Turkey and to be beneficial both for themselves and for this country. Support to be provided for these students is thought to facilitate their adaptation to their educational and social life in university. Keywords: International student, Education, Higher Education, Social Cohesion