Intercultural communication barriers in the social adaptation process: The attitudes social adaptation of locals and Syrian refugees

The aim of this thesis is to reveal the intercultural communication elements and the impact of personal factors that hinder the sociocultural adaptation process of both communities in the migration process that started towards Turkey with the Syrian civil war. In this study, the effects of ethnocentrism, acculturation attitudes, intercultural communication anxiety, and social status perception on sociocultural adaptation of Turkish natives and Syrian refugees under temporary protection were examined. In addition, whether these variables vary according to various variables such as demographic characteristics, language skills and communication patterns and the relationship between these variables were revealed. Stratified random sampling technique was used to collect data from a total of 780 people in Istanbul, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Hatay and Adana, the five provinces with the highest concentration of Syrians, through face-to-face surveys in September and December 2022. The data obtained were analyzed through SPSS and AMOS programs. Thus, research questions were answered and hypotheses were tested in line with the findings. Accordingly, it was determined that intercultural communication anxiety or lack of anxiety, segregation among acculturation attitudes had a positive effect on sociocultural adaptation, while social status perception had a negative effect. For Syrians, intercultural communication anxiety and integration within acculturation attitudes positively affect sociocultural adjustment. In addition, it was one of the results obtained that the level of social cohesion increased as language proficiency and communication patterns increased. Finally, the findings of this study, which examined the effects of ethnocentrism, acculturation attitudes, intercultural communication anxiety and social status perception on sociocultural adaptation of Turkish natives and Syrian asylum seekers under temporary protection, pointed out the erroneous or unconscious attitudes in both societies regarding adaptation. This study is important in terms of showing that the two societies have different attitudes towards social cohesion.