Turkey is increasingly becoming a regional hub for international students. The number of international students in Turkish universities has grown by almost 300% in the last decade. The current internationalization efforts of the Turkish government and universities have the potential to make Turkey an even more attractive destination for international students, especially from surrounding regions. This remarkable growth comes with some opportunities and challenges that deserve close attention. This study explores the factors influencing international students' decisions to choose Turkey as their study destination and the challenges they experienced. Data were drawn from 37 international students studying in Turkey through semi-structured in-depth interviews. The results suggest that geographical proximity and cultural, historical, religious and ethnic affinities seem to be very prominent in international students' decisions to study in Turkey as an emerging regional hub. Several other factors including comparable quality of education, affordability of living and education, scholarship opportunities, and recommendations by family or friends are also found to influence their choice of Turkey. The major challenges include lack of adequate guidance and information during pre-and post-arrival processes. Policy recommendations for emerging study destinations such as Turkey are discussed based on the findings.
This study investigates the issue of mobility-related teacher turnover in Turkey through both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative findings derived from descriptive and correlational analyses of countrywide teacher-assignment and transfer data indicate that a high rate of mobility-related turnover is observed in the lessdeveloped, eastern provinces of Turkey. The qualitative findings derived from semi-structured, in-depth interviews with school principals suggest that the factors contributing to the issue of mobility-related teacher turnover experienced in eastern Turkey are largely related to the socio-economic and geographic conditions of the region. The qualitative findings further suggest that this turnover issue may have far-reaching negative consequences across school-wide performances and processes. Participants consistently reported that the issue of teacher turnover had negative impacts on student performance, teacher motivation and commitment, instructional planning, administrative processes, and school climate. The study concludes by exploring possible policy implications for alleviating the issue of mobility-related teacher turnover as experienced in the less-developed, eastern regions of Turkey.
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