Language Barrier, language related issues and Stress among International Students in Turkish universities

The enrolment of International students in Turkish universities is achieving new heights every year. This influx of international students brings huge challenges to universities in terms of adjustment issues as these international students come from diverse backgrounds and cultures. This diversity on one side brings multiculturalism and opportunities to the campus but on another side, it brings diverse challenges in terms of academics, socio-cultural, and personal fronts. These international students every day face numerous challenges to adapt to their full potential and adjust to their new environment. One of the biggest and key challenges for international students in Turkey is the Turkish language. In this study, International students were examined in terms of the Language barrier and language-related issues which they face on-campus as well as off-campus and how this language issue leads them to stress. The study used a mixed design method in which a survey questionnaire was used to understand the language-related issues and stress, and detailed interviews were conducted to get a better understanding of the language challenges among international students. The study found that language is one of the root causes of stress among International students in the beginning year and majority of the students feel incompetent in academic language which makes them feel isolated, stressed, depressed, and affecting their overall mental health. Interviews also revealed that the majority of students felt that one year of Tömer is not enough to have competent command of academic language. Interviews also revealed that language issues include writing skills, reading skills, understanding academic language, local accents, and understanding and participating in lectures, seminars, and extra co-curricular activities. The transit from Tömer to University life is the hardest and there is very little support from Universities during that phase and there is a strong need to create support from universities for International students.