Research Article
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A Review on the Working Conditions and Occupational Health and Safety Issues of International Students in Turkey

Year 2023, Volume: 6 Issue: Education Special Issue, 117 - 144, 28.09.2023
https://doi.org/10.53048/johass.1362631

Abstract

The increasing presence of international students in higher education in Turkey has brought their working conditions and issues related to occupational health and safety into sharper focus. Türkiye’s educational and cultural richness attracts an international student body. Some of these students work during their education to meet their economic needs. For the methodology of the research, document analysis from qualitative research methods was employed. Primary data sources for the research include legislation related to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) intersecting with international students in higher education in Turkey, academic articles, books, and reports. The obtained data were classified according to the aim of the research and discussed under respective headings. According to the results of the study; international students face challenges due to language barriers, cultural adaptation issues, and lack of knowledge about their legal rights. These challenges lead them to low-wage jobs and deprive them of occupational health and safety standards. It is recommended for Turkey to provide occupational health and safety training for international students and organize informative seminars about legal rights and work permits. Participation of employers in awareness programs targeting this group of students will be a significant step in solving these problems.

References

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  • Akpınar, T., & Küçükgöksel, N.Ç. (2022). Dünya’da ve Türkiye’de uluslararası öğrenci hareketliliği ve ülkelere katkıları. Balkan and Near Eastern Journal of Social Sciences, 8(02), 140-151.
  • Akyıldız, G., Çelik, F., & Bulut, S. (2020). Workplace discrimination against immigrants: A case study in Turkey. Migration Letters, 17(2), 225-240.
  • Aslan, I., & Güneş, P. (2016). Institutionalization in practice: Development of a university. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences. https://www.europeanproceedings.com/files/data/article/47/1393/article_47_1393_pdf_100.pdf
  • Belin, A., Zamparutti, T., Tull, K., & Hernandez, G. (2011). Occupational health and safety risks for the most vulnerable workers. European Parliament. [Çevrimiçi]. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/IPOL-EMPL_ET(2011)464436
  • Bilir, N. (2001). İş sağlığı ve güvenliği: Temel kavramlar ve sorunlar. İstanbul Üniversitesi İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği Enstitüsü Yayınları.
  • CARAM Asia. (2007). Hidden Cost of Labour Migration in the World. [Çevrimiçi]. https://www.protectinglabourmigrants.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/hidden_cost_of_labour_migration.pdf
  • Cheung, C. (2006). Migrant workers' rights in China: From "alien workers" to "labor citizens". Fordham Urban Law Journal, 33, 1301-1354.
  • Coldring, T., Jayasuriya, R., & Forster, T. (2009). Precarious work and occupational health and safety among migrant construction workers. Journal of Industrial Relations, 51(2), 131-147.
  • Creswell, J. W. (2019). Educational research. Pearson Publication.
  • Çatal, E. (2021). Akdeniz Üniversitesi 2019 yabancı öğrenci seçme sınavının (YÖS) başarı puanları açısından değerlendirilmesi [Yüksek lisans tezi]. Akdeniz Üniversitesi.
  • Çetindağ, G. (2010). İş sağlığı ve güvenliği. Nobel Yayın Dağıtım.
  • Çetinsaya, G. (2014). Büyüme, kalite ve uluslararasılaşma: Türkiye yükseköğretimi için bir yol haritası. Yükseköğretim Kurulu Yayın.
  • Erdoğan, A. (2014). Türkiye’de yükseköğretimin gündemi için politika önerisi. Yükseköğretim ve Bilim Dergisi, 4(1), 1-17.
  • European Commission. (2007). Employment in Europe. European Commission. Development Ministry Report European Union and Directorate General of Foreign Relations [Avrupa Birliği ve Dış İlişkiler Genel Müdürlüğü] (2023). http://digm.meb.gov.tr/
  • Fiske, A. P. (2002). Using individualism and collectivism to compare cultures—A critique of the validity and measurement of the constructs: Comment on Oyserman et al. (2002). Psychological Bulletin, 128(1), 78-88.
  • Ghanbary, R. (2017). Profile needs and problems of the education clients international students of Hacettepe University [Unpublished Master's Thesis]. Hacettepe University.
  • Günay, M. (2014). Türkiye'deki yabancı öğrenci sayısının artırılmasına yönelik bir strateji: YÖS kaldırılmalı mı? Yükseköğretim Dergisi, 4(1), 31-40.
  • Güvendir, M. A. (2016). The opinions of international students about an international student center’s orientation training. Ondokuz Mayis University Journal of Education Faculty, 35(2), 83-99.
  • Hansen, E., & Donohoe, M. (2003). Health issues of migrant and seasonal farmworkers. J. Health Care Poor Underserved, 14(2), 153–164.
  • Hawthorne, L. (2005). Picking Winners: The recent transformation of Australia’s skilled migration policy. Int. Migr. Rev., 39(3), 663–696.
  • Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind (3rd Edition). McGraw-Hill.
  • International Labour Organization [ILO]. (2018). Annual Report 2018. [Çevrimiçi]. https://www.ilo.org/empent/Publications/WCMS_714125/lang--en/index.htm
  • International Organization for Migration [IOM]. (2019). World migration report 2019. IOM.
  • International Organization for Migration [IOM].(2018). World migration report 2018. IOM.
  • Kılıçlar, A., Sarı, Y., & Seçilmiş, C. (2012). The effect of the problems experienced by the students from the Turkic world on academic achievement: The case of tourism students. Bilig, 61, 157-172.
  • Kıroğlu, K., Kesten, A., & Elma, C. (2010). Socio-cultural and economic problems of foreign students studying in Turkey. Mersin Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 6(2),26-39.
  • Knight, J. (2018). The changing landscape of higher education internationalisation–for better or worse?. In Perspectives on the internationalisation of higher education (pp. 13-19). Routledge.
  • Kondakci, Y., Zayim Kurtay, M., Kaya Kasikci, S., Senay, H. H., & Kulakoglu, B. (2023). Higher Education for forcibly displaced migrants in Turkey. Higher Education Research & Development, 42(3), 619-632.
  • Liu-Farrer, G. (2009). Educationally channeled ınternational labor mobility: Contemporary student migration from China to Japan. Wiley Online Library, 43(1), 178-204. [Çevrimiçi]. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2008.01152.x
  • Loh, E., & Richardson, S. (2004). Migrant workers: Precarious employment, job ınsecurity and occupational health and safety. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 15(7), 1312-1330.
  • Manthei, R. J., & Gilmore, A. (2005). The effect of paid employment on university students lives. Education & Training, 47(4), 202-215.
  • McCauley, L. A. (2005). Immigrant workers in the United States. Workplace Health Saf., 53(7), 313-320.
  • McDowell, C., & Bhachu, P. (2008). Work outcomes and employment relations amongst south asian women: Some lessons for the low‐skilled work debate. Gender and Work in the Global Economy, 15(3), 182-206.
  • McInnis, C., Hartley, R., & Krause, K-L. (2002). Managing study and paid work at the University of Melbourne. Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne.
  • McLaren, L., Hawe, P., & Middleton, N. (2004a). Is ‘don’t know’ the same as ‘no’? health ınequalities knowledge gaps and ımplications for policy. Health Promotion International, 19(2), 133-140.
  • McLaren, L., Hawe, P., & Middleton, N. (2004b). Quality and equity in Australian health promotion. Health Promotion International, 19(3), 227-234.
  • Mearns, K., & Yule, S. (2009). The role of national culture in determining safety performance: Challenges for the global oil and gas industry. Safety Science, 47(6), 777-785.
  • Moshtari, M., & Safarpour, A. (2023). Challenges and strategies for the internationalization of higher education in low-income East African countries. Higher Education, 1-21.
  • Musaoğlu, B. N. (2016). Türkiye’de öğrenim gören uluslararası öğrencilerin entegrasyon süreci. Turkish World Journal of Educational Research, 1(1), 12-24.
  • Pascarella, E.T., Edison, M.I., Nora, A., Hagedorn, L.S., & Terenzini, P.T. (1998). Does work ınhibit cognitive development during college? Edu. Evalu. and Pol. Analy., 20(2), 75-93.
  • Qiang, Z. (2003). Internationalization of higher education: Towards a conceptual framework. Policy Futures in Education, 1(2), 248-270.
  • Quinlan, M., Mayhew, C., Bohle, P., & Thege, P. (2010). The global expansion of precarious employment, work disorganization, and consequences for occupational health: A review of recent research. International Journal of Health Services, 40(2), 229-243.
  • Sargeant, M., & Tucker, E. (2009a). Precarious employment, vulnerability and occupational health and safety: A review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(4), 317-343.
  • Sargeant, M., & Tucker, E. (2009b). Will Employers Still be there? Learning from the Study of Precarious Employment. In J. Stanton, & J. Burgess-Limerick (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2009 World Congress on Ergonomics (pp. 48-53). IEA Press.
  • Schenker, M. B. (2008). A global perspective of migration and occupational health. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 51(5), 411-418.
  • Scott, D., Hockey, R., Barker, R., Sprinks, D., & Pitt, R. (2004). Half the age twice the risk: Occupational injury in school age children. Inj. Bull. (queensl. Inj. Surveill. Unit), 84. [Çevrimiçi]. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260945145_Half_the_Age_Twice_the_Risk_Occupational_Injury_in_School_Age_Children
  • Siddiqui, S. (2006). Occupational health and safety and the poorest workers: Exposing the connections. Development, 49(3), 84-92.
  • Smith, P. M., & Mustard, C. A. (2009). Comparing the risk of work-related injuries between immigrants to Canada and Canadian-born labour market participants. Occup. Environ. Med., 66(6), 361–367.
  • Spangenberg, S., Sjöberg, M., & Nelson, N. (2003). Safety performance differences between foreign and Swedish construction workers in Sweden. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 9(4), 397-410.
  • Studee (2023). Can you work abroad as an international student? [Çevrimiçi]. https://studee.com/guides/can-you-work-abroad-as-an-international-student/
  • Thamrin, Y., Pisaniello, D., & Stewart, S. (2010). Time trends and predictive factors for safety perceptions among incoming South Australian university students. J. Safety Res., 41(1), 59–63.
  • Tucker, S. (2002). Precarious Employment in the Next Economy. In P. Belanger, P. Brosnan, A. Kalleberg, & C. Raelin (Eds.), Contemporary Industrial Relations: A Critical Analysis (pp. 80-104). McGraw-Hill.
  • UNESCO. (2022). Global Flow of Tertiary-Level Students. [Çevrimiçi]. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373682
  • World Health Organization (WHO). (2007). Health of migrants: The way forward. WHO Regional Office for Europe.
  • Yıldırım, A., & Simsek, H. (2018). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri (12. Baskı). Seçkin Yayıncılık.
  • Yilmazel, G., & Atay, D. (2023). Challenges of migrant students in Turkish higher education. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 17(2), 132-145.
  • Zerengök, D. (2016). Uluslararası öğrencilerin serbest zaman etkinliklerine aktif katılımları yoluyla sosyal uyumlarının analizi: Celal Bayar Üniversitesi örneği [Yüksek lisans tezi]. Celal Bayar Üniversitesi.
Year 2023, Volume: 6 Issue: Education Special Issue, 117 - 144, 28.09.2023
https://doi.org/10.53048/johass.1362631

Abstract

References

  • Ahonen, E. Q., Benavides, F. G., & Benach, J. (2007). Immigrant populations, work and health—a systematic literature review. Scand. J. Work. Environ. Health, 33(2), 96–104.
  • Akpınar, T., & Küçükgöksel, N.Ç. (2022). Dünya’da ve Türkiye’de uluslararası öğrenci hareketliliği ve ülkelere katkıları. Balkan and Near Eastern Journal of Social Sciences, 8(02), 140-151.
  • Akyıldız, G., Çelik, F., & Bulut, S. (2020). Workplace discrimination against immigrants: A case study in Turkey. Migration Letters, 17(2), 225-240.
  • Aslan, I., & Güneş, P. (2016). Institutionalization in practice: Development of a university. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences. https://www.europeanproceedings.com/files/data/article/47/1393/article_47_1393_pdf_100.pdf
  • Belin, A., Zamparutti, T., Tull, K., & Hernandez, G. (2011). Occupational health and safety risks for the most vulnerable workers. European Parliament. [Çevrimiçi]. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/IPOL-EMPL_ET(2011)464436
  • Bilir, N. (2001). İş sağlığı ve güvenliği: Temel kavramlar ve sorunlar. İstanbul Üniversitesi İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği Enstitüsü Yayınları.
  • CARAM Asia. (2007). Hidden Cost of Labour Migration in the World. [Çevrimiçi]. https://www.protectinglabourmigrants.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/hidden_cost_of_labour_migration.pdf
  • Cheung, C. (2006). Migrant workers' rights in China: From "alien workers" to "labor citizens". Fordham Urban Law Journal, 33, 1301-1354.
  • Coldring, T., Jayasuriya, R., & Forster, T. (2009). Precarious work and occupational health and safety among migrant construction workers. Journal of Industrial Relations, 51(2), 131-147.
  • Creswell, J. W. (2019). Educational research. Pearson Publication.
  • Çatal, E. (2021). Akdeniz Üniversitesi 2019 yabancı öğrenci seçme sınavının (YÖS) başarı puanları açısından değerlendirilmesi [Yüksek lisans tezi]. Akdeniz Üniversitesi.
  • Çetindağ, G. (2010). İş sağlığı ve güvenliği. Nobel Yayın Dağıtım.
  • Çetinsaya, G. (2014). Büyüme, kalite ve uluslararasılaşma: Türkiye yükseköğretimi için bir yol haritası. Yükseköğretim Kurulu Yayın.
  • Erdoğan, A. (2014). Türkiye’de yükseköğretimin gündemi için politika önerisi. Yükseköğretim ve Bilim Dergisi, 4(1), 1-17.
  • European Commission. (2007). Employment in Europe. European Commission. Development Ministry Report European Union and Directorate General of Foreign Relations [Avrupa Birliği ve Dış İlişkiler Genel Müdürlüğü] (2023). http://digm.meb.gov.tr/
  • Fiske, A. P. (2002). Using individualism and collectivism to compare cultures—A critique of the validity and measurement of the constructs: Comment on Oyserman et al. (2002). Psychological Bulletin, 128(1), 78-88.
  • Ghanbary, R. (2017). Profile needs and problems of the education clients international students of Hacettepe University [Unpublished Master's Thesis]. Hacettepe University.
  • Günay, M. (2014). Türkiye'deki yabancı öğrenci sayısının artırılmasına yönelik bir strateji: YÖS kaldırılmalı mı? Yükseköğretim Dergisi, 4(1), 31-40.
  • Güvendir, M. A. (2016). The opinions of international students about an international student center’s orientation training. Ondokuz Mayis University Journal of Education Faculty, 35(2), 83-99.
  • Hansen, E., & Donohoe, M. (2003). Health issues of migrant and seasonal farmworkers. J. Health Care Poor Underserved, 14(2), 153–164.
  • Hawthorne, L. (2005). Picking Winners: The recent transformation of Australia’s skilled migration policy. Int. Migr. Rev., 39(3), 663–696.
  • Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind (3rd Edition). McGraw-Hill.
  • International Labour Organization [ILO]. (2018). Annual Report 2018. [Çevrimiçi]. https://www.ilo.org/empent/Publications/WCMS_714125/lang--en/index.htm
  • International Organization for Migration [IOM]. (2019). World migration report 2019. IOM.
  • International Organization for Migration [IOM].(2018). World migration report 2018. IOM.
  • Kılıçlar, A., Sarı, Y., & Seçilmiş, C. (2012). The effect of the problems experienced by the students from the Turkic world on academic achievement: The case of tourism students. Bilig, 61, 157-172.
  • Kıroğlu, K., Kesten, A., & Elma, C. (2010). Socio-cultural and economic problems of foreign students studying in Turkey. Mersin Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 6(2),26-39.
  • Knight, J. (2018). The changing landscape of higher education internationalisation–for better or worse?. In Perspectives on the internationalisation of higher education (pp. 13-19). Routledge.
  • Kondakci, Y., Zayim Kurtay, M., Kaya Kasikci, S., Senay, H. H., & Kulakoglu, B. (2023). Higher Education for forcibly displaced migrants in Turkey. Higher Education Research & Development, 42(3), 619-632.
  • Liu-Farrer, G. (2009). Educationally channeled ınternational labor mobility: Contemporary student migration from China to Japan. Wiley Online Library, 43(1), 178-204. [Çevrimiçi]. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2008.01152.x
  • Loh, E., & Richardson, S. (2004). Migrant workers: Precarious employment, job ınsecurity and occupational health and safety. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 15(7), 1312-1330.
  • Manthei, R. J., & Gilmore, A. (2005). The effect of paid employment on university students lives. Education & Training, 47(4), 202-215.
  • McCauley, L. A. (2005). Immigrant workers in the United States. Workplace Health Saf., 53(7), 313-320.
  • McDowell, C., & Bhachu, P. (2008). Work outcomes and employment relations amongst south asian women: Some lessons for the low‐skilled work debate. Gender and Work in the Global Economy, 15(3), 182-206.
  • McInnis, C., Hartley, R., & Krause, K-L. (2002). Managing study and paid work at the University of Melbourne. Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne.
  • McLaren, L., Hawe, P., & Middleton, N. (2004a). Is ‘don’t know’ the same as ‘no’? health ınequalities knowledge gaps and ımplications for policy. Health Promotion International, 19(2), 133-140.
  • McLaren, L., Hawe, P., & Middleton, N. (2004b). Quality and equity in Australian health promotion. Health Promotion International, 19(3), 227-234.
  • Mearns, K., & Yule, S. (2009). The role of national culture in determining safety performance: Challenges for the global oil and gas industry. Safety Science, 47(6), 777-785.
  • Moshtari, M., & Safarpour, A. (2023). Challenges and strategies for the internationalization of higher education in low-income East African countries. Higher Education, 1-21.
  • Musaoğlu, B. N. (2016). Türkiye’de öğrenim gören uluslararası öğrencilerin entegrasyon süreci. Turkish World Journal of Educational Research, 1(1), 12-24.
  • Pascarella, E.T., Edison, M.I., Nora, A., Hagedorn, L.S., & Terenzini, P.T. (1998). Does work ınhibit cognitive development during college? Edu. Evalu. and Pol. Analy., 20(2), 75-93.
  • Qiang, Z. (2003). Internationalization of higher education: Towards a conceptual framework. Policy Futures in Education, 1(2), 248-270.
  • Quinlan, M., Mayhew, C., Bohle, P., & Thege, P. (2010). The global expansion of precarious employment, work disorganization, and consequences for occupational health: A review of recent research. International Journal of Health Services, 40(2), 229-243.
  • Sargeant, M., & Tucker, E. (2009a). Precarious employment, vulnerability and occupational health and safety: A review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(4), 317-343.
  • Sargeant, M., & Tucker, E. (2009b). Will Employers Still be there? Learning from the Study of Precarious Employment. In J. Stanton, & J. Burgess-Limerick (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2009 World Congress on Ergonomics (pp. 48-53). IEA Press.
  • Schenker, M. B. (2008). A global perspective of migration and occupational health. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 51(5), 411-418.
  • Scott, D., Hockey, R., Barker, R., Sprinks, D., & Pitt, R. (2004). Half the age twice the risk: Occupational injury in school age children. Inj. Bull. (queensl. Inj. Surveill. Unit), 84. [Çevrimiçi]. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260945145_Half_the_Age_Twice_the_Risk_Occupational_Injury_in_School_Age_Children
  • Siddiqui, S. (2006). Occupational health and safety and the poorest workers: Exposing the connections. Development, 49(3), 84-92.
  • Smith, P. M., & Mustard, C. A. (2009). Comparing the risk of work-related injuries between immigrants to Canada and Canadian-born labour market participants. Occup. Environ. Med., 66(6), 361–367.
  • Spangenberg, S., Sjöberg, M., & Nelson, N. (2003). Safety performance differences between foreign and Swedish construction workers in Sweden. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 9(4), 397-410.
  • Studee (2023). Can you work abroad as an international student? [Çevrimiçi]. https://studee.com/guides/can-you-work-abroad-as-an-international-student/
  • Thamrin, Y., Pisaniello, D., & Stewart, S. (2010). Time trends and predictive factors for safety perceptions among incoming South Australian university students. J. Safety Res., 41(1), 59–63.
  • Tucker, S. (2002). Precarious Employment in the Next Economy. In P. Belanger, P. Brosnan, A. Kalleberg, & C. Raelin (Eds.), Contemporary Industrial Relations: A Critical Analysis (pp. 80-104). McGraw-Hill.
  • UNESCO. (2022). Global Flow of Tertiary-Level Students. [Çevrimiçi]. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373682
  • World Health Organization (WHO). (2007). Health of migrants: The way forward. WHO Regional Office for Europe.
  • Yıldırım, A., & Simsek, H. (2018). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri (12. Baskı). Seçkin Yayıncılık.
  • Yilmazel, G., & Atay, D. (2023). Challenges of migrant students in Turkish higher education. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 17(2), 132-145.
  • Zerengök, D. (2016). Uluslararası öğrencilerin serbest zaman etkinliklerine aktif katılımları yoluyla sosyal uyumlarının analizi: Celal Bayar Üniversitesi örneği [Yüksek lisans tezi]. Celal Bayar Üniversitesi.
There are 58 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Health Sciences Education and Development of Programs: Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Labor Sociology, Sociology of Health
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Cengiz Akyıldız 0000-0001-8004-1037

Publication Date September 28, 2023
Submission Date September 18, 2023
Acceptance Date September 27, 2023
Published in Issue Year 2023 Volume: 6 Issue: Education Special Issue

Cite

APA Akyıldız, C. (2023). A Review on the Working Conditions and Occupational Health and Safety Issues of International Students in Turkey. Journal of Human and Social Sciences, 6(Education Special Issue), 117-144. https://doi.org/10.53048/johass.1362631

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