A Quantitative Survey on International Students’ Acculturative Stress Levels

Year 2020, Issue: 36, 33 - 52, 31.12.2020

Mustafa Akdağ Ömer Faruk Koçak

https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.806579

Cited By: 1

Abstract

With the significant increase in international education opportunities, international students have
become one of the important actors of intercultural communication. The students’ adaptation to
current conditions in the new social structure is an important issue in terms of the success and
quality of their educational and living processes. However, the students’ intercultural transition
process with different cultural backgrounds can sometimes create problematic situations. As one
of the problematics, acculturative stress can make it difficult for students to adapt to their new social
lives, decrease their academic success and lead them to social isolation. This study aimed to address
the level of acculturative stress of 400 university students in Turkey. By applying quantitative
measurement tools, the international students’ levels of acculturative stress were measured with the
Acculturative Stress Scale consisting of 32 items. The scale includes five sub-dimensions including
language inadequacy, social isolation, perceived discrimination, academic pressure and guilt towards
the family. The results of the study showed that international students had a low level of acculturative
stress during their time in Turkey in general and pointed out that students rarely experienced
acculturative stress. The study also observed that the students report guilt towards the family was the
highest level of acculturative stress.

Keywords

Acculturation, Stress, Acculturative Stress, International University Students, International Education, Intercultural Communication

Uluslararası Öğrencilerin Kültürleşme Stresi Düzeylerine İlişkin Nicel Bir Araştırma

Abstract

Uluslararası eğitim olanaklarının önemli ölçüde artmasıyla birlikte, uluslararası öğrenciler kültürlerarası
iletişimin önemli aktörlerinden biri konumuna yükselmişlerdir. Öğrencilerin, dâhil oldukları yeni
toplumsal yapı içerisinde karşılarına çıkan güncel koşullara uyum sağlamaları, eğitim süreçlerinin ve
yeni yaşamlarının başarı ve kalitesi açısından önemli bir husustur. Ancak farklı kültürel geçmişe sahip
öğrencilerin, kültürlerarası geçiş süreci zaman zaman problemli durumlar ortaya çıkarabilmektedir.
Bu durumların başında gelen kültürleşme stresi, öğrencinin yeni toplumsal yaşamına uyumunu
zorlaştırabilmekte, akademik başarısını düşürebilmekte, sosyal yaşamdan izole olmasına neden
olabilmekte ve psikolojik açıdan sorunlar ortaya çıkarabilmektedir. Bu bağlamda çalışma; Türkiye’de
farklı üniversitelerde öğrenim görmekte olan 400 öğrencinin kültürleşme stresi düzeylerini ele almayı
amaçlamaktadır. Nicel ölçme araçları kullanılan çalışmada, uluslararası öğrencilerin kültürleşme stresi
düzeyleri; 32 maddeden oluşan Kültürleşme Stresi Ölçeği ile ölçülmüştür. Ölçek, kendi içerisinde dil
yetersizliği, sosyal izolasyon, algılanan ayrımcılık, akademik baskı ve aileye karşı suçluluğu içeren beş
alt boyutu kapsamaktadır. Çalışma sonuçları, uluslararası öğrencilerin Türkiye’de bulundukları süre
içerisinde kültürleşme streslerinin genel anlamda düşük bir düzeyde olduğunu göstermiş ve öğrencilerin
nadiren kültürleşme stresi yaşadıklarını ortaya koymuştur. Ayrıca aileye karşı suçluluk boyutunun
öğrencilerin en yüksek düzeyde stres bildirdikleri kültürleşme stresi boyutu olduğu gözlenmiştir.

Keywords

Kültürleşme, Stres, Kültürleşme Stresi, Uluslararası Üniversite Öğrencileri, Uluslararası Eğitim, Kültürlerarası İletişim

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