Opinions of Turkish as a Foreign Language Learners on Academic Turkish

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the language skills of the international students attending different Turkish language centers are sufficient to understand their departmental courses. The research was carried out through focus group interviews which are among the qualitative data collection techniques. For this purpose, 14 students studying at two different universities at different levels were selected on a voluntary basis. A semi-structured interview form was created with the help of three experts and was used to collect data for the study. The content analysis technique was used. Responses from 14 students were transcribed and analyzed both individually and entirely. It was detected that the level of Turkish taught at the Turkish language centers remained inadequate for the students to understand their departmental courses. The students had difficulties in understanding the concepts, terms, and sample texts related to their field. It is suggested that the students should be introduced with relevant academic concepts before starting their studies.