THE OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES AND FACTORS INFLUENCING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS' ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AT AKDENIZ UNIVERSITY, TURKEY

The overall purpose of this study was to explore the opportunities and challenges international students faced in their daily life and factors influencing their academic performance at Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey. In this study, a case study design in accordance with the qualitative research method was used. The purpose of the case study is to draw conclusions about a particular case. The working group of this study contained 15 international students. The researchers developed a semi-structured interview form and ensured its validity by giving two academicians who were experts on the topic and then the pilot study was conducted. Firstly, participants reported that international students have faced great opportunities such as meeting new people, new culture, a new language, new links and so forth. Secondly, the obtained results showed that international students have faced language barriers, culture shock, local people, and difficulty of adaption and so on. Third, they also mentioned language barriers, psychological problems, professor-related factors, students' laziness, family issues, financial limitation, poor access to resources, academic background, lack of good accommodation, culture shock, and the difference in the education system as factors influencing their academic performance. Finally, the participants suggested other international students to have Turkish friends, be psychologically ready, and be active to learn and adapt, to focus on language seriously, to manage their time effectively, to participate in campus clubs and activities, to go with plans and to work hard