The Socio-cultural, Financial and Education Problems of International Postgraduate Students in Turkey

The aim of this study is to analyze and investigate the predicaments that are categorized by the investigators according to education and life conditions of postgraduate international students in Sakarya University. Qualitative research method was conducted in this research and standardized and tightly structured interview form was used to address questions as a data collection tool in the study. During the interview, objectively investigators helped the participants because they were not good at speaking Turkish. The study sample included 20 postgraduate international students from several departments at the institutes of natural and applied sciences and social sciences of Sakarya University, 2015-2016 academic year as voluntarily. Maximum range sample technique was used in the identifying of the study group. In the analytical part of the study, descriptive analysis technique that is one of the qualitative research techniques, was used to facilitate the thematic classification of data and to get a detailed description of condition. The result of the study determined that international students were not living desired level economically and homesickness was also another serious problem at the beginning of the process. Participants did not have many difficulties about harboring. In the title of human relations international students stated that Turkish people and Turkey close themselves; also they did not have problems about it generally about racism. They could not communicate face to face often. Instead they used telephones, internet, etc. devices for communication. Participants expressed that they did not have problems about the Turkish food generally, moreover they found close to Turkish foods. While clothing case it was determined that there was no problem about clothing, everyone could wear traditional clothes what they wanted easily, also they did not suffer from their clothing style. About the traditions statement, their closeness of Turkish culture came into prominence. It was identified that participants could easily perform situations that include their traditions. It was not confirmed that they got into trouble about their religious belief. Under the education topic difficulty of learning, language was emphasized, so they expressed even if just a smidgen their challenges about both lectures and daily life. They said that they took support from their faculty members and classmates to overcome this hardship.