Studying Abroad from the Perspectives of Turkish Graduate Students in the USA

Studying abroad is a unique experience including social and cultural practices and affects students' education, life styles, habits and identities. For a better insight about this unique experience, the experiences of students studying abroad need to be analyzed deeply. In this context, this study aims to understand the experiences of eight Turkish graduate students studying in the U.S. The study was designed as a qualitative study and phenomenology was used as a research method. The data of the study was obtained through semi-structured interviews conducted face-to-face by the researcher. All participants finished their undergraduate education in Turkey, and pursue their education in the U.S. with different scholarship and funds. The interviews were recorded with participant consent and the data was analyzed with content analysis technique. The findings reveal educational, social and cultural dimensions of studying abroad experience. [This study was presented as an oral presentation at ERPA International Congresses on Education, 10-12 April 2020.]