Views of Academics about International Students

Globalization is an inevitable reality of the world we live in. In our changing and developing world, globalization increases the economic, cultural, social and political interaction between countries. This interaction has recently affected the field of education, which changed its direction from national to international dimension. The fact that international students are found in all levels of education today is the proof of internalisation in education. This research is qualitative research which aims to gather views of academics about the international students within the context of internationalisation of higher education. In line with this goal, interviews were made with 41 academics working in a university in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey, and these interviews were analyzed through content analysis. According to the result of the study, Turkish higher education is preferred by international students because of some factors such as high quality education, cultural proximity, getting more freedom compared to their home countries, advantageous cities in Turkey, an opportunity to develop their self confidence, and the impact of international agreements and scholarships. Academics believe that international students have some cultural, economic, academic and social/emotional adaptation problems among which communication problems are the most notable. Regarding the challenges academics have been experiencing with international students, quality issues in education, challenges during assessment and evaluation process, problems arising from student quotas, and the problem of student grouping were identified. Some points about the process of international student admission such as Foreign Student Examination, student quotas, Turkish Language Teaching Centre, and the process of student placement should be considered and revised.