EURASIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, vol.92, pp.10-30, 2021 (ESCI)
Abstract
Purpose: Study abroad has
been very popular among students recently. Turkish youth have become even more
willing to study abroad and improve their English language skills. As lingua
franca (ELF) is the main language for interaction, especially in Europe. The
current study investigated language learning perceptions of Turkish students
who have participated in Erasmus Exchange Program.
Research Methods: The participants
were 100 (58 females and 42 males) university students from different
departments who had been in an Erasmus Exchange Program in the previous five
years. The data were collected using two sets of questionnaires containing 41
items, and an interview protocol. These aimed to elicit information participants’
views on their English language learning process back then and at the time of
data collection, and their study abroad experience.
Findings: The findings indicatee that this experience made a
significant impact on them. They have positive outlook of their language
learning. They are willing to take part in intercultural communication. In
addition, they said that they gained first-hand information on different
cultures through the friends they had made in Europe, which widened their
horizon. The participants who work at present believe that they owe their
present position to the qualifications gained abroad.
Implications for Research and Practice: The findings
of the study indicated that the participants have developed
positive thoughts during their one semester stay in Europe. A longer study
abroad experience might have affected by their perceptions in a different way. They
indicated that they had not gone through an orientation programme before going
to Europe. They all agreed that an awareness-raising
orientation program would be a very good start for any exchange students. For
further research it is advisable to organise a project where exchange students
receive an orientation programme where students are made aware of how to cope
with cultural differences before travelling to Europe.