Font Size: 

Purpose of this study is to identify opinions of Afghan students learning Turkish as a foreign language towards Turkish and Turkey. The study was designed according to qualitative research model. Afghan students form the work group of this study who are learning Turkish in TOMER (Turkish and Foreign Language Teaching, Research and Implementation Center) in Nevsehir Haci Bektas Veli University in Turkey. Semi-structured interview form was used as data collection tool and according to research results, opinions of Afghan students learning Turkish as a foreign language was identified towards Turkish and Turkey.

Keywords: Teaching Turkish as a foreign language, Afghan students, opinion towards Turkey and Turkish.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In this research, opinions of students towards Turkish and Turkey were studied under two themes. In the Approaches towards Turkey theme, reasons to study in Turkey, characteristics of Turkey, characteristics of Turkish people are discussed. In the Approaches towards Turkish theme, reasons to learn Turkish are discussed. When the mentioned factors are analyzed between the reasons to learn Turkish and characteristics of Turkey and Turkish people, it was concluded that Opportunities offered by Turkey and characteristics of Turkish people are important for Afghan students. Turks being Muslim and their families’ love of Turkish people and Turkey are important factors that increase the desire of Afghan students to study in Turkey. Afghans see Turkey as a friendly country and presume Turks as brothers. Historic friendship between Turks and Afghans and the aids for the Afghan people today make students feel at home and see Turks as their brothers. Afghan students stated that existing historic friendship between their countries and Turkey and cultural partnership are important for them. They stated that there are similarities in the way they observe religious holidays, respect for elderly, domestic behaviors between their country and Turkey and they also claimed that those factors increase the desire to come to Turkey and study. As a result of the interviews, most of the students have had the desire to come to Turkey and study to have a good future. Students are affected by their family and acquaintances and also by both Turkey’s being almost all Muslim and more democratic and modern than most of other countries.