Palestinian postgraduate students in Turkey: Faced challenges, provided supports and proposed solutions

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the Palestinian postgraduate students’ perception of the challenges they face during their study in Turkey, the provided support and proposed solutions. To achieve this goal, semi-structured interviews with 16 Palestinian postgraduate students who study in Turkey were conducted. The findings revealed that the most prominent Palestinian student challenges in the social field are the dormitory and provided food. The academic challenges faced by Palestinian students in Turkey focused on the academic load, the system of teaching and the language of study as well. In terms of economic challenges, they did not pose a fundamental challenge to many students other than married students and a student who is not granted a particular support. As for the provided support for Palestinian students in Turkey, the study found a significant support by the Turkish state in general and university teachers as well as by Turkish and Palestinian colleagues, but there were a lack of provided support by the Palestinian state as the students said. With regard to the proposed solutions, the students presented a number of solutions that can be used by them and others to overcome many of the challenges that may be encountered during the academic journey.