Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATION AND LITERACY STUDIES, cilt.10, sa.1, ss.65-74, 2022 (Hakemli Dergi)
Motivation undoubtedly plays an important role in learning a second language in that the whole
process presupposes motivation to some extent. In the context of Syrian refugees, understanding the
factors motivating learners is the very first step in the language learning process in that the refugees
must first be integrated into the education system, which will soon facilitate adaptation to society. In
this quantitative study, a cross-sectional survey model was employed to determine the reasons for
Syrian adult refugees to learn Turkish and examine the influence of motivation on Turkish language
achievement. The participants were Syrian adult refugees who learned Turkish as a second language
in Turkey. The data of the study were obtained using a questionnaire including the “Motivation Scale
for Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language” and the “Turkish Achievement Test” developed by the
researchers. Data obtained from the motivation scale were analyzed quantitatively by using descriptive
statistics, and the mean values and the standard deviations of the achievement test scores were calculated
using SPSS. The results indicated that the main reasons Syrian refugees learn Turkish are professional
career, academic career, survival needs and social adaptation. On the other hand, their motivations
were found to be high, and it was revealed that refugees were mostly instrumentally motivated. While
no significant differences were found in the level of motivation among of Syrian adult refugees in
terms of their reasons for learning Turkish, the results clarified that motivation has a great role in
raising proficiency in learning Turkish as a second language. Regarding the results of the study, it can
be suggested that language teachers should be aware of various reasons of their learners to learn a
language and seek ways to motivate them, which will support the learning process.
Key words: Language Achievement, Learning Turkish As A Second Language, Motivation, Refugee