Reimagining selves abroad: Arab international students' motivations, identity negotiation and intercultural engagement in Türkiye
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUALITATIVE STUDIES IN EDUCATION, vol.39, no.1, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 39 Issue: 1
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.1080/09518398.2026.2732963
- Journal Name: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUALITATIVE STUDIES IN EDUCATION
- Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Periodicals Index Online, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Psycinfo, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Education Collection (ProQuest), Education Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
- Anadolu University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
This qualitative study examines how Arab international students experience studying at a Turkish-medium university in T & uuml;rkiye, focusing on motivations, identity negotiation, and intercultural engagement in a non-Anglophone context. Drawing on poststructuralist theory and a phenomenographic research design, the study analyses in-depth interviews with eight students to identify qualitatively different ways of experiencing international study. Findings show that decisions to study in T & uuml;rkiye were shaped by affordability, cultural proximity, and accessibility, alongside aspirations for globally recognised qualifications. Students' identity negotiations were marked by both agency and constraint: some developed intercultural awareness and new forms of belonging, while others encountered linguistic racism, exclusion, and limited institutional support. These tensions shaped students' investments in language learning, social participation, and imagined futures. By centring Arab voices and mobilising phenomenography within a poststructuralist framework, the study advances international student mobility scholarship beyond Anglophone destinations and demonstrates how power, language, and context shape intercultural engagement globally.