The Analysis of Satisfaction Levels of International Students Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language Online during the Pandemic

This study aims to investigate the satisfaction level of students regarding the education of Turkish as a foreign language (TFL) during the pandemic caused by COVID-19. This study, which was carried out to shed light on the effect of distance education practices on teaching Turkish as a foreign language, is essential in providing students with the opportunity to evaluate the process and raising awareness in the organization of education programs. The participants were 50 international university students who enrolled in the Turkish preparatory classes of Bursa Uludag University in the Turkish Teaching Application and Research Center (ULUTÖMER) during the academic years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. The study applied quantitative research descriptive, relational, and causal comparison methods. The data within the research scope were obtained using an attitude scale developed by the researcher through a questionnaire applied to 50 volunteer students online via Google Docs Form. The survey data was analyzed using SPSS 26.0.0.0, and statistical methods such as Mann-Whitney 2, Independent Sample Test, Kruskal Wallis K, Independent Sample Test, and Spearman Correlation Analysis were used to calculate the statistical findings. The statistical analysis of the questionnaire data showed that most participants who filled in the questionnaire stated that they were satisfied with the quality of online learning. In addition, students also indicated that they were more confident with online teaching than face-to-face teaching. On the other hand, the statistical analysis further revealed no significant relationship between students' satisfaction levels learning Turkish and socio-demographic variables such as age and gender. Finally, no meaningful relationship was found between the comparative satisfaction levels of Turkish students and socio-demographic variables.