Adjustment experiences of Syrian immigrant university students in Turkey

This study intended to examine the adjustment experiences of Syrian immigrant university students through their immigration process in Turkey. A qualitative design was utilized. The participants consisted of 14 students attending to state universities in Ankara, 7 of whom were males and 7 females. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted by one of the researchers. Two main categories were identified while analyzing the process of social adaptation of Syrian immigrant university students. These categories were: (a) Integration in Turkey and (b) adaptation to university life. There were six themes under these categories. These themes were; risk factors, protective factors, future expectations, resilience, sense of exclusion/belonging, and facilities at university. Each theme is further divided into subcategories. The findings of the study were discussed in the same order with these subcategories. The results showed that the Syrian university students experienced a relatively easier and faster process of adjustment compared to other Syrians in Turkey. The effects of war seemed to influence the interviewees’ endurance against hardships in Turkey and their integration process in Turkey. Some of the most prominent factors impacting the interviewees’ process of social inclusion in Turkey were their social and psychological supports, individual characteristics, attending to a university, and social activities at the respective university. Implications, limitations of the study and recommendations for future research were discussed.