Esin AKSAY AKSEZER, Kutlay YAĞMUR, Fons VAN DE VIJVER

A Qualitative Study of Erasmus Program Challenges and Paradoxes Based on the Experiences of Students from Turkey

Internationalization agenda, especially the Erasmus framework, has become a significant process affecting the Turkish higher education. Erasmus, as being the most influential and preferred mobility scheme, has attracted significant attention and witnessed increasing number of students in years. There are various studies on the outcomes of the Erasmus program in terms of social, cultural, and academic gains of students as well as associated challenges and influence of the Bologna Process on the Turkish higher education outlook. However, there are less visited concepts in terms of challenges that need further attention. This paper addresses these less visited subjects such as project management/implementation issues (diversity, funding, and outcomes), politics of difference, and consumerist approaches. The findings suggest that these issues may complicate program implementations and run the risk of hindering general program targets, leading to a paradoxical outlook such a becoming exclusive to certain group of students, emphasizing difference rather than mutual understanding, seeing the experience as a to-do list item. So, the tension between various issues such as consumerist approaches, politics of difference and project implementation issues and general program targets and outcomes must be acknowledged towards emphasizing the critical role of appropriate student advising and expectation management as well as development of flexible and diverse evaluation-placement methods for efficient and positive program implementation

Erasmus Program›na Kat›lan Türk Ö¤rencilerin Deneyimlerinden Hareketle Ortaya Ç›kan Zorluklar›n ve Çeliflkilerin Nitel Bir Analizi

Uluslararas›laflma, özellikle Erasmus program›, son y›llarda Türkiye’deki yüksekö¤retim alan›n› ve bu alan›n paydafllar›n› etkileyen bafll›ca süreçlerdendir. Uyguland›¤› co¤rafyada ve Türkiye’de en bilinen ve yayg›n ö¤renci hareketlilik program› olan Erasmus, bafllad›¤› y›ldan itibaren artan say›da kurum ve ö¤- renciyi dâhil ederek dikkatleri üzerine toplam›fl baflar›l› bir örnek olarak de¤erlendirilmektedir. Erasmus program›n›n ö¤rencilere sa¤lad›¤› sosyal, kültürel, akademik ve profesyonel faydalara ve yaflanan zorluklara; Bologna Süreci’nin Türk yüksekö¤retimi üzerindeki etkilerine yönelik konular daha önce yap›lm›fl farkl› nitelikteki çal›flmalarda ele al›nm›flt›r. Bu kapsamda, haz›rl›k aflamas›nda, misafir eden kurum ya da ülkede ve döndükten sonra yaflanan çeflitli akademik, sosyal, kültürel ve bürokratik zorluklara de¤inmek mümkündür. Ancak, yaflanan zorluklarla ilgili olarak, yeterince veya hiç ele al›nmam›fl konular da bulunmaktad›r. Bu çal›flma daha az ele al›nm›fl konulara de¤inmeyi hedeflemektedir. Bu kapsamda ele al›nan bafll›klar, farkl›l›klar üzerinden gelifltirilen politika ve uygulamalar, proje yönetimi alan›nda yaflanan s›k›nt›lar (kapsay›c› olmak, finansal konular, sonuçlar) ve tüketim yaklafl›m›n›n uluslararas› deneyimlere yans›malar› olarak özetlenebilir. Bu konular, Erasmus program›n›n kapsay›c› olma, ortak bir anlay›fl gelifltirme ve farkl› aç›lardan geliflim sa¤lamas› gibi genel hedeflere ulaflma konusunda çeliflkili bir resim ortaya ç›kartabildi¤ini göstermektedir. Dolay›s›yla, bu bafll›klarla program hedefleri ve sonuçlar› aras›nda ortaya ç›kabilen farkl›l›k ve z›tl›klar›n fark›na var›lmal› ve özellikle uygun ö¤renci dan›flmanl›¤›, beklenti yönetimi ve daha esnek de¤erlendirme-yerlefltirme yöntemlerinin gelifltirilmesinin önemi de¤erlendirilmelidir

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