The purpose of this study is to investigate the academic language needs of students studying in Turcology departments abroad and to identify the problems they experience in academic Turkish. For the research, countries with Turcology departments and high number of students were selected. The study group consists of 32 students attending the third year or higher of undergraduate studies during the 2023-2024 academic year in the Turcology departments of universities in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, Serbia, Hungary, Poland, and Kosovo. The convenient sampling technique was used to determine the study group. In the research, designed according to the phenomenology design, data were obtained from semi-structured interview forms applied to the study group. Descriptive analysis and content analysis techniques were used to analyze the qualitative data obtained. The findings of the research revealed that students studying in Turcology departments abroad need academic Turkish and experience problems in using academic language skills. These problems were found to stem from unknown vocabulary, lack of academic vocabulary knowledge in reading and listening, and from speaking speed, pronunciation problems, and psychological factors in speaking, and from grammar, spelling, syntax, and unfamiliarity with academic writing stages in writing. When all the findings were evaluated, it was concluded that there is a need for needs analysis studies, updates to the programs, and academic Turkish courses along with general Turkish courses in the Turcology departments. The results of this study, which investigates the academic Turkish needs of students studying in Turcology departments, are expected to provide valuable insights for material developers, teachers, program developers, and field experts.
Academic language skills, academic Turkish, needs analysis, student, Turcology