Abstract:
With the establishment of dual degree programmes between Turkish universities and the State University of New York (SUNY), the number of Turkish students studying in the US has increased substantially. The aim of this qualitative study is to shed light on the impact of the year abroad on student development by focusing on the perspectives of both the teachers and students through the use of questionnaires and interviews. The study focused on the impact of the year abroad on students' personal, linguistic, intercultural and academic development. Overall, the results of the study pointed to a positive impact of the year abroad on students in all four areas. However, especially in terms of students' language development, students and faculty gave conflicting reports. While all students believed that they improved their language skills, the faculty indicated that students had not benefited from the programme as much as they could.