Examining the Expectations of University Students from Instructors Who Lecture in their Mother Tongue and in Another Language: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Multilingual and multicultural educational environments have often appeared on the agenda of educational scientists especially since the end of the twentieth century. The objective of this study is to increase student academic success by determining the expectations of students from lecturers who teach in their own mother tongue and in another language. Thus, it aims to help make the education delivered in multilingual and multicultural environments more effective. This is a qualitative study that adopts the survey design. The working group of the study consists of 53 students (28 females and 25 males) studying in different departments of Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University (KTMU). Instruction language of KTMU is Turkey Turkish and Kyrgyz Turkish. The data were collected using a semi-structured interview form. The students were asked to write their expectations from instructors lecturing in Turkey Turkish and Kyrgyz Turkish. The collected data were examined through the content analysis method. The study revealed the following results: (1) Students' expectations were collected under eight themes. (2) Students who took lessons in a foreign language had greater expectations. (3) Students' greatest expectations were observed in the language use and educational methods; whereas minimum expectations were observed in discipline-specific knowledge and general culture. (4) Expectations in the themes like assessment and evaluation, material use and teacher-student relationship were moderate. These findings were discussed in the light of the research literature in the world and in Turkey, some possible solutions were proposed, and some suggestions were made.