Volume 5 Issue 2 (December 2025)
Original Articles TTC Teachers' Opinions on the Turkish and Turkish Culture Competencies of Students Participating in Turkish and Turkish Culture (TTC) Classes (The Case of Belgium)

Ramazan Karahüseyinoğlu

pp. 1 - 11   |  DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17297086

Abstract

The aim of the study is to examine the language and cultural competencies of students attending Turkish and Turkish Culture courses in Belgium and to reveal the views of Turkish and Turkish Culture teachers on these competencies. In this study, a case study from qualitative research methods was used. The study group of the research was determined by affinity sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods. The sample of the study consisted of 11 Turkish and Turkish Culture teachers with different levels of age and professional experience (in years) working in Belgium. A semi‐structured interview form was preferred as a data collection tool. The form consisted of open‐ended questions to analyze how effective the teaching process is in contributing to the language and cultural competencies of the students. Content analysis method was preferred for data analysis. As a result, it is seen that Turkish and Turkish Culture courses are an important carrier of cultural heritage for the Turkish community in Belgium in strengthening cultural ties as well as language proficiency. Teachers stated that students were successful in using Turkish in daily spoken language, but had difficulties in written expression and reading comprehension skills. However, some teachers reported that students' interest in the program was sometimes low, that the duration of the lessons was insufficient, and that students needed more guidance in some subjects.

Keywords: Turkish, Culture, Turkish Culture, Mother tongue