Cennet Engin Demir

A Longitudinal, Naturalistic Inquiry of the Adaptation Experiences of the Female Expatriate Spouse Living in Turkey

Using a one-year longitudinal-panel design, 32 American, female, expatriate spouses who relocated to Ankara, Turkey, were interviewed at just-arrived, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months stages. This project utilized mixed methods research design. Results of the quantitative, repeated measures component is reported in Bikos et al. (2007, this issue). Results of the Naturalistic Inquiry provided rich, thick descriptions of eight themes as they unfolded through the first year of this expatriate assignment. The resulting themes included predeparture preparation, settling in, impact of expatriation on the wifes life roles, social emotional functioning, approaches to coping, supportive systems, language, and interaction with the host culture. The authors interpreted the results in light of the life role salience and career adaptability constructs of Supers Life-Span, Life-Space approach to career development. In addition, results of this project integrated well with previous research about expatriate spouse adjustment.

Does Fulbright Make a Difference? The Turkish Perspective

This article reports on the findings of a research project carried out by a team of faculties at the Middle East Technical University and the Fulbright Education Committee in Turkey. The project aimed to investigate the Fulbright programs professional, personal, and social impacts and its effectiveness from the perspectives of Turkish scholars. Data were collected by mail from 277 Fulbright scholars living in various regions of Turkey. All of the scholars agreed that their Fulbright experience in the United States had had positive effects on their professional, social, and personal lives. Scholars were especially satisfied with the effect on their personal lives. For example, the Fulbright experience broadened their world viewpoint in a flexible and international setting. These results suggest that Fulbright scholars contribute to the development of the country, because many of them hold high-ranking positions that allow them to develop and implement policies in different sectors. For the development of the Fulbright program, it is recommended that continuous follow-up studies be conducted to identify its strengths and weaknesses.

A Repeated Measures Investigation of the First-Year Adaptation Experiences of the Female Expatriate Spouse Living in Turkey

Using a 1-year longitudinal-panel design, 32 American, female expatriate spouses who relocated to Ankara, Turkey, completed measures of global functioning and were interviewed at just-arrived, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month stages. Because of the mixed methods approach of this project, results of the Naturalistic Inquiry are reported in a companion manuscript (Bikos et al., 2007, this issue). Differences in the importance and expectation of life roles (i.e., occupational, parent, marital, homecare) were found. Quantitative results indicated no differences in life roles importance, alcohol use, marital satisfaction, or mental health functioning as a function of time-in-country. Analyses do not support the culture shock/U-curve model as a predictable pattern of adaptation. The authors conclude that time-in-country is only one of a myriad of variables that could be used to predict adaptation. Future expatriate research should use models that offer greater complexity.