The Difficulties Faced by Academic Staff at Universities in Improving their Foreign Language

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the reasons of the difficulties that the academic staff in Turkish universities face in improving their foreign language and to offer some suggestions on this matter. The sample for the research consists of 662 assistant professors and research assistants who work at the faculty of Economical and Administrative Sciences, the faculty of Arts and Sciences and the faculty of Engineering, in Afyon Kocatepe, Akdeniz, Anadolu, Atatürk, Dicle, Dumlupınar, Osmangazi and Zonguldak Karaelmas Universities. As a result of the inquiry applied, it has been determined that 77.95 percent of the academic staff in these universities have difficulties in learning and improving their foreign language. The primary reasons of the difficulty can be listed as; not having enough time to study, not being able to go abroad, lacking effective English courses which should be organized by the university where they work and the shortcoming in finding efficient facilities where they live. Academic staff suggest that they should be provided with efficient opportunities in improving their foreign language at the beginning of their career and given opportunities to join effective language courses abroad or at home.