DOI: 10.21121/eab.202600237 ISSN: 1303-099X

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AS AN INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS ACTIVITY: A STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN TÜRKİYE

Mıada Bashır Mohamedabdallah, Hayriye Nur Görkemli
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This research aimed to answer the question, 'Is the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities’ (YTB) Türkiye Scholarships program an effective public diplomacy tool for Türkiye?'. The RADIO (Relationship Assessment of Diplomatic Interaction Outcome) scale was used to collect the data and the sample consisted of 423 students studying or who had graduated in Konya through the program. The research results revealed that the students generally have a high level of trust in Türkiye, support its international activities, value long-term relations with the country and are highly curious and interested in it. In terms of the relational continuance dimension, higher relational continuance scores were observed among students aged 31 and over, female students, and graduate and postgraduate students compared to their younger, male, and language preparatory counterparts. Students from the Turkic Republics and the Balkans reported higher levels of trust and empathy than other students. Students in the social sciences had higher satisfaction, attention and curiosity scores than students in other departments. Students who stayed for more than five years reported higher levels of empathy than those who stayed for less than one year. Furthermore, students who stayed for less than one year had higher relational curiosity scores than other students. These findings demonstrate that the YTB Türkiye Scholarships program is an effective instrument of public diplomacy.

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