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Journals / Kent Akademisi / 2026 / Cilt: 19 Sayı: 6

On the Swing: Temporariness and Intercultural Communication Competence Among Migrants from Türkiye in Malta

Arafta: Malta’daki Türkiye Kökenli Göçmenler Arasında Geçicilik ve Kültürlerarası İletişim Yetkinliği

Şeyma Esin Erben(University of Malta)0000-0002-9984-1242
Pages
1–18
Publication Date
2026-08-05
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings indicate that while language proficiency is significantly related to ICC, its explanatory power remains limited.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:This study examines the intercultural communication competencies (ICC) of migrants from Türkiye living in Malta.
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Key Findings & Data:The research employs mixed-methods research design, combining a questionnaire completed by 105 participants with six months of participant observation.
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Conclusion & Impact:The findings indicate that while language proficiency is significantly related to ICC, its explanatory power remains limited.
🔬Design:Survey & Empirical Study
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Kültürler Arası İletişim Yetkinliği · Göç · Sosyal Ağ

Abstract

This study examines the intercultural communication competencies (ICC) of migrants from Türkiye living in Malta. The research employs mixed-methods research design, combining a questionnaire completed by 105 participants with six months of participant observation. The study engages in a critical theoretical dialogue with approaches that treat ICC as an individual skill repertoire and instead discusses ICC as a relational practice shaped by structural and contextual conditions. The findings indicate that while language proficiency is significantly related to ICC, its explanatory power remains limited. The length of stay in Malta does not appear to be directly related to ICC. Field observations suggest that this may be linked to a widespread experience of transience, with many participants positioning Malta somewhere between permanent settlement and a stopover. In this context, migrants frequently socialize within their own cultural groups and other international migrant networks; Malta's character as a society shaped by intensive migration may further sustain this pattern. A negative relationship is observed between social network homogeneity and ICC, while a positive relationship emerges between ICC and openness to the local community. These findings suggest that treating ICC as a relational practice shaped by social network structures, settlement intentions, and the migration context may offer greater explanatory value than approaches focused on individual skills alone. This study contributes to existing discussions in the ICC literature by highlighting the structural and relational dimensions of ICC from the Maltese context.

Özet

Bu çalışma, Malta'da yaşayan Türkiye doğumlu göçmenlerin kültürlerarası iletişim yetkinliklerini (KİY) incelemektedir. Araştırma, 105 katılımcıyla gerçekleştirilen bir anket ile altı aylık katılımcı gözlemini birleştiren karma yöntemli bir araştırma tasarımı kullanmaktadır. Çalışma, KİY'yi bireysel bir beceri repertuarı olarak ele alan yaklaşımlarla eleştirel bir kuramsal diyalog kurmakta ve KİY'yi yapısal ve bağlamsal koşullar tarafından şekillenen ilişkisel bir pratik olarak tartışmaktadır. Bulgular, dil yeterliğinin KİY ile anlamlı biçimde ilişkili olduğunu ancak açıklayıcı gücünün sınırlı kaldığına işaret etmektedir. Malta'da kalış süresinin KİY ile doğrudan ilişkili olmadığı görülmektedir. Alan gözlemleri, bu durumun yaygın bir geçicilik deneyimiyle ilişkili olabileceğini ve birçok katılımcının Malta'yı kalıcı yerleşim ile geçici bir durak arasında konumlandırdığını düşündürmektedir. Bu bağlamda göçmenler sıklıkla kendi kültürel grupları ve diğer uluslararası göçmen ağları içinde sosyalleşmekte; Malta'nın yoğun uluslararası göç alan bir toplumsal yapıya sahip olması da bu örüntüyü pekiştirebilmektedir. Sosyal ağ homojenliği ile KİY arasında negatif bir ilişki gözlenirken KİY ile yerel topluma açıklık arasında pozitif bir ilişki ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu bulgular, KİY'nin yalnızca bireysel beceriler üzerinden açıklanmasının sınırlı kalabileceğine ve sosyal ağ yapıları, yerleşme niyetleri ve göç bağlamı tarafından şekillenen ilişkisel bir pratik olarak ele alınmasının daha açıklayıcı olabileceğine işaret etmektedir. Bu çalışma, Malta bağlamından hareketle KİY'nin yapısal ve ilişkisel boyutlarını görünür kılarak KİY literatüründeki mevcut tartışmalara katkıda bulunmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Erben, Ş. E. (2026). On the Swing: Temporariness and Intercultural Communication Competence Among Migrants from Türkiye in Malta. Kent Akademisi, Cilt: 19 Sayı: 6, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.35674/kent.1909642

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