Turkish Students' Perceptions of U.S. Culture: Implications for Target Culture Learning Author : Esra Özoğul Thesis Chairperson: Dr. Tej Shresta Bilkent University, MA TEFL Program Committee Members : Dr. Patricia Sullivan Dr. Bena Gül Peker Ms. Marsha Hurley Bilkent University, MA TEFL Program The current consensus in second and foreign language teaching is that culture is an indispensable part of language that should be a focus in foreign language classrooms. Studies in cross-cultural communication suggest that sensitizing foreign language learners to the target culture reduces misconceptions and misunderstandings and thus enhances cross-cultural communication. On the basis of these views, this study investigated the perceived needs, in terms of U.S. culture, of students who had the experience of living in the U.S. and the perceived needs of students who were taking a language course in Turkey in preparation for further study in the U.S. Data were collected from three different groups of informants through interviews and questionnaires. Interviews and the open-ended questions in the questionnaires were analyzed using a coding technique, and quantitative data from the close-ended questionnaire were analyzed in terms of frequencies, percentages and means. Interviews were held with six returned students, that is, those who had studied in the U.S. and who had returned to Turkey. A hundred and forty- two students who were in the U.S. were sent a semi-structured questionnaire through e-mail, while students in Turkey were given a close-ended questionnaire. The results of the study indicate inconsistencies in the perceived needs of the students with U.S. experience and those of the students in Turkey. The students with U.S. experience perceived awareness of U.S. culture as their immediate need. The students in Turkey, on the other hand, focussed little beyond considering the U.S. graduate education system. According to the results of this study, it can thus be concluded that the teaching of U.S. culture to the students in Turkey is of utmost importance, in that it will help them understand, appreciate, and respect the target culture and thus facilitate cross-cultural communication and adjustment to U.S. culture.