Turkish television series have achieved widespread popularity across multiple countries and have become influential agents of cultural transmission. For Kyrgyz students, these series offer valuable opportunities to engage with authentic representations of Turkish culture and language. This study investigates the impact of Turkish television series on the language acquisition, cultural awareness, and media consumption habits of Kyrgyz students learning Turkish as a foreign language. Conducted during the fall semester of the 2024–2025 academic year with 25 students enrolled in the Language Preparatory Department at Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Manas University, the study employed a qualitative case study design supported by semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal clear quantitative patterns: Russian dominates as the primary viewing language (32%), while only 8% consistently watch in Turkish; however, nearly half of students (47%) report sometimes watching in Turkish to test comprehension. Subtitles are widely used: 55% rely on them when watching in Turkish, and 26% prefer Russian subtitles, compared to 21% who use Turkish subtitles. Dubbing follows a similar pattern, with 65% preferring Russian. Motivations for watching are primarily educational—61% cite the desire to learn Turkish—though entertainment also plays a role (23%). Students reported linguistic gains in listening comprehension, vocabulary, and pragmatic use, as well as enhanced cultural awareness, particularly regarding family relations, traditions, and cuisine. These results underscore the pedagogical value of integrating authentic audiovisual media into foreign language education. Turkish series not only foster linguistic competence but also promote cross-cultural understanding, suggesting their potential as effective supplementary resources in language curricula.
Sibel Barcın Kırdemir (Thu,) studied this question.