Our Coordinator of International Relations and Projects Chaired the International Doctoral Committee

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ümit İzgi Onbaşılı, Coordinator of International Relations and Projects at Mersin University, served as Chair of the Examination Committee during an international doctoral dissertation defense held at Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain.

The doctoral dissertation, titled “Virtual Exchange and Communicative Competence Development in Primary EFL: Evidence from an eTwinning Project on Receptive, Productive, and Motivational Outcomes,” was based on research conducted as part of an eTwinning project supported by the European Commission. It was successfully defended and accepted with an “Excellent” grade.

The doctoral research examines the effects of virtual exchange programs conducted at the elementary school level on students’ communication skills, intercultural awareness, and learning motivation, thereby highlighting the contributions of eTwinning-based international collaborations to foreign language education.

The thesis committee included her advisor, Dr. Lídia Gallego-Balsà, along with Dr. Raquel Sánchez Ruiz, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, and Dr. Raluca Pop from Babeș-Bolyai University in Romania.

Dr. Edward Lockhart from Rovira i Virgili University and Prof. Dr. Dina Aljamal from Yarmouk University in Jordan also contributed to the defense with their questions and comments.

This international academic activity, conducted as part of Mersin University’s internationalization strategy, reflects the academic and scientific collaborations developed with European higher education institutions.