Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice

ISSN: 2630-5984

What Does It Mean To Be a Student in Different Types of High Schools in Turkey through the Eyes of Students?

Mustafa Sever
Department of Secondary Social Sciences Education, Ankara University, Ankara Turkey
A. Fulya Soğuksu
Department of Foreign Language Education, Ankara University, Ankara Turkey
Ersin Türe
Department of Curriculum, Ankara University, Ankara Turkey
Yonca Koçmar
Department of Cultural Foundations of Education, Ankara University, Ankara Turkey
Müge Olğun
Department of Curriculum, Gazi University, Ankara Turkey
Nergiz Üçüncü
Department of Cultural Foundations of Education, Ankara University, Ankara Turkey
İnci Öztürk
Department of Educational Administration and Policy, Ankara University, Ankara Turkey

Abstract

Being a student describes a multi-component reality with both individualistic and social inclusions. How this reality is established and how subjects position themselves in their current educational environments historically, culturally, and sociologically are one of the most controversial topics of educational sciences. Therefore, this study investigates what it means to be a student in different types of high schools in Turkey through students’ eyes. This study was conducted using a phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research designs. Convenience sampling was used to determine which schools and which types of schools would take part in the study. Semistructured, personal, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 96 eleventh graders from six different types of high schools (eight girls and eight boys from each type of high school: science, Anatolian, vocational and technical Anatolian, fine arts, social sciences, and Anatolian imam and preacher high schools) from the central districts of Ankara. The data was analyzed using the phenomenological analysis method in order to reach the core that turns different experiences into commonalities. The cores that were revealed as a result of the analysis were consolidated under two main themes: “who the students think they are” and “how they differ themselves from other students.”

Keywords
Phenomenology, High school types, High school student, Student experience, Educational sociology.