Factors Affecting University Choice: A Study on University Freshman Students

Year 2018, Issue: 46, 199 - 216, 28.12.2018

Abdurrahman İlgan , Orhan Ataman Funda Uğurlu , Adem Yurdunkulu

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that affect
students’ university choice in the university/major selection period. The data was obtained via a questionnaire developed by the researchers and
applied to sample of participants comprising the 630 freshman students enrolled in two different
universities located in north-west part of Turkey. This study was framed within quantitative paradigm.
Descriptive survey designs were used to describe the factors that affect
freshman’ university preferences. The
questionnaire called “Factors Affecting University Choice Scale” explained
59.58 % of total variance along with six dimensions. As a result of the study, it was found that
the most important factors affecting students' preferences were ‘future
expectation for career’ and ‘quality and popularity of education given by
universities’ dimensions, while the least effective dimension was ‘familiarities of cities and having familiars in
cities’. It was found that students
who had ‘low level’ social economic status give less importance to ‘quality and
popularity of education given by universities’ than any other students. Another
result which is supposed to be important is that as the students’ university
entrance exam scores increase, they give less importance to the dimensions that
are effective in the university preferences.

Keywords

university choice, university quality, university preference

Üniversite Seçimini Etkileyen Faktörler: Üniversite 1. Sınıf Öğrencileri Üzerine Bir Araştırma

Abstract

Bu çalışma öğrencilerin üniversite
tercih dönemlerinde seçimlerini etkileyen faktörleri araştırmak amacıyla
gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma verileri, bu çalışma kapsamında araştırmacılar
tarafından geliştirilen ölçeğin, Türkiye’nin kuzey-batısında yer alan iki
farklı devlet üniversitesinde 1. sınıfta öğrenim görmekte olan 630 öğrenciye
uygulanması ile elde edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden
betimsel tarama modeli kullanılmıştır. 
Araştırmada kullanılan “Üniversite Tercihlerini Etkileyen Faktörler
Ölçeği”ne ilişkin yapılan açımlayıcı faktör analizi sonuçlarına göre ölçeğin
altı alt-boyuttan oluştuğu ve toplam varyansın % 59.58’ini açıkladığı
belirlenmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda, öğrencilerin üniversite tercihlerini
etkileyen en önemli faktörlerin “gelecek kariyer beklentileri” ve “üniversitelerin
eğitim kalitesi ve popülerliği” olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Öte yandan “şehrin
tanıdık olması ve şehirde tanıdıkların olması” altboyutunun üniversite
tercihlerinde en az etkili altboyut olduğu sonucunda ulaşılmıştır. Ayrıca,
sosyo-ekonomik açıdan ‘düşük’ grupta olan öğrencilerin “üniversitelerin eğitim
kalitesi ve popülerliği”ne diğer öğrencilerden daha az önem verdiği
görülmüştür. Son olarak, önemli olduğu düşünülen bir diğer sonuç ise;
öğrencilerin üniversite giriş sınavı puanları arttıkça, üniversite
tercihlerinde etkili olan özellikleri daha az önemsemeleri olmuştur.

Keywords

üniversite tercihi, öğrenci seçme sınavı, üniversiteye giriş

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