A Study of Prospective Teachers' Consumption Patterns on Special Days

Halil İbrahim Sağlam

doi:10.13189/ujer.2016.040705

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify prospective teachers' consumption patterns on special days. The sample was comprised of 29 prospective teachers (22 females and 7 males) who studied Primary School Teaching in the Faculty of Education at Sakarya University during the 2014-2015 Academic Year. The study was designed as a phenomenological one, a qualitative research design. The data were collected with a semi-structured interview form, a qualitative data collection instrument. The interview form consisted of two parts. The first one contained questions as to descriptive information about the prospective teachers while the second was intended for the identification of their views on their consumption patterns on special days. The content validity of the questions was examined by three specialists, and they were revised in accordance with their recommendations. In addition, the comprehensibility of the questions was tested by five prospective teachers, and the form was finalized. The data were subject to content analysis. The results showed that the great majority of the prospective teachers (90%) considered Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day and birthdays to be special days. Furthermore, 69% of them regarded shopping on special days as meaningful.

Highlights

In today’s modern consumption societies, the emotional dimension of consumption is becoming more important
The generated themes and codes were presented and direct quotations from the prospective teachers were included
The results showed that the great majority of the prospective teachers (90%) considered Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day and birthdays to be special days, and only a small percentage of them (10%) did not regard them as special

Summary

Introduction

In today’s modern consumption societies, the emotional dimension of consumption is becoming more important. Consumers are not merely seen as rational problem solvers who try to find maximum benefit in their problems. They try to enjoy their consumption experience as well as meeting their needs [1]. By means of many factors such as increase of the revenue, plenty of leisure time, advancement of technology, online shopping etc., the style of consumers’ purchasing has changed. It is seen that many consumers do impulse shopping due to the consumer’s time pressure and the situational factors in shopping center. The feeling pleasure of doing shopping is one of the most significant factors in consumers’ purchasing behaviors and this sensation is considered as non-negligible fact about impulse shopping [3]. Shoppers potentially can engage in hedonic consumption to satisfy approach needs, such as seeking excitement, as well as to satisfy avoidance needs, such as escaping to a fantasy world of shopping [4]

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Conclusion