Öğretim Elemanlarının Mesleki Yeterliklerini Gerçekleştirme Düzeyleri ile Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Okul Bağlılıkları Arasındaki İlişki

Abstract

AbstractThis study was conducted to explore the relationship between university students' school engagement and in- structors' professional competencies. The study group consisted of 314 students from the Faculty of Art at Cankiri Karatekin University. The participants filled in the Scale for Professional Competence of Instructor (SPCI) and the Scale for School Engagement (SSE). The data were analyzed using descriptive methods, explana- tory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA/CFA), ANOVA, the Pearson correlation coefficient, and multivariate regression. Findings showed that according to the opinions of the participants, both the instructors' professional competencies and the students' school engagement were at moderate levels. They also revealed that students' views regarding instructors' professional competencies did not differ in terms of gender and grade, but there was a significant difference in terms of department. Additionally, the study demonstrated a significant corre- lation between instructors' professional competencies and school engagement. However, regression results indicated that sub-scales of the SPCI were not significant predictors of school engagement.Key WordsInstructor, Professional Competencies, School Engagement, Student, University.In recent years, the subject of students' school engagement has been debated extensively among scholars (Finn & Rock, 1997; Finn & Voelkl, 1993; Karatzias, Athanasiou, Power, & Swanson, 2001; Libbey, 2004). School engagement is generally related to students' positive feelings towards schools and their adaptation level to the school's goals (Arastaman, 2009; Finn & Voelkl, 1993). School engagement has three sub-dimensions, including behavioral, affective, and cognitive dimensions (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004; Jimerson, Campos, & Greif, 2003). Studies indicate that school engagement is strongly correlated with socio-economic level, dropout and self-efficacy beliefs of students (Caraway, Tucker, Reinke, & Hall, 2003; Conchas, 2001; Janosz, Archambault, & Pagani, 2008; Sinclair, Christenson, Evelo, & Hurley, 1998). Studies have also shown that the relationship between school and the family is an important determinant of school engagement (Murray, 2009). Other researchers have revealed that family involvement and social efficacy level are also main predictors of school engagement (Simons-Morton & Crump, 2003; Woolley & Bowen, 2007). Other variables related to engagement are teachers' and peers' support of students and out-of-school activities such as homework (Brewster & Bowen, 2004; Dotterer, McHale, & Crouter, 2007; Shin, Daly, & Vera, 2007). However, there is a gap in the literature about the relationship between school engagement and the professional efficiency of instructors working at universities. Instructors who work at universities are expected to have certain abilities (Erturk, 1993; Lemlech, 1995 as cited in Saylan & Uyangor, 1998). Similarly, in Turkey, some legal regulations such as Milli Egitim Temel Kanunu (1973) define the instructors' roles in education, and instructors are expected to contribute to students' social environments (Celikten & Can, 2003). As such, instructors should be well educated before entering service (Alkan, 1976). Kavak (1986) has noted some of the skills that instructors who work at universities should have, including field knowledge and skills in measurement and evaluation, research, instructional methods, and human relations. Additionally, classroom management abilities are also important (Yesil, 2009). However, scholarly studies regarding instructors' professional abilities are limited (Kececi & Tasocak, 2009; Murat, Aslantas, & Ozgan, 2006; Sen & Erisen, 2002).PurposeThe main purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between school engagement and university instructors' professional skills.MethodSamplingThe present study was conducted on 381 students from the Faculty of Art at Cankiri Karatekin University during n the 2012-13 academic year. …