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

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.”