Examination of Students&apos; Academic Motivation, Research Concerns and Research Competency Levels during the Education Period
Author: Durmusçelebi, Mustafa
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Motivation,Research Skills,College Seniors,Foreign Countries,High School Students,Self Efficacy,Scientific Research,Gender Differences,Grade Point Average,Student Satisfaction,Courses,Research Methodology,Departments,Student Interests

Nowadays, manpower, science and technology produced and innovation competence determine the development level of a society. Thus, abilities such as research curiosity, research talent, defining, analyzing and solving questions come to the forefront. The purpose of the study is analyzing the relations between students' academic motivation, research concerns and research competency levels in terms of various variables in the sample of Erciyes University. Screening model was used in the study. 727 senior class students from 13 faculties and 1 vocational high school participated in the study. Personal information form, academic motivation scale, research concern scale and research competency scale were used in the study as data collection tools. In data analysis, descriptive technics such as percentage, frequency and mean were used. Also, Pearson correlation coefficient was used to define relations between variables and T-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to reveal differentiations. Differences between groups were defined by Tukey test. Multiple regression analysis was used to define to what extent students' academic motivation and research concerns affect their research competency. In short, results of the study as follows: 1. Students feel themselves ready for scientific studies with regard to academic motivation. However, proportion of the ones who are indecisive and do not feel ready is quite high; 2. Students state that they are not sure whether they have sufficient research concerns or not; 3. Students state that they have sufficient research competency; 4. It was found out that students' academic motivation, research concern and competency scores did not differ according to their gender but they differed according to their faculties, departments, grade-point average and their level of satisfaction from departments; 5. It was found out that students' academic motivation, research concern and competency scores differed according to their status of taking scientific research methods course before. The ones taking the course before had significantly higher scores; 6. It was found out that 13 % of students' academic competency was determined by academic motivation and research concern. Following suggestions can be made according to results: 1. Events such as symposiums, panels and congresses can be organized to increase students' interest in doing scientific researches; 2. Studies should be done to define reasons of differentiation of students' academic motivation, research concerns and research competency levels according to their academic success, faculties and departments; 3. Courses such as scientific research, assessment and evaluation and statistics should be varied and put in the curriculums.