The Effect Of International High School Programme On Later Achievement And Development Of University Students In Turkey

Author(s):

Sıla Sagun(presenting / submitting)Armagan Ateskan(presenting)Jale Onur

Conference:

ECER 2015

Network:

22. Research in Higher Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

22 SES 04 F JS, Joint Session NW 03 with NW 22

Paper Session Joint Session NW 03 with NW 22

Time:

2015-09-09

09:00-10:30

Room:

415.Oktatóterem [C]

Chair:

Majella Dempsey

Contribution

The purpose of the research was to explore the effect of international high school programme on later achievement and development of university students in Turkey. There are different curricula used in international education, the most common in Turkey is the Diploma Programme (DP) of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO). The number of national and international schools that apply to DP has increased rapidly in Turkey. The problem this study attempts to tackle is how the combination of international and national curricula helps Turkish students prepare for university education. There are studies that compare national and international programs by exploring the views of Turkish students, teachers or administrators, but the number of these studies is limited (Bora, 2010; Çam Aktaş, 2013; Demirer, 2002).

Some private schools started to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) as an add-on program to national high school programme. This created new models and opportunities for high schools in Turkey, and soon other private schools and one public school started to show interest in IBDP. As a part of the study, the academic performance and skills of students who have followed the national high school programme (non-IBDP graduates) and IBDP was compared to students who have followed only the national high school programme. Furthermore, students’ perceptions of their overall preparedness for the college were investigated.

The research questions are listed below:

1. How does university academic performance compare between IBDP graduates and non-IBDP graduates?

a. university cumulative grade point average (cGPA)

b. individual subject grades

c. graduation rates

2. How do the skills compare between IBDP graduates and non-IBDP graduates?

a. sense of belonging

b. critical thinking

c. time management

3. How do IBDP graduates perceive the IB prepared them for university and how do these perceptions differ between IBDP graduates and non-IBDP graduates?

a. sense of belonging

b. critical thinking

c. academic preparation

d. time management

Method

A purposive sample of university students was drawn from the four universities which have the largest number of IBDP graduates in Turkey. All IBDP graduates from the four universities were included in the study. An equal number of non-IBDP graduates were sampled according to the following matching variables: students studying at the same department at the same university; students graduated from public or private high schools. Data regarding university cumulative grade point average (cGPA), individual subject grades (Turkish, English, mathematics, chemistry and physics) and graduation rates were obtained from the registrar’s office at each university. Independent samples t-tests were conducted to test for mean differences in cGPAs and individual subject scores between IBDP and non-IBDP graduates. Students’ graduation rates were compared by respective numbers and percentages for IBDP and non-IBDP graduates. This research has both quantitative and qualitative components. Three data collection tools were used for the study: an online questionnaire, a critical thinking test, and focus group interviews. The online questionnaire used for data collection had three sections: demographics, sense of belonging and time management. In the first section, demographic questions were asked to collect student background information. The second section consisted of the Psychological Sense of School Membership Scale (Goodenow, 1993). The third section was the Time Management Questionnaire (Britton & Tesser, 1991). A professional company, CEB SHL, conducted the critical thinking test set. This instrument has three different sections. Three aspects were measured; the ability to evaluate the logic of various kinds of argument, the ability to make correct decisions or inferences from numerical or statistical data, and the recognition of logical sequences within a series of diagrams or symbols (SHL, 2005). Independent samples t-test were used for comparison of IBDP and non-IBDP graduates on sense of belonging, time management scores as well as critical thinking test scores. Focus groups interviews were used to obtain participants’ perceptions, as group interaction helps the ideas of the participants to emerge (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2007). The focus group interview questions used in this study explored the perceptions of participants about their academic success and skills at university. In research questions (2) and (3), the volunteering participants (IBDP and non-IBDP graduates) from the two universities with the largest number of IBDP graduates formed the sample. Using the data collection tools given below, data was collected from 81 students.

Expected Outcomes

At university level, the cGPAs of the same sample of IBDP graduates were higher than those for the non-IBDP group. Similarly, the grades for the common courses for five subject areas taken in the first and second undergraduate years were higher for the IBDP graduates. Only one cohort, the class of 2009, had spent four years at university when the research was conducted. The graduation rate for IBDP graduates was found to be nearly three times more than non-IBDP graduates. The perceptions of IBDP and non-IBDP graduates were compared in four aspects: sense of belonging, critical thinking skills, academic preparation, and time management skills. Analysis of quantitative data showed no significant difference between IBDP and non-IBDP graduates. However, qualitative analysis of the data acquired during focus group interviews showed differences between their perceptions. The main difference between the two groups seemed to be due to the IBDP graduates’ need for change and challenge. Their satisfaction and therefore sense of belonging was delayed until their second year because university life presented them with few new challenges, hence many took extra courses. The non-IBDP graduates had some difficulty. Nonetheless, they were satisfied with the university, and had a strong sense of belonging from the start. IBDP graduates expressed more motivation and critical awareness. The non-IBDP graduates were less questioning and critical. They spoke when addressed, with shorter answers, listening to others rather than volunteering ideas. Focus group discussions revealed that IBDP graduates had an advantage over non-IBDP graduates with regard to the use of English and in other academic skills learned during high school relevant to university studies. Both groups were clear that they were still learning effective time management. However, IBDP graduates said they adapted more easily to the work requirements at university than non-IBDP graduates.

References

Ayas, A. Aydın, E., & Çorlu, M. S. (2013). Mathematics and science assessment in the Turkish educational system. An overview. Middle Grades Research Journal, 8(2). Bora, N. (2010). Uluslararası bakalorya diploma programının (IB) öğretmen ve öğrencilerin iklimi ile ilgili algıları üzerindeki etkisi (Master’s thesis). Britton, B. and Tesser, A. (1991). Effects of time-management practices on college grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 83(3), 405. Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education. New York: Routledge. Çam Aktaş, B. (2013). Ortaöğretimde ulusal bakalorya programı ile ulusal programdaki anadil öğretimi derslerinin eleştriel düşünme becerileri açısından karşılaştırılması (Doctoral dissertation). Demirer, V. (2002). Uluslararası bakalorya (IB) programı uygulayan özel okullarda çalışan öğretmenlerin bu programa karşı olan tutumlarının iş tatminlerine yansıması (Master’s thesis). Goodenow, C. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates. Psychology in the Schools, 30(1), 79-90. OECD-Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2010). Economic policy reforms: going for growth. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/turkey/44652674.pdf Öztürk, İ. H. (2011) Curriculum reform and teacher autonomy in Turkey: The case of the history teaching. International Journal of Instruction, 4(2), 113-128. SHL. (2005). Management and Graduate Item Bank 1-4. Surrey: SHL.

Author Information

Sıla Sagun (presenting / submitting)

Bilkent University

Graduate School of Education

Ankara

Armagan Ateskan (presenting)

Bilkent University

Graduate School of Education

Ankara

Jale Onur

Turkish Private Schools Association

consultant

İstanbul

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