Undergraduate Students' Critical Evaluations of University Education

Abstract

Universities have been at the center of educational debates since their inception. Their functions, aims and products have been questioned in the context of social, cultural, economic and technological changes. In this context, the aim of this study is to critically examine university education from the perspectives of undergraduate students. The study was conducted with a quantitative design by analyzing the data collected with the "Critical University Education Scale" developed by the researcher with 236 undergraduate students studying at Kafkas University. During the development of the scale used in the study, factor analysis, which is a principal component analysis for validity, KMO (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin) value, which is a test of sphericity, was calculated and the Cronbach Alpha Coefficient formula was used to ensure reliability. In the data analysis of the study, descriptive statistics, independent t-test and One-Way ANOVA were used, and it was examined whether there was a difference in the thoughts of the undergraduate students participating in the study regarding university education according to their age group, gender, program, year of study and their father's education status. As a result of the research, it was seen that undergraduate students were more critical of the statements in the dimension of teaching practices than in the dimension of innovation and creativity, free thought and inquiry. It was concluded that undergraduate students' critical thoughts regarding university education differed according to age, gender, program, year of study and father's education status.