Examination of Meeting the Needs of University Students from Social Support Systems with Rank Order Judgement Scaling

In this study, it is aimed to determine which social support systems respectively preferred by students to meet their basic needs. The research was conducted with 347 university students from Sakarya University Faculty of Education, 243 of whom were female and 104 of whom were male. A ranking chart was used to determine the rank of fulfilment of the five basic needs of the students, as in the Maslow's hierarchy of needs, (physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization), by social support systems (family, relatives, friends, teacher-school, and society). The data was analyzed by rank order judgment scaling. As a result of the research, it was found that university students regard family as the primary social support system in meeting all their needs (physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization). The ranking does not change in meeting the needs of safety, love and belonging, and esteem; in meeting the physiological needs, it was observed that relatives are preferred more than friends. Another finding of the research is that in meeting the need for self-actualization, relatives are preferred the least.


INTRODUCTION
Research into the underlying factors of human behavior has been the subject of psychology science for many years. Maslow's approach to psychological needs is one of the most popular theories in this field (Roediger, Capaldi, Paris, Polivy, & Herman, 1996). Maslow first introduced a hierarchical structure of needs in 1943 and introduced his theory of needs in his book "Motivation and Personality" in 1954 (Maslow, 1970). He argued that there are differences between human motives and animal motives and expressed human motives in the form of a pyramid. At the base of this pyramid are biological motives, and at the top are psychological motives (Cüceloğlu, 2003). It is possible to say that Maslow's theory is still valid today. The hierarchy of needs can be examined under five headings: physiological needs, need for safety, need for love and belonging, need for self-esteem and need for self-actualization (Plotnik, trans. 2009).

Physiological Needs
Maslow claims that human comes to earth from the lowest level (McConnell & Philipchalk, 1992). Needs such as food, water, sexuality, breathing, and sleeping are discussed in the category of physiological needs (Burger, 2006;Plotnik, trans. 2009;Roediger et al. 1996). One has to satisfy their physical needs before meeting psychological or social needs (McConnell & Philipchalk, 1992). Once this need is adequately met, it will be possible for the individual to be motivated to meet other needs. 348 work as an adult, or needs an environment where s/he can reveal his/her potential. Actually, that an individual needs the presence of others even when meeting a very basic need brings to mind the role of environmental factors in meeting these needs. At this point, the concept of social support comes into play. According to Yıldırım (1997), factors such as family, environment of family, friends, relations with the opposite sex, teachers, colleagues, neighbors, ideological, religious or ethnic groups, and the society in which the individual lives can be said to constitute the sources of social support for the individual. Social support allows the person to cope with the difficulties in life and acts as a protective buffer (Arslantaş & Ergin, 2011;Lin, Thompson & Kaslow, 2009;Terzi, 2008).
It is possible to come across many studies reporting that social support plays an important role in the school adaptation processes of university students (Mallinckrodt, 1988;Rahat & İlhan, 2016;Tinajero, Martínez-López, Rodríguez, Guisande, & Páramo, 2015). Changes in the individual's self or source of support can cause the individual's level of social support to change (Yıldırım, 1997), but it is a fact that social support systems such as family, friends, and teachers have an important place in the lives of individuals. Khallad and Jabr's (2016) study on the mental health of university students found that for Jordanian university students, social support of family is essential, and for Turkish university students, social support of friends is at an important point. Similarly, another study in Turkey shows that somatization, anger/aggression, depression, and anxiety symptoms decrease as family support increases in university students (Doğan, 2016). Haskan-Avcı and Yıldırım (2014) found that adolescents with a high propensity for violence have low levels of support from family, friends, and teachers. Indeed, the literature shows the importance of social support not only in the early years of life but also in the later years. Studies conducted with individuals over 60 years showed that individuals with higher levels of social support are less depressed (Aksüllü & Doğan, 2004;Bozo, Toksabay, & Kürüm, 2009).
The universities that include the sample group of this study have the duty to be one of the important institutions that enable students to step into adulthood and professional life. Especially in Turkey, universities have an important role in presenting the experiences that lead many students to start organizing their lives independently from their parents. Sarı, Yenigün, Altıncı, and Öztürk (2011) state that the basic psychological needs of university students must be satisfied in order to increase their self-sufficiency perceptions and decrease their trait anxiety. This study aims to emphasize the importance of social support systems that exist in the lives of university students in the process of meeting these needs. Identifying one's social support systems has an important place in preventive mental health services (Terzi, 2008). In this context, the aim of this study is to determine which social support systems (family, relatives, friends, teacher-school, and society) respectively preferred by students to meet their basic needs (physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and selfactualization). It is thought that determining which social support systems are functional in meeting which needs to raise healthier individuals, and setting out what is needed for non-functional social support systems to become functional will contribute to raising individuals who are more mentally healthy. It is thought that this study will shed light on this issue.

METHOD
In this study, survey model was used to determine the level of meeting the needs of university students from social support systems by rank order judgment scaling. The purpose of survey model is to reveal the current situation. In order to achieve this, the attitudes, interests, and abilities of a group are measured by quantitative data collection methods (Creswell 2009;Karasar, 1998).

Participants
The research was conducted with 347 university students studying at Sakarya University, Faculty of Education. The gender of the participants is 70% female and 30% male. Considering that the university period is the transition period to adulthood when students are separated from their families and started to take responsibility for their own lives, data were collected from university students.

Data Collection Instruments
In order to obtain personal information about the participants, their gender was asked. Also, a ranking chart was prepared by the researchers to determine the rank of fulfilment of the five basic needs of the students, as in the Maslow's hierarchy of needs (physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization), by social support systems (family, relatives, friends, teacher-school, and society). Each participant was asked to rank separately for five needs and each need from 1 to 5 in the order of priority according to whichever social support system they met those needs with. During the ranking procedure, 1 was used for the highest level of social support system meeting the need, and 5 was used for the lowest level of social support system. For example; a participant who ranks as family (1), relatives (2), friends (3), teacher-school (4), and society (5) in meeting her/his physiological needs, s/he was able to make another ranking as family (1), friend (2), relatives (3), society (4), and teacher / school (5) in meeting their security needs. In order for participants' perceptions of the concepts in the study to be similar, the ranking chart provides information on the five basic needs in Maslow's hierarchy of needs and social support concepts.

Data Analysis
Data collection by sorting objects, individuals, situations or methods (stimulus) by scorers according to a specific rule is a method often used in the social sciences. However, in analyzing such data, generally the stimulus written mostly in the first rank is taken into account. In case of this study, rank order judgment method was used. The rank order judgment scaling is a method that can be used to analyze data by considering all the rankings made, not just the stimulus in the first place (Baykul & Turgut, 1992;Guilford 1954). The rank order judgment scaling begins with the creation of the Frequency Matrix of Rank Ordering regarding the order in which each stimulus is preferred. For each stimulus, the probability of being preferred in binary comparison with other stimuli is calculated using 1. For each unit in the probability matrix, the Z values for the corresponding unit normal distribution are calculated, and the Unit Normal Deviate Matrix is created. 2. Mean Z values are obtained by taking the average of each column. 3. The smallest mean Z value is shifted so that it equals to zero. 4. The obtained mean Z values constitute the scale values of each stimulus (Anıl & Güler, 2006;Baykul & Turgut, 1992;Guilford, 1954).
In this study, the rank order judgment scaling was used to analyze the data. The analysis of the data was made via Excel with the using formulas in the literature (Anıl & Güler, 2006;Anıl & İnal, 2019;Baykul & Turgut, 1992).

RESULTS
In the analysis of the data, the levels of meeting the needs of the students by their social support systems were calculated using the scaling method based on rank frequency tables and rank orderings. Calculation of scale values obtained by rank order judgment scaling, were reported only for 1 j and k: stimulus; i: rank value j k P  : The probability that stimulus (j) is preferred over stimulus (k) physiological needs, and graphs obtained according to scale values for all needs were provided. In Table 1, the frequency matrix meeting the physiological needs of university students from social support systems was given. According to Table 1, it can be said that in meeting their physiological needs, university students prefer family mostly in the first rank among the social support systems, relative and friend in the second and third rank, teacher/school in the fourth rank, and society in the last rank.
In order to analyze data by rank order judgment scaling, a probability matrix of rank ordering has been created primarily using Table 1. The obtained probability matrix of rank ordering is given in Table 2. The probability values in Table 2 represent the probability that the stimulus in the row is preferred instead of the stimulus in the column. For example, the probability of choosing the family instead of the relative from social support systems is 0.96, while the probability of choosing the relative instead of the family is 0.04. The Z values for the normal distribution were calculated using the probability values in Table 2, and the unit normal deviate matrix in Table 3 was formed. In Table 3, a row with the mean Z values is created by averaging the Z values in each row, and scale values are obtained by shifting the smallest mean Z value to zero. With these scale values, the graph in Figure 1 is obtained. It is seen in Figure 1 that university students prefer family first among the social support systems to meet their physiological needs and then relative, friend, teacher/school, and society. It can be said that the preference of friend and relative among the social support systems in meeting physiological needs is close to each other. Similarly, it can be said that the choices of teacher/school and society from social support systems in meeting physiological needs are close to each other. According to Table 4, it can be said that in meeting their need for safety, university students prefer family mostly in the first rank among the social support systems, relative and friend in the second and third rank, teacher/school in the fourth rank, and society in the last rank. It is seen in Figure 2 that university students prefer family first among the social support systems to meet their need for safety, then prefer friend, relative, teacher/school, and society. It can be said that the preference of friend and relative among the social support systems in meeting safety needs is close to each other. Similarly, it can be said that the choices of teacher/school and society among the social support systems in meeting need for safety are close to each other. According to Table 5, it can be said that in meeting their need for love and belonging, university students mostly prefer family in the first rank among the social support systems, friend in the second rank, relative in the third rank, teacher/school in the fourth rank, and society in the last rank. It is seen in Figure 3 that university students prefer family first among the social support systems to meet their need for love and belonging, then prefer friend, relative, teacher/school, and society. Similarly, it can be said that the choices of teacher/school and society among the social support systems in meeting their need for love and belonging are close to each other.

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According to Table 6, it can be said that in meeting their need for esteem, university students prefer family mostly in the first rank among the social support systems, relative and friend in the second and third rank, teacher/school in the fourth rank, and society in the last rank.

Figure 4. The Level of Meeting the Need for Esteem of University Students from Social Support Systems
It is seen in Figure 4 that university students prefer family first among social support systems to meet their need for esteem, then prefer friend, relative, teacher/school, and society. It can be said that the choices of relative, teacher/school, and society among the social support systems in meeting their need for esteem are close to one another. According to Table 7, it can be said that in meeting their need for self-actualization, university students prefer family mostly in the first rank among the social support systems, friend in the second rank, teacher/school in the third and fourth rank, and relative and society in the last rank. It is seen in Figure 5 that university students prefer family first among the social support systems to meet their need for self-actualization, then prefer relative, friend, teacher/school, and society. In order to meet the need for respect, it can be said that the preferences of relative and society among the social support systems are close to each other. Figure 6. Level of Social Support Systems to Meet the Needs of University Students

Journal of Measurement and Evaluation in Education and
As a result of the rank order judgment scaling analysis, the social support systems that the university students prefer to meet their needs are seen holistically in Figure 6. It can be said that university students regard family as the primary social support system in meeting all their needs (physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization). It is observed that the rank orders in meeting the needs of safety, love-belonging, and esteem are the same (first: family, second: friend, third: relative, fourth: teacher/school, fifth: society). In meeting physiological needs, it is seen that the relative is more preferred than the friend. In meeting the need for self-actualization, it is seen that the teacher and the society are preferred over the relative in the last rank.

DISCUSSION and CONCLUSION
As a result of research, it is found that in meeting their needs, all university students see family as the primary social support system; and the order of the ranking does not change in meeting the needs for  (1), friend (2), relative (3), teacher/school (4), society (5)]; and in the fulfillment of physiological needs, relative is preferable than friend. Yılmaz, Yılmaz, and Karaca's (2008) study also reveals that university students see family as their social support rather than friends and people special for them. As for the importance of the family, Engin, Özen, and Bayoğlu, (2009) state that 91.3% of the basic needs required in education and training activities are always met by students' families. Dwyer and Cummings (2001), in their study with students at the University of Canada, also found that family and friends have an important place in providing social support. As Türkdoğan and Duru (2012) stated, the permanent presence of family and friends in lives of university students may also provide an explanatory perspective on why they rank family first among the social support systems in meeting needs in the present study. This finding may also be related to the fact that social support systems of family and friends have less changing and more stable characteristics in human life. In addition, the family's role as a support provider in the development of the individual from the moment s/he was born may have led the family to be the primary choice.
Actually, that a friend ranks before a relative in meeting needs for safety, love-belonging, and respect may be due to the fact that relatives in Turkish society play a controlling role in the lives of individuals (Aksoy, 2011). When the conditions of the study group are evaluated, the point that they have more contact with their friends than their relatives as a result of the university environment can be considered one of the factors of that finding. In addition, due to the age of university students, according to Erikson's psychosocial development theory, it can be said that they are in a period of being alone rather than gaining camaraderie. Young people who have difficulty associating with others are likely to fall into unhealthy psychological loneliness (Senemoğlu, 2013). That university students who have difficulty finding friends become more depressed (Özdel, Bostancı, Özdel, Oguzhanoğlu, 2002) shows that friendships have an important place in lives of university students. Friends can be said to contribute to meeting the need for intimacy of university students in a healthy way. As a matter of fact that teacher/school and society are at the bottom of the rankings in meeting the needs of safety, lovebelonging, and esteem may be due to the fact that these social support systems are the ones in which the individual is more distant. However, it is an important finding of the research that the relative ranks before the teacher/school and society, especially when it comes to meeting the need for esteem. This can be interpreted as an indication of the importance attributed to relatives in Turkish culture. Actually, that relative ranks after a friend may be related to the fact that university students spend more time with their friends in accordance with the period of life they are in.
That the relative ranks after the family in meeting the physiological needs may be due to the fact that relatives may be seen by the students as an important mechanism that can provide financial support after the family. Because of the university students and their friends are agemates and they get financial support from their parents may be among the reasons why friends ranking in meeting physiological needs is low among university students.
Another finding of the research is that, in meeting the need for self-actualization, teacher and society are preferred over the relative in the last rank. The teacher is expected to see the student as a whole, not from a narrow perspective (Farmer, 1984). In this way, the teacher can take a supporting role in exposing the student's potential. According to Ercoşkun and Nalçacı (2005), teachers contribute to the student's self-actualization process by creating appropriate learning environments. Students who can communicate effectively with their teacher are expected to increase their positive behavior (Hoşgörür, 2006). In the research, that the teacher ranks higher than relatives in meeting the need for selfactualization when compared to other needs can be considered related to the importance attributed to the teacher within the education system (Sünbül, 1996). In addition, the fact that teachers are a source of identification for students suggests that the teacher is an important factor for the student. In fact, that relatives rank last in the process of self-actualization can be considered a factor that comes from living as a nuclear family. This result may be due to limited contact with relatives in the nuclear family, while contact with relatives was greater in living as a wider family.
One of the first concepts that come to mind when it comes to teachers and schools is academic achievement. As a matter of fact, Parickova (1982) considers the increase in academic achievement as 356 a factor that increases the level of self-actualization of the individual (as cited in Akbaş, 1989). Even a small success can be encouraging for the student who wants to continue learning (Crump, 1995). In their study, Yıldırım and Ergene (2003) suggest that family and teacher significantly predict academic success, and this supports that family and teachers have an important role in revealing the potential of the individual in the current study. Furthermore, the role of school in developing social relations becomes important when it is thought that developing social relations will help them use social support resources effectively (Terzi, 2008). Shaughnessy et al. (2018) have stated that family, teachers, and psychological counselors should be sensitive about the fulfilment of the basic needs of students; otherwise the situation may have negative repercussions on students' school life.
This study is limited to 347 university students studying at Sakarya University, Faculty of Education. Application to individuals with different demographic characteristics in future researches may change the results of the research. Especially, it may be suggested to carry out a comparative study on which social support systems meet the needs of the elderly and the young. In the survey, the needs of individuals are the five basic needs in Maslow's hierarchy of needs (physiological, safety, lovebelonging, esteem, and self-actualization), and the social support systems are family, relative, friend, teacher/school, and society. The work can be expanded by incorporating knowing-understanding and aesthetic needs added to Maslow's hierarchy of needs later (İnceoğlu, 2004), or by using different social support classification systems. In addition, the factors that make the family the first to satisfy the needs can be determined by identifying the socio-economic conditions of the families in the following studies. It is thought that the correct determination of the current situation of individuals in the process of meeting their needs will contribute significantly to the elimination of deficiencies in meeting these needs.