Lisansüstü Öğrencilerinin Gözünden Kampüs Ortamı: Bir Photovoice (Fotoses) Çalışması/ Campus environment through the lens of graduate students: A Photovoice study

Abstract

In this study, as part of the graduate course requirements, doctoral and master’s level students engaged in a photovoice project focusing on how they perceive campus environment and culture. Students were given prompts to guide them in the photo taking process. For each photo they took, they were asked to provide a caption and a narrative. At the end of the project, students wrote reflection papers which constituted a data source in addition to photographs produced. The data analysis included a thematic analysis yielding three categories that are related to (i) representation of identity and diversity, (ii) sense of community, and (iii) supportive environment.
Considering the diverse student population of the university and its designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution, this study is significant to provide a deeper understanding of how graduate students perceive campus climate and culture. Most of the literature focuses on undergraduate students and how they perceive their campus environment. The findings of the study sheds light on college environment as perceived by older adult learners and provide insight on current student services and potentially how they can be improved. The participatory nature of the study allowed graduate students to have a voice in the process of raising awareness within the community and providing insightful information to student affairs and services on campus.   

Keywords

• photovoice
• participatory action research
• campus environment
• campus climate
• graduate education

Lisansüstü Öğrencilerinin Gözünden Kampüs Ortamı: Bir Photovoice (Fotoses) Çalışması/ Campus environment through the lens of graduate students: A Photovoice study

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı bir katılımcı eylem araştırma yöntemi olan photovoice (fotoses) ile yüksek lisans ve doktora öğrencilerinin kampüs kültürü ve iklimi ile ilgili algılarını incelemektir. Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nde bir üniversitede verilen “Üniversite Ortamı” adlı lisansüstü dersini alan öğrenciler üzerinde gerçekleştirilen bu çalışma, hem öğrencilerin ders içeriğini teorik ve uygulamalı bir şekilde incelemelerini ve eğitimleri dahilinde birer araştırmacı olarak deneyim kazanmalarını, hem de araştırmanın sonuçlarını üniversite idaresi ile paylaşarak seslerini duyurmalarını amaçlamıştır. Bu dersin içeriği kapsamında kampüs iklimi, kampüs kültürü, öğrenci etkileşimi ve gelişimi gibi konular yer almaktadır. Bu dersi alan dokuz yüksek lisans ve dört doktora öğrencisi araştırmanın örneklemini oluşturmaktadır. Photovoice ya da fotoses, özellikle katılımcı eylem araştırma yaklaşımlarında kullanılan bir yöntemdir. Bu yöntemin amacı, toplulukların kendilerini etkileyen sorunları fotoğraflar aracılığıyla görselleştirmesi ve topluluk bireylerinin fotoğraflar ve onlara yükledikleri anlamlar aracılığıyla sorunlarına birlikte çözüm araması ve eyleme geçmelerini sağlamaktır. Fotoses çalışması sürecinde öğrenciler kampüs ortamı ile ilgili düşüncelerini kendi çektikleri fotoğraflar ve her fotoğrafı anlatan kısa bir metin ile yansıtmıştır. Sürecin sonunda, fotoses çalışması sırasındaki deneyimlerini detaylı olarak öz-yansıtma metinleri ile sunmuşlardır. Çalışmanın verilerini fotoğraflar, fotoğrafları anlatan metinler, öz-yansıtma metinleri ve grup görüşme kayıtları oluşturmaktadır. Veri analizi ise, çalışmanın katılımcı deseni ile uyumlu olarak grup görüşmeleri sırasında öğrencilerle birlikte gerçekleştirilmiş ve fotoğraflarda ortaya çıkan temalar belirlenmiştir. Bu temaların ışığında, öz-yansıtma metinleri üzerinde araştırmacılar analizlere devam etmiş ve çalışmanın sonucunda üç temaya ulaşılmıştır: (i) kimlik ve çeşitlilik temsili, (ii) topluluk duygusu ve (iii) destekleyici ortam. Kampüs ortamı ile ilgili olarak literatür incelendiğinde, bu literatürün odak noktasının lisans öğrencileri üzerinde yoğunlaştığı görülmektedir. Bu çalışma, farklı bir yaklaşımla yüksek lisans ve doktora öğrencilerinin gözünden kampüs ortamını ve öğrencilerin bu ortama dair algılarını incelemektedir. Ayrıca bu çalışma Türkiye’de fazla kullanılmayan photovoice/fotoses yönteminin yaygınlaşmasına katkı sağlamak için Türkçe olarak hazırlanmıştır.

Keywords

• photovoice
• fotoses
• katılımcı eylem araştırması
• kampüs ortamı
• kampüs iklimi
• lisansüstü eğitim

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