High School Geography Teachers' Effect on Students' Preference of Geography Departments in Universities

Abstract

Young people who are at the stage of making decisions about preference of a university or a vocation are affected by many effects. One of the effects that affect the choice of these students is their high school teachers as role models for them. Concerning about this fact, this study aimed at revealing the rate, way and extend of this effect of teachers on students' preference of their university departments in the science & literature and the education faculties. In the study, a total of 1693 geography and geography education students from 11 different Turkish universities were surveyed. In this survey, the effect of geography teachers, it's extended and rate and characteristics of teachers that provide this effect were asked to the students. The results of the study revealed that 65% of the students who participated in the survey, were affected by their high school geography teachers and this effect was evaluated as 7.4 out of 10.