The Relationship Between Pre-service Teachers' University Preferences and the Sense of Belonging at the University

The study was carried out in order to determine the university preferences of pre-service teacher and their level of belonging to the university, and to reveal the relationship between them. The “Preferring University Scale” developed by Apaydın and Seçkin-Kapucu (2017) was used to determine the reasons for pre-service teachers’ university preference, and the “Scale of Belonging to the University” developed by Kahraman (2013) to determine the level of belonging to the university.The level of pre-service teachers’ preference for university; While informing about the university, job opportunities, geographical location, financial opportunities, close acquaintances, educational material, students studying at the university are considered within the scope of the effect of high school education; students' university affiliation; were examined within the scope of expectation, motivation, and identification dimensions.Data were obtained from 271 pre-service teachers studying at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Faculty of Education. The data obtained from the pre-service teachers were analyzed with the SPSS-23 program, t-Test, ANOVA tests and correlation analysis were used in the data analysis. When the results of the research were evaluated, it was determined that the mean scores of pre-service teachers regarding the level of preference and belonging to the university were at a moderate level. It was determined that the levels of pre-service teachers' preference and belonging to the university differed significantly according to the variables of gender, university department, reasons for choosing the university, place of residence, and the type of high school they graduated from. It has been determined that there is a moderate relationship between the reasons why pre-service teachers prefer the university and the level of belonging to the university. This study aimed to examine the relationship between pre-service teachers’ levels of preferring the university and the sense of belonging at university in terms of various variables. When the levels of pre-service teachers’ preference and the sense of belonging at university were examined, the mean scores of preference and belonging were at a moderate level. When the university preference levels of the pre-service teachers were examined, while they had the highest scale point average in the geographical location dimension, they had the lowest scale point average in the financial opportunities dimension. When the levels of sense of belonging at university were examined, while the scale score averages related to the identification dimension were the highest, they had the lowest scale point averages related to the motivation dimension. Among similar studies, Sheng (2017), Greenacre, Freeman, Cong and Chapman (2014) and Karacabey Özdere, and Boyacı (2016), conducted studies examining the reasons for choosing a university. Pittman and Richmond (2007), indicated that the level of belonging to the university is moderate. Yang and Mutum (2015), stated that the most important factor in students’ university preferences is social media. Karacabey, Özdere, and Boyacı (2016), highlighted that among the reasons for choosing a university were the opportunities offered by the university to the students, the general characteristics of the city, and the city opportunities. Knekta, Chatzikyriakidou, and McCartney (2020), highlighted that there is a relationship between belonging levels and academic achievement. Freeman, Anderman, and Jensen (2007), revealed that the attitudes and behaviors of the instructors affect the university belonging of the students. Sarı and Özgök (2014), indicated that there is a high degree of correlation between the sense of belonging and motivation. When the levels of preference and the sense of belonging at university according to the gender of the pre-service teachers were examined, the scale score averages of the female pre-service teachers were higher.