CHARACTERISTICS OF GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT STUDENTS TOWARDS LIFELONG LEARNING

Abstract

The aim of the study is to examine the lifelong learning characteristics of geography students in terms of effective variables, such as gender, grade, choosing the department voluntarily, being happy with your major, and the first goal after graduation. The study was conducted with 205 students who participated in the education and training activities at the Geography Department of a state university in Turkey in the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. These students were in their first, second, third and fourth years of study. Information Form and Lifelong Learning Scale were used to obtain the data. In the evaluation phase, SPSS 22.0 program was used, and ANOVA analysis was performed besides the t-test. The results showed that the general attitude towards lifelong learning among the participants was positive. According to the mean scores of the scale sub-dimensions, lifelong learning characteristics were positive in terms of Love of Learning, Self-Direction, Resilience and Meta-Cognition. While lifelong learning characteristics of the participants did not show a significant difference in terms of gender and grade level, significant differences existed in terms of choosing the department voluntarily, being happy with your major and the first goal after graduation. In terms of the positive attitudes of the participants towards lifelong learning, it could be claimed that geography department students are ready for lifelong learning. Practices and curriculum arrangements in this direction could make positive contributions to lifelong learning awareness both at the university stage and after graduation.