TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS ABOUT SCHOOL TRIPS: THE CASE OF FETHIYE DISTRICT

The relationship between tourism and education is as old as the dawn of humanity. Hence, the education-oriented Grand Tour was the origin of the contemporary tourism movements. The well-accepted paradigm that tourism market comprise adults resulted with the relatively under-researched field as school trips that has been executed for school children to various touristic attractions. In the literature, there are numerous studies confirm that these trips are contributing the education of school children. Therefore the purpose of this research is to investigate the teacher perceptions of school visits in Fethiye province of Turkey. As an example of an attractive, wealthy destination, Fethiye, which is located on the southwestern part of Mugla province, is one of the most important tourism destination cities in Turkey. The research design consists of a quantitative survey method. A questionnaire was adapted from literature to investigate the issues about the characteristics of visits. Nevertheless, at the same time, determining the perceptions of teachers about the trips is the main target of the research. The responses from 77 state schools and 331 teachers in total confirm the importance of trips to most teachers,and they provide invaluable insight into the key factors of influence in the decision-making process. The findings of the research revealed some recommendations for the improvement of the planning and organization of school trips as a case of Fethiye/Turkey.

OKUL GEZİLERİ KONUSUNDA ÖĞRETMENLERİN ALGILAMALARI: FETHİYE İLÇESİ ÖRNEĞİ

Turizm ve eğitim ilişkisi insanlık tarihi kadar eski bir konudur. Nitekim Avrupa’da eğitim amaçlı başlayan Büyük Tur (Grand Tour) günümüz turizm hareketlerinin ana başlangıç noktalarından biridir. Turizm pazarının yetişkinlerden oluştuğu görüşü günümüzde birçok çekiciliği ziyaret eden okul çağındaki çocuklar için düzenlenen çeşitli türlerdeki okul gezilerinin literatürde çok araştırılmayan bir konu olması ile sonuçlanmıştır. Bu gezilerin okul çocuklarının eğitim süreçlerine büyük katkılar sağlayabileceği literatürde yer alan çeşitli sayıda çalışmalarda incelenmiştir. Buradan yola çıkarak çalışmada Fethiye ilçesinde yer alan okullarda düzenlenen okul gezileri konusunda öğretmen algılamalarının incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Türkiye’nin güney batı kısmında Muğla ili içerisinde yer alan Fethiye ilçesi çekici ve zengin bir destinasyon örneği olarak Türkiye’nin en önemli turizm destinasyonu olan şehirlerinden biridir. Türkiye’de yeterince araştırılmamış bir konu olan okul gezileri turizm bakış açısıyla araştırılmıştır. Araştırma tasarımı nicel anket yönteminden oluşmaktadır. Literatürden uyarlanan bir anket ile gezilerin özellikleri ile ilgili sorunlar araştırma konusu yapılmıştır. Bununla birlikte aynı zamanda geziler konusunda öğretmen algılamalarının belirlenmesi araştırmanın temel hedefidir. Toplamda 77 devlet okulundaki 331 öğretmenden elde edilen yanıtlar birçok öğretmen için gezilerin önemini vurgulamakta ve karar alma süreçlerine etki eden anahtar faktörler üzerine değerli bir anlayış sunmaktadır. Araştırma bulguları Fethiye/Türkiye’den bir örnek ile okul gezilerinin planlama ve örgütlenmesinin gelişimi için bazı öneriler ortaya koymuştur.

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