Investigation of University Experiences of Students in Higher Education

The purpose of this research is to examine the characteristics of students studying in the Turkish higher education system regarding their personal and university experiences within the scope of student engagement. The research is structured according to the survey model from quantitative research approaches. The population of the research consists of 1969844 students studying in state universities in Turkey. The sample of the study consists of 3093 students studying in 11 state universities selected by stratified sampling method. University Experience Information Form was used as a data collection tool in the research. Standard deviation, arithmetic mean, frequency and percentage techniques from descriptive statistical methods were used in the analysis of the data. According to the results of the research, it has been determined that the scores of the students regarding their educational experiences at their universities are at a moderate level. In the study, it was observed that the majority of university students did not ask too many questions in their classes during the semester and did not participate in the course discussions very often. The majority of university students do not complete the homework and readings given to them by the instructor before they go to class. In addition, it has been determined that the courses taken by the students at the university make a moderate contribution to the best display of their potential. In the study, it was seen that the participation of students in high impact practices at universities was quite limited.