Determining the water literacy levels of high school students: The example of Samsun

The aim of the research is to determine the water literacy level of high school students and their views on water literacy and to examine the factors affecting it. The research conducted for this purpose has the characteristics of a descriptive research aimed at determining the existing situation. The research was carried out with a survey model using a scale and semi-structured interview form. In this context, the sample of the research consists of 1000 high school students studying in the spring term of 2021-2022 in five Anatolian high schools affiliated to the Ministry of Education in Samsun. In line with the analyzes made, 954 students were evaluated by excluding those who disrupt the data distribution or structure. In the research, face-to-face application was made on a voluntary basis. The water literacy scale developed by Sözcü and Türker (2020) and a semi-structured interview form consisting of 16 open-ended questions prepared by the researcher were used as data collection tools. The findings obtained from the scale were analyzed using the t-test and ANOVA tests with the help of SPSS program, and the data obtained from the interview form were analyzed using the descriptive analysis method. According to the findings obtained from the scale applied in the study, while the literacy levels of the students differ in terms of variables such as gender, grade level, grade average, family income, whether they know the name of an official or private institution related to water, they do not differ according to the settlement where they live. According to the findings obtained from the semi-structured interview form, they stated that high school students are aware of the importance of water and that people's awareness should be raised in order to protect water resources, and that education should be given from a young age at the same time. In addition, some students stated that they are conscious about water consumption, some are not, and that activities such as advertising campaigns and conferences should be carried out to increase water awareness. As a result, it was seen that the water literacy levels of high school students reported positive results. As a matter of fact, it is thought that these results will be important as they will provide perspective in future studies on water literacy and training programs to be planned.