A research on the clustering of high schools according to multiple success variables and social networks among education staff of these clusters

In the first stage of this study, which consists of two stages, public high schools in Antalya province-wide were clustered based on the variables of academic, social-cultural-artistic and sportive success dated 2018. By examining cluster structures, variables affecting the formation of the clusters and impact rates were also determined. In the scope of the research, it was aimed to reach 198 high schools located in Antalya province-wide and were target population of the study, therefore the "School Information Form (SIF)" was sent to the whole population through the official way. However, when the collected data were examined, cluster analysis was performed with the data obtained from 80 high schools that were considered suitable for the usag in the study, due to the detection of deficiencies and contradictory responses. As a result of the analysis, high schools were grouped into four clusters according to their academic scores, social-cultural-artistic scores and sporting scores. The clusters were called as "Academically Powerful Schools (APS)", "Schools in Need of Improvement (IGOO)", "Social-Cultural-Artistic Schools (SCA)" and "Sportively Powerful Schools (SPS)". It was determined that 45 of the 80 schools in Antalya province-wide had the value below average in all scores and were located in the SNI cluster. According to the findings, there were positive correlations between the ratio of certificates of achievement and appreciation, and school's mean on university entrance exam) as well as and school's admission score. Negative correlations were found between the days of absence without excuse and the ratio of certificates of achievement and appreciation as well as school's admission score. The three dimensions, that revealed in the factor analysis conducted to determine the dimensions in which high schools were represented in terms of their characteristics, were called "physical properties", "student density" and "student quality and participation ". The variables that determine the cluster structure revealed in the study were also examined by discriminant analysis. As a result of the analysis, it was seen that the discriminant function obtained correctly predicted the cluster in which the school is located, with a rate of 77.8 percent. In the second phase of the study, social network analyses were applied in totally eight high schools by sampling two ones from each cluster, and the formal relation networks and informal relation networks were examined. Araştırma sonucunda, tüm liselerde iş ilişkisi ile arkadaşlık ilişkisi arasında anlamlı ilişkiler olduğu ortaya konmuştur. As a result of the research, significant relationships were found between formal and informal networks in all high schools. Social networks of high schools were also examined according to the five centrality criteria, called in-degree, closeness, betweenness, authority and eigenvector; then, the actor patterns in the formal and informal networks were interpreted by creating network maps. The results of this study, conducted based on the data on school success and school characteristics, can contribute to be directed material and human resources according to school types and the clusters. The needs of schools can be determined based on the emerging cluster structures, by this way problems can be solved more quickly. In this aspect of the study, it is thought that it also supports the objectives envisaged in the 2023 Vision Document of the Ministry of National Education.