Examining the sensitivity of secondary school students regarding cultural heritage in terms of different variables

The aim of this study is to examine the sensitivities of secondary school students towards cultural heritage in terms of gender, grade level, and participation in historical site visits. The study group of the research consists of 5th, 6th and 7th grade students studying in eight public secondary school affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in Diyarbakır in the 2023-2024 academic year. The study was conducted using a mixed method in which quantitative and qualitative methods were used together. Convergent parallel design, one of the mixed method designs, was used in the study. The quantitative data of the study were collected with the "Cultural Heritage Sensitivity Scale" administered to the students. Qualitative data were obtained by using the "Interview Form" consisting of eight questions directed to the students. The data obtained from quantitative data were analyzed with the SPSS package program. Qualitative data analysis was carried out in accordance with the content analysis method. As a result of the research, it was determined that students' sensitivities towards cultural heritage differed according to gender and grade level variables. It was determined that female students had higher scores than male students in the dimensions of Valuing and Protecting (feeling responsibility), and that students' sensitivity to cultural heritage in all sub-dimensions and total score decreased as the grade level increased. Students' sensitivity towards cultural heritage does not differ according to their participation in historical excursions. Secondary school students defined cultural heritage as "values from the past". It is seen that students primarily use the "doing research" method to obtain information about historical and natural assets. In the process of learning about our national culture, students use the methods of "doing research" and "learning from family elders". The importance of historical and natural assets was emphasized by the students as "reflecting the past", while the importance of the elements that make up our national culture was expressed as "reflection of the past". In addition, the students stated the methods of protecting historical and natural assets with the principle of "not harming and protecting" and emphasized "protecting and using the language" for the protection of our national culture. In the research, it was suggested that community-based projects should be carried out in schools to raise awareness of cultural heritage, school-family cooperation should be ensured, informative and educational content should be created for the protection of cultural heritage on social media and digital platforms, and studies should be carried out to increase interest at every grade level.