The relationship between university students studying art education's attitudes towards gender roles and their levels of self-understanding

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between university students' attitudes towards gender roles and their levels of self-understanding. In this study, attitudes towards gender roles and levels of self-understanding were evaluated in terms of gender, age, class, and department variables. The research was conducted using a descriptive design based on the survey model, one of the quantitative methods. The study group consisted of individuals who were studying or had graduated from conservatories and fine arts faculties offering education in the fields of performing arts and music in Turkey. A total of 228 students voluntarily participated in the study, including 121 students from the music department (Turkish Art Music, Turkish Folk Music, Western Music) and 107 students from the performing arts department (opera, ballet, theatre, dance and choreography, Turkish folk dances). Data were collected using the 'Gender Role Attitude Scale' and the 'Self-Understanding Scale' administered to participants. Parametric tests such as the Independent Samples t-Test and One Way ANOVA were used to analyse the data, while correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the two scales. The findings showed that there were significant differences in the attitudes towards gender roles of students studying art education according to gender, and that female students exhibited more egalitarian attitudes than male students. No significant difference was found in self-understanding levels according to gender. No significant differences were found in gender role attitudes based on class, age, and department variables; no significant differences were observed in self-understanding levels based on class and department, but a significant difference was found based on age. Correlation analysis revealed no linear relationship between students' self-understanding levels and gender role attitudes.