Investigating university students' experiences towards extracurricular activities

In this study, the students' views towards the use of extracurricular activities in programming were examined. In this research, the sequential transformational design method, in which qualitative and quantitative techniques used together, was used. The quantitative data collection process was handled by using the "Attitude Scale Towards Extracurricular Activities", "Situational Motivation Scale", and "Opportunities Provided by Extracurricular Activities Questionnaire", while semi-structured interview questions were used for the qualitative part. The study group of the research consists of the sophomore, in other words, 2nd-year students who take the "Basic Programming" course offered by the Computer Education and Instructional Technology Department in a state university in the Central Anatolia Region. The total number of participants is 37. On the other side, in the study, in which the typical sampling method based on purposeful sampling, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was carried out with 12 people, students' views were examined in depth. While statistical analysis programs were used for the quantitative dimension in data analyzing, content analysis was preferred for the qualitative dimension. According to research results, students' attitudes towards using extracurricular activities and participation motivation (situational motivation) were high in programming. Besides, it has been observed that extracurricular activities provide students with many opportunities, such as increased interest in the lesson, career planning, interaction with competent people, socialization, and fun. This situation overlaps with qualitative data.