A phenomenological study on lower secondary school senior students whose fathers are not alive

The aim of this study is; It is the examination of the success of middle school senior students, whose father is not alive, towards the High School Entrance Exam. The research was designed with qualitative research method. In this study, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, designs of qualitative research, was used. The sampling of the research was determined by the maximum diversity sampling method, which is one of the purposeful sampling types. The study group of the research consists of students who are in the eighth grade in the 2019-2020 academic year and who are in the ninth grade in the 2020-2021 academic year who entered LGS and their parents. 10 students and, who are studying in 2 central districts within the borders of Antalya province and whose father is dead,10 parents of them are included in the study group. The data were obtained by the researcher using a semi-structured questionnaire using an in-depth interview technique lasting 15-45 minutes. Theme analysis, descriptive analysis and document analysis were used in the analysis of the data. The results of the study include findings that reflect the views of students and parents on the subject, and these findings include students 'opinions about the loss of father and education status, and whether there is a relationship between the loss of father and educational achievement, which reflects the parents' success about their students. As a result of the interviews, no significant relationship could be established between the loss of a father and exam success in the sample consisting of male and female students who went to Science High School, Anatolian High School, Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, Anatolian Imam Hatip High School and Vocational Education Center. In addition, no significant relationship was found between loss of father and exam success for male and female students. As a result, it was seen that the factors that determine the educational status for both genders are internal control mechanisms such as personality traits, abilities, and sense of responsibility.