Analysis of the relationship of interpersonal problem solving skills and orientation in connection with dysfunctional attitudes in the faculty of education

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the relationship of interpersonal problem solving skills and orienation in connection with dysfunctional attitudes of college students in terms of gender, department, education level of parents and living place.The sample of the study consisted of 517 students from faculty of education at Çukurova University in 2010 and 2011. The dependent variable of the study, interpersonal problem solving skills, was measured by means of ?Interpersonal Problem Solving Inventory? (Çam ve Tümkaya, 2006). The data related to the dysfunctional attitudes, the other dependent variable of the study, were gathered by means of ?Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale? (Weissman ve Beck, 1978) and lastly, the data related to the personal information of the students were gathered by means of ?Personal Information Form?, designed by the researcher. Pearson Correlation Coefficient, Independent Samples t Test and one-way ANOVA were used in analyzing the data.Research findings suggest that there was a positive and meaningful relationship between approaching problems in a negative way, lack of self-confidence, unwillingness to take responsibility and dysfunctional attitudes of students. But there was no meaningful relationship between insistent-persevering approach, constructive problem solving and dysfunctional attitudes.The results of the study indicated that female students? level of approaching problems in a negative way and unwillingness to take responsibility was meaningfully higher than male students?. However, there was no meaningful difference in the level of dysfunctional attitudes of the students in terms of their gender. No meaningful difference was found in interpersonal problem solving skills of students in terms of their departments wheras the level of dysfuncitonal attitudes of students in psychological counseling and guidance department was found to be the least. There was no meaningful difference in the level of dysfunctional attitudes among students in terms of their living place. However, the students who lived in big cities used insistent-persevering approach more than the students who lived in small towns. Lastly, there was no meaningful difference in interpersonal problem solving skills and dysfunctional attitudes of students in terms of education level of their parents.