Science high school students' views on the relationship between moral attitude and academic achievement

This study explores science high school students' views on the relationship between moral attitudes and academic achievement, as well as the effects of moral qualities on academic achievement. To this point, issues related to moral education and academic achievement are addressed separately, highlighting the meaning and importance of these two areas in the educational processes of adolescents. The theoretical part of the study examines moral education, academic achievement, and the characteristics of adolescence separately. The field research section involved interviews with students at science high schools ranked in the top three in academic achievement scores in Diyarbakır province. These interviews asked students questions such as whether there is a relationship between moral qualities and academic achievement, if so, what kind of relationship there is, which moral qualities contribute most to their academic achievement, what the effects of hard work, willpower, patience, and responsibility are on academic achievement, how trust in God affects academic achievement and academic anxiety, whether they have a desire to learn science, who their role models are, and whether they consider prominent figures in Islam as role models. The data obtained from the interviews were subjected to descriptive analysis, content analysis, and discourse analysis. A literature review was conducted, and the results were evaluated alongside those of similar studies, and interpretations were made. The results of our research indicate a positive relationship between moral education and academic achievement. Most science high school students participating in the study believed there was a directly proportional relationship between moral attitudes and academic achievement.