Examination of sense of school belonging and quality of school life in the students at sports and Anatolia high schools southeastern Anatolia region sample

Because the subjects of Quality of Life at School and Sense of School Belonging, the importance of which is increasing in the field of education day by day, are new in the education literature in Turkey, the number of researches conducted in these fields are rather limited. As a significant part of the life of every individual who is at the age of schooling is spent at school, any research conducted is useful in terms of emphasizing the importance of these concepts which are to contribute to the academic, social, and psychologic development of an individual. In this descriptive study by screening method, the aim is to examine students' perception about the quality of life in their schools and their sense of school belonging. The total population of the study consists of the students in Sports and Anatolian High Schools in South-Eastern Anatolian Region. The sample of the study consists of 923 students picked out of the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th grades in a Sports School and an Anatolian High School located in each of Adıyaman, Şırnak, Diyarbakır, Siirt, and Şanlıurfa. Independent group t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and correlation analyses were used to analyze the data collected by Personal Information Form, Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) Scale, and Quality of Life in High Schools Scale (QLHSS). Results show that the points of the students in quality of life scale in their schools and sense of school belonging are generally positive on a moderate level and that the significant differences between points are in favor of the students in sports schools. The highest mean for both groups are on 'Status' level. Whereas points do not differ according to gender, the significant differences obtained according to grade levels are in favor of the nineth grade students. There are also significant differences in scale points on various levels according to the cities in the study and the level of interest in sports. Based on the results, some suggestions are presented regarding the development of quality of life at high school and the increase of students' sense of school belonging. Key Words: High School, Anatolian High School, Sports School, Sense of School Belonging, School Life Quality