Lifelong Learning Orientations of Freshman Engineering Students and Faculty Members

Bilimdeki h›zl› geliflmeler ve muhendislik alan›nda bunlar› izleyen teknolojik deifliklikler, muhendislerin kendi beceri ve bilgilerini guncellemelerini ge- rektirmektedir. Bu da, muhendislik fakultelerinin yaflam boyu o¤renme (YBO) becerilerini mufredatlar›na dâhil etmelerini ve o¤rencilerinin YBO icin haz›r olufl duzeylerini belirlemelerini gerektirir. Bu amac dorultusun- da bu cal›flma, Abu Dabi'deki Petrol Enstitusu'nde 2012-2013 akademik do- nemi boyunca birinci s›n›f muhendislik o¤rencilerinin ve o¤retim gorevlile- rinin YBO yonelimlerini tespit etmeyi hedeflemektedir. Cal›flmaya, ortalama 19 yafl›ndaki 196 o¤renci ve ortalama 42 yafl›ndaki 31 o¤retim uyesi kat›lm›fl- t›r. Cal›flmaya kat›lan o¤rencilerin yaklafl›k %75.5'i yabanc› ulkelerden gelen o¤rencilerdir. Yaflam Boyu O¤renim Eilim Skalas› kullan›larak toplanan ve- riler, cinsiyet ve etnik koken aras›ndaki k›yaslamalarla analiz edilmifltir. O¤- rencilerin YBO yonelimleri ayr›ca o¤retim gorevlilerinin yonelimleriyle de karfl›laflt›r›lm›flt›r. Veri analizi icin SPSS istatistik yaz›l›m› surum 18.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, ABD) kullan›lm›flt›r. Verileri yorumlamak icin, s›kl›k ve yuzde gibi tan›mlay›c› istatistikler kullan›lm›flt›r. Grup karfl›laflt›rmalar› icin Mann-Whitney U testi kullan›lm›flt›r. Bulunan sonuclar, sebat ve oz-duzen- leme becerileri icin nispeten dufluk puanlarla birlikte o¤rencilerin genel pu- an›n›n ortalama olduunu gostermifltir. Ancak o¤retim gorevlilerinin genel puanlar›n›n yuksek olduu ve merak becerileri icin nispeten daha da yuksek puanlara sahip olduu gorulmufltur. K›z o¤rencilerin puanlar›n›n, oz-duzen- leme ve merak konular›nda istatistiksel olarak anlaml› farkl›l›klarla birlikte daha yuksek olduu gorulmufltur. Ayr›ca farkl› ulkelerden gelen o¤rencilerin tum alt-beceri puanlar›, istatistiksel olarak anlaml› bir derecede daha yuksek bulunmufltur. Bu cal›flmayla, muhendislik o¤rencilerinin YBO becerileri ko- nusunda fark›ndal›klar›n›n artmas›ndan fayda gorecekleri ve muhendislik mufredat›n›n, bu becerilerin o¤retimini de bunyesine dâhil etmesi gerektii sonucuna var›lm›flt›r. O¤rencilerin yaflam boyu o¤renen ozelliklerini ustlen- melerini salamak amac›yla baz› pratik oneriler sunulmufltur. Rapid advances in science and subsequent technological changes in engi- neering require practicing engineers to update their skills and knowledge. This necessitates engineering faculties to include lifelong learning (LLL) skills in their curricula and determine their students' readiness for LLL. With this in mind, this study aimed to identify the LLL orientations of freshman engineering students and faculty members during the 2012 and 2013 academic year in the Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi. A total num- ber of 196 students, with a mean age of 19, and 31 faculty members, with a mean age of 42, participated in the study. About 75.5% of the student participants were expatriates. The data, collected using the Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale, were analyzed through comparisons between genders and ethnic backgrounds. Students' LLL orientations were also compared to those of the faculty members. Data analysis was done using the SPSS statistical software version 18.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to interpret the data. Mann-Whitney U test was used for group comparison. The findings indicated that the students' overall score was average, with comparatively lower scores for the perseverance and self-regulation skills. However, the faculty members' overall score was found to be high, with a comparatively higher score for curiosity skills. The female students' scores appeared to be higher with statistically significant differences in self-regulation and curiosity domains. Also, the expatriate students' scores for all sub-skills were found to be higher at a statistically signifi- cant level. It is concluded that engineering students will benefit from hav- ing their awareness raised about LLL skills, and engineering curricula need to incorporate explicit teaching of these skills. Some practical sug- gestions are provided to encourage students to assume the characteristics of lifelong learners. Abstract