Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Ankara Universitesi Ilahiyat Fakultesi Dergisi, cilt.66, sa.2, ss.1297-1328, 2025 (Scopus, TRDizin)
Project imam-hatip high schools, which began operating in 2014 as part of quality improvement efforts alongside other formal education institutions, hold a special place in the field of religious education in terms of accepting students based on specific criteria and placing their graduates in higher education institutions with high rankings. As newly established institutions, these high schools have been the subject of few studies. However, the research question that forms the problem statement of this study, “What factors influence the department preferences of final-year students at project imam-hatip high schools?”, has not been addressed by any researcher before, and no such study has been found in the province of Antalya. Accordingly, this study aims to determine the factors affecting the department preferences of final-year students at project imam-hatip high schools. The study was prepared using the case study design, one of the qualitative approaches. The case of the study was determined as the reasons for the department preferences of final-year students at project imam-hatip high schools. The data were collected by the researcher in person during the spring semester of the 2023-2024 academic year through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured interview form with 15 female and 15 male students attending five project imam-hatip high schools in four districts of Antalya. The audio recordings obtained were coded and classified according to the participants' gender (male: M1, female: F1) and converted into text format. The findings were then analyzed using the Maxqda 24 qualitative data analysis program and divided into two main themes and eight subcategories. The review revealed that the reasons for department preferences among final-year students at the project imam-hatip high school were suitability to personality traits, family, social environment, school, digital media, economic reasons, ethical and social responsibility awareness, and the prestige of the profession. It was also determined that the majority of participating students would choose the law department, followed by departments such as medicine, engineering, psychology, theology, architecture, political science and international relations, pediatric dentistry, English language and literature, and BESYO (College of Physical Education and Sports).