THE EFFECT OF REMOVING DAM SCORES APPLIED IN UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAMS ON STUDENT CHOICE MOTIVATION

Abstract

Students who want to settle in a good and popular university that offers a future in our country have to take the two-stage university preparation exams administered by the ÖSYM (Assessment Selection and Placement Center). According to the OSYM regulations, it is not sufficient for a student to just take the exams and get a certain score in order to be placed in universities. Students are also required to pass the determined threshold scores. In the previous periods, the thresholds of 160 points applied in the first phase and 180 points applied in the second phase had a negative impact on the preference motivations of the students. This situation caused students to be left open as well as higher education programs to be left empty. With the studies carried out, it is planned to increase the motivation of students by eliminating the threshold scores applied in the first and second stages. Thus, it is aimed to fill all the university quotas opened and to prevent students from being left out. The aim of this study is to obtain quantitative data and to reveal how the removal of the students' entrance threshold scores affects the student preference motivation. The study was carried out in April 2022 with student groups who continue their education in Çankırı and prepare for university exams. Quantitative studies formed the method of this study. By applying a 24-question survey to 209 participating students, it was investigated how the removal of the threshold scores in the university exams would reflect on the motivation to choose university. SPSS 22.0 statistical analysis program was used to evaluate the collected data. The questions constituting the questionnaire were considered suitable for evaluation and were subjected to examination by dividing them into different dimensions. Within the scope of the research, it was seen that the students who were preparing for the university exams achieved their goals by increasing their preferences by removing the threshold scores. In addition to the abolition of the dam scores, it has been understood by the analysis of the survey data that the removal of the dam rankings in the fields of medicine, dentistry, law, architecture-engineering and educational sciences will have a positive effect on the preference motivation. It is thought that increasing the preference motivation by better analyzing the parameters affecting the preference motivation of the students will be more effective in reaching their goals. As a result, it clearly shows that the removal of the cut-off points is correct. The validity of the idea being defended; shows that removing the threshold scores applied in university exams increases the rate of placement in universities by providing preference motivation.