Üstün Yetenekli Bireylerin Vatandaşlık Kavramına İlişkin Algıları

Abstract

Introduction: Citizenship plays a crucial role in protecting the identity of states and societies. Citizenship becomes even more important for gifted people who make important contributions to the scientific and technological development of a country. From this point of view, this study aims to explore the perceptions of gifted people trained at Science and Art Centers (SAC) in relation to the concept of citizenship. Method: The study was conducted using a phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research designs. The study group of the research consisted of 23 6th grade students, 13 boys and 10 girls, studying at Science and Art Centers (BİLSEM) in İstanbul in the academic year 2020-2021. The data of the study was collected using a structured interview form developed by the researchers. Descriptive analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings: It was found that gifted students defined citizenship as a person living in a place and having some basic duties and rights to the place to which they belong. The students mostly defined themselves as good citizens and stated that a good citizen has responsibilities towards his environment and country. In the context of the view that the state is a political institution in which people live together, the understanding of a social and legal state dominates. The main responsibility of citizens is seen in being hardworking and respecting the country and society. The majority of students feel connected to their country, with the most important factor for this connection being culture and history. While the most positive aspect of being a citizen of Turkey is its historical heritage, it is noteworthy that some of the students wish to be citizens of the developed Western countries. Discussion: The students’ views are largely consistent with studies in the literature on citizenship and state definitions and citizenship of other countries based on brain drain. However, unlike other studies, this one emphasized researcher personality, which is one of the distinguishing characteristics of gifted individuals, among the characteristics of citizens.