Conference Agenda

Postgraduate education which promotes the idea that members of society should always be developing their abilities plays a significant role in encouraging lifelong learning (Anderson et al.,1998). Graduate programs are regarded by many as the ideal educational opportunity since it gives students the chance to learn in-depth about a subject via thoughtful experiences. These experiences inspire thinking, help people realize who they are and what they want out of life, and give them access to methods for achievement (Johnson & Copnell, 2002; Purcell et al., 2012). As is common knowledge, undergraduate education is a crucial time for individuals to decide about their careers.

The Expectancy-Value Model (Eccles et al., 983) proposes that the two primary parts of a person's achievements are based on their choices and perseverance in completing the tasks that have been assigned to them. The success expectations and personal values of the individuals are significant preconditions of the motivation behind accomplishment in various activities (Wigfield, 1994). The individual's unique ideas about their competency in a field and belief in their ability to execute a future assignment are designated as the expectation component (Eccles et al., 1983). One example of it is believing that one will get admitted to a graduate school and successfully complete it. In this study, the researchers will examine the associations of the individual (gender and academic achievement) and relational (intention to marriage and perceived partner support) variables in explaining the valuing of graduate study from the perspective of this model.

Considering the fact that in Turkey female students are less prevalent in Turkey's graduate education programs, particularly at the master's level (Ünlü et al., 2021), it is thought that gender might be a factor to explain the valuing of graduate education. Additionally, gender disparity is a gap not just in Turkey but also in all regions of the world especially in academia (Zheng et al. 2022). This conclusion seems logical when taking into account the effects of gender roles in the process of choosing a job, as female participants imply the caregiving role of females (Ünal et al., 2018). For academic achievement, the researchers were unable to locate a prior study that looked at the relationship between academic success and valuing of graduate education. Only, according to one study (Tekin, 2022), there is a low-level association between academic achievement and the intention to pursue postgraduate study.

Taking into account the relational variables’ roles in explaining the valuing of graduate education, the intention of marriage, and perceived partner support are expected to be associated with valuing of graduate education. Since university students are in the emerging adulthood period, they tend to marry after they find a job and this situation is expected since it is a characteristic of emerging adulthood. From this perspective, it is possible for university students not to attend a graduate education to spend time on their family life. There are some studies showing that perceived psychological costs are negatively associated with graduate education intention (İlter, 2021a). Taking together the perceived cost of graduate education, the researchers speculate that the intention of marriage might be associated with the valuing of graduate education and will predict the valuing of graduate study among undergraduate students. Another variable that might be associated with the valuing of education is perceived partner support. Studies indicate that partner support has a positive role in one’s career progress (Zheng et al., 2022).

In light of the literature, the aim of this study is to determine the role of gender, academic achievement, perceived partner support, and intention of marriage in predicting the valuing of graduate education among university students.

This communication is based on the research process of a PhD thesis and the question of study is to understand what a feminist perspective means. To make this proposal we must mention the ontological, epistemological, and methodological dimensions.

Ontological dimension

The ontological dimension challenges us as researchers with questions like: does reality exist? Is this reality an entity constructed by sociohistorical moments? Or is it something that can be objectified? (Folguerias-Bertomeu, 2018). The ontological dimension this feminist research is in framed is socio-critical or critical, since it considers that reality is interpretable. It is positioned in historical realism, understanding the potential for change that may exist and where subject and object are not two isolated entities, but rather interact with each other influenced by a social commitment (Guba and Lincoln, 1994).

Epistemological dimension

We position ourselves in a critical feminist epistemology. The sociocritical position within epistemology defends a praxeological epistemology, assuming that there is an interaction between the person investigating and the person being investigated; therefore, the values and beliefs of the person who is investigating are considered, as they can influence the knowledge (Folgueiras-Bertomeu, 2018). It is also an epistemology (Popkewitz, 1988) that unites theory and practice and understands knowledge as emancipating and liberating. Furthermore, it encourages researchers to carry out a constant self-reflection exercise in the research process.

About the nature of knowledge, we start from the "point of view theory" (Harding,1987; Haraway,1991), which arises from the analysis that certain groups have not been represented in the access to and production of knowledge; therefore, knowledge is only related to a minority. This theory not only argues that systemic inequalities are embedded in knowledge, but that this science is constructed within a social locus and historical context. Applying the point of view theory is necessary to enrich the endeavor of "knowledge" and to have a more complete vision of reality, because as Dorothy Smith (2004) exposes, when these social loci are highlighted, it is possible to see more, beyond or “below the ideology of the powerful”; consequently, it becomes a more reliable knowledge.

In conclusion, while avoiding a relativistic view on reality, it is also important to understand that reality can accommodate different points of view.

Methodological dimension

At this point, the contributions Harding makes in her text “Is There a Feminist Method?” are interesting and necessary. According to the author, feminist research has often highlighted novelties in method or methodology to underline the differences with non-feminist research. However, the point is not using a different method or methodology, but the way in which a change in the epistemological position makes us question them and apply them in a different manner.

Emphasizing the changes in method or methodology only can conceal the importance and depth of the epistemological shift in these investigations.

The use of the Internet, search engines, social media and video platforms is part of everyday life for the majority of young people in Germany, as shown by the annual JIM study (Feierabend et al., 2022). Not only in Germany, but worldwide, YouTube is one of the most popular Internet offerings, not just for teenagers. In December 2022, YouTube ranked second among the world's most popular websites (Similarweb, 2022). Teenagers not only watch videos for their entertainment but also view content that provides information about leisure interests, school and education (Feierabend et al., 2022; Wolf, 2015).

The popular content on the video platform is strongly organized along stereotypical notions of gender (Döring, 2019; Wegener et al., 2020): Significantly fewer people who are perceived as female than as male can be seen on YouTube. Women discuss fewer topics, often talk about beauty, hobbies, family or relationships in an apparently private setting. In contrast, YouTubers seen as male talk about their profession and choose public spaces for their videos.

These findings are not only valid for the German but also for the international context. Döring and Mohseni (2018) describe in a comparative study of popular YouTube channels from nine countries that there are significantly more male than female YouTubers on the platform. Pattier (2021) looks at Spanish YouTube channels and discusses a gender gap among “EduYouTubers”. The analysis of Arias-Rodriquez and Sánchez-Bello (2022) shows that influencers, who are watched for the purpose of informal learning, convey sexist roles and gender stereotypes, do not use inclusive language, and do not address issues of gender equality.

The central question of my PhD project is therefore: To what extent do gender-specific subjectification processes take place in the reception of educationally relevant YouTube videos by young people?

In this study, the Internet content used by adolescents to learn about their school and leisure interests is considered educationally relevant. This approach places the reception behaviour of adolescents and their perspectives on educationally relevant content at the centre of the research. In this way, videos do not have to meet the defined didactic, formal, and design criteria of explanatory videos, tutorials, or instructional videos (Wolf, 2015).

Butler's concept of gender and the concept of the subject provide the theoretical basis for the work. The social gender, the biological sex as well as the idea of heterosexuality as a norm (desire) are discursively produced (Butler, 1991). The constructed character of gender is made invisible, gender seems to be given as natural. In the (self-) performance of YouTubers, young people receive performative processes of doing gender. Here, gender as an intersectional category (Degele, 2019), is staged and produced in constant social interaction (Butler, 1991). Thus, gender can be read and enacted based on external characteristics (e.g., clothing, language, interest); here, heteronormativity (Wagenknecht, 2007) acts as a powerful norm. The subject is formed in these repetitive processes of doing gender (West & Zimmermann, 1991). In the process of becoming a subject, the subject submits itself to these powerful norms and discourses. Subjectivation with Butler (2001) means subordination and becoming of the subject at the same time.