Kocatepe İslami İlimler Dergisi

Öz

In Turkey, Islamic banking (participation banking) has exhibited an annual average growth of 23% from 2005 to the present, while traditional banking showed a growth rate of 17% during the same period. With the rapid development of Participation Finance, the need for new branch openings and personnel has increased. The sector generally recruits its employees from departments such as business, economics, finance, and banking, while education in Islamic finance and participation banking within the social sciences is still in its early stages. During this early phase of education, feedback on the training provided has not yet been established. This study explores the perspectives of students who have received education in Islamic economics and finance from different university programs. This study also seeks to understand changes in students ’ interest and passion for these subjects and their career expectations. This study explores the perspectives of university students who have received education in Islamic economics and finance within different university programs. In doing so, the research investigates students ’ interest and affection toward the courses and any changes in their career expectations. This study primarily focuses on students from the Department of Finance and Banking at Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, and additional data was collected through social media to expand the sample size. Surveys were conducted using the convenience sampling method, and 109 students were included in the study. The data obtained from the surveys did not follow a normal distribution; therefore, frequency analysis, Mann–Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, and one-way ANOVA: post hoc/Tamane’s T2 analysis techniques were applied. In the demographic analysis, it was observed that 68% of the participants were male and 32% were female, a higher interest in the field among male students. Moreover, 62% of the participants were aged 28 years and above, indicating higher participation of older students, especially in graduate programs. The majority of students studied in the Marmara and Black Sea regions. After the demographic questions, participants were asked important questions to indicate their relationship with the Islamic Economics and Finance field and their level of interest. Based on the responses, 87% of all participants expressed a desire to work in the Islamic Economics and Finance field, and 73% indicated an interest in the subject. Following this preliminary information, a scale was created to determine students’ perspectives on Islamic Economics and Finance courses. The scale consisted of 40 statements, which were categorized into 7 dimensions as follows: Affection for Courses, Perception of Course Utility, Perception of Course Necessity, Relevance to Interest Area, Desire for Learning, Course Difficulty, and Career Contribution. Based on the analyses conducted for each dimension, students expressed the following perspectives on Islamic Economics and Finance courses: 73% of students stated that they enjoyed the courses and the field. 85% found the courses to be beneficial. 86% perceived the courses as necessary. 81% felt that the courses were relevant to their interest area. 85% had a strong desire to learn. 81% did not find the courses difficult. 76% believed that these courses would have a positive impact on their careers. Additionally, the percentage of participants displaying a negative attitude toward Islamic Economics and Finance ranged from 7% to 16%. When considering undecided participants in the negative attitude group, the overall rate of disapproval reached approximately 20%. It is essential to conduct further work to engage and address the concerns of the relevant parties. Regarding the main research question, "What are the perspectives of students on Islamic Economics and Finance courses?", the study concluded that the responses were significantly positive. The analysis of whether perspectives differed among different groups showed that students from higher education programs had a more positive outlook. Master’s and Doctoral students had different perspectives compared with undergraduate and associate degree students. Based on this finding, providing Islamic Economics and Finance education to students at an early stage could contribute to a more positive perspective and increased interest. Taking all the questions into account, the overall average percentage of students having a positive perspective on courses related to Islamic Economics and Finance was 80%, while 20% were undecided or held negative views.