The purpose of the current study was to examine teachers’ career needs and psychosocial experience during the COVID-19 pandemic within the phenomenological pattern of qualitative research methods. The data collection process included individual interviews and an online survey form. As a result of the research, four main themes were obtained. The first of these themes concerned the effects of the COVID-19 process on teachers. These effects were divided into both positive and negative effects. The second main theme focused on the needs of teachers. In this process, teachers felt the need for psychological support, in-service training and support for infrastructure. The third main theme was the professional life of teachers and school counselors. In this process, teachers and school counselors continued their education, teaching and support processes by adapting them to the online environment. The last main theme was the problems experienced in this process and the proposed solutions. Participants highlighted problems in this period, particularly the access of students to education. Recommendations were made as part of the research results to strengthen the educational training activities offered by teachers in the COVID-19 period.

This case study reports on challenges and professional perspectives of vocational high school teachers working in a socially disadvantaged in rural Turkey. The data were gathered from 14 participants, including teachers, administrators and counsellor through individual and focus group interviews and classroom observations. The analysis found that students in Turkish vocational high schools are negatively positioned, this was evidenced in poor student engagement and the struggles of classroom management experienced by teachers. The perceived problems and needs showed some differences across teachers who provide academic and vocational courses. The findings imply that there is a need for social justice advocacy for rural vocational high school students by fostering teachers and improving the system by policy development.

Üniversite öğrencileri farklı zamanlarda akademik kaygılar, ekonomik sorunlar, sosyal ilişkiler ve kariyerlerine yönelik birçok stres faktörüyle karşı karşıya kalmaktadırlar. Birçok farklı sebepten kaynaklanan ve öğrencilerin kariyerlerine yönelik yaşadıkları zorlanmaları ifade eden bu durum kariyer stresi olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Bu bağlamda bu çalışmanın amacı, üniversite öğrencilerinin yaşadıkları kariyer streslerini açıklamada kariyer kaynaklarının rolünü incelemektir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda 182’si vakıf, 33’ü devlet üniversitesinde öğrenimine devam etmekte olan 215 üniversite öğrencisine Kişisel Bilgi Formu, Kariyer Stresi Ölçeği ve Kariyer Kaynakları Ölçeği uygulanmıştır. Hiyerarşik regresyon analizinin sonucunda kariyer kaynaklarının kariyer stresine ilişkin varyansın %23’ünü açıkladığı belirlenmiştir. Kariyer kaynaklarından yardımcı beceriler, mesleki uzmanlık, sosyal kariyer desteği, işin geliştirici gücü ve kariyer güveni kariyer stresinin anlamlı yordayıcılarıdır. Kariyer stresini en güçlü açıklayan değişken kariyer güveniyken sosyal kariyer desteği ikinci sırada gelmektedir. Araştırma sonuçları kariyer kaynakları değişkeninin kariyer stresinin önlenmesi ya da azaltılmasında önemli bir role sahip olduğuna işret etmektedir. Araştırma sonuçları üniversite öğrencilerinin kariyer stresleri üzerinde üniversite öğrencilerinin bireysel olarak güçlendirilmesiyle birlikte sosyal destek kaynaklarının arttırılmasının önemini ortaya koymaktadır.

The main purpose of the current study was to explore the work-life balance experiences of white-collar employees who shifted to remote work in a Technopark in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic, using a phenomenological approach. The research was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, 49 white-collar workers participated by completing online questionnaires to assess their work-life balance. In the second phase, two focus group discussions were held, involving 11 participants. The data gathered from the questionnaires and focus groups were analyzed using interpretive content analysis method with MAXQDA 20 software. The content analysis revealed that personal factors, such as personality traits and adaptability, influenced the work-life balance of the white-collar employees. Among organizational factors, workplace culture and the home environment emerged as significant determinants. Most remote workers were found to be unable to set a work-life balance, consequently experiencing conflicts. However, some participants managed to maintain a harmonious balance between their professional and personal lives, though it tended to be skewed towards a work-centered equilibrium. The observed imbalances resulted in several negative outcomes for the participants, including the need for psychological support, role conflicts in different aspects of life, and diminished motivation. In contrast, those who achieved balance reported higher levels of life satisfaction, job satisfaction, and subjective well-being.

The aim of this study was to identify nursing students’ fears and emotions and to concretise the metaphors they used to describe their feelings towards the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was conducted with nursing students at a foundation university between December 2021 and February 2022 using a sequential mixed methods research design. In the quantitative part of the study, 323 nursing students answered the ‘Positive and Negative Emotion Scale’ and the ‘COVID-19 Fear Scale’. In the qualitative part, students were asked to metaphorise COVID-19 with a colour and 21 in-depth interviews were conducted on the reasons for choosing this colour. The average age of the students participating in the study was 21.41 ± 1.97 years and 78% of them were female. It was observed that 15.8 of the students had previously tested positive for COVID-19. Most of the participants (98.5%) were vaccinated against COVID-19 and 31.9% had a relative who died due to COVID-19. When the participants were asked which colour they compared COVID-19 to, it was observed that more than half of them chose red (51.4%) among bright colours and 13% chose black among dark colours. In this study, it was determined that students who chose dark colours to describe COVID-19 had higher COVID-19 Fear and Negative Emotion Scale scores. In in-depth interviews, it was observed that students who chose dark colours were more deeply affected by the COVID-19 process, while students who chose light colours associated this period with negative emotions. In this study, it was observed that nursing students’ feelings and thoughts about the COVID-19 period in line with their experiences affect the choice of colour in metaphorisation.