Determining the Attitudes of Agricultural Engineer Candidates Towards Digitalization in Agriculture with Factor Analysis: The Case of Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University

Asena Ertürk; Didem Doğar; Adnan Çiçek

doi:10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.1740494

TR EN

Ziraat Mühendisi Adaylarının Tarımda Dijitalleşmeye Yönelik Tutumlarının Faktör Analizi ile Belirlenmesi: Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa Üniversitesi Örneği

Öz

Bu araştırmanın amacı, Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi öğrencilerinin tarımda dijitalleşmeye yönelik tutumlarını belirlemek ve bu tutumları etkileyen faktörleri analiz etmektir. Çalışmanın verileri, 2024-2025 akademik yılında 208 adet üçüncü ve dördüncü sınıf öğrencilerinden anket yoluyla toplanmıştır. Veri toplama aracı olarak 23 maddeden oluşan Likert tipi bir ölçek kullanılmış ve elde edilen veriler üzerinde keşfedici faktör analizi uygulanmıştır. Analiz sonucunda ölçek üç ana boyuta ayrılmıştır. Bunlar; "Dijital Tarımın Faydaları ve Eğitimine Yönelik Algı", "Dijital Tarımın Ekonomik ve Çevresel Faydaları" ve "Dijital Tarıma Yönelik Endişeler ve Destek İhtiyacı" şeklindedir. Öğrenciler, dijital tarımın verimlilik artışı, maliyetlerin azaltılması ve çevresel sürdürülebilirliğe katkısı gibi konularda büyük ölçüde olumlu görüş bildirirken; teknolojiye bağımlılık, yüksek yatırım maliyetleri ve tarımsal istihdamın azalması gibi risklere yönelik kaygılarını da ifade etmişlerdir. KMO değeri 0.950 ve Cronbach’s Alpha katsayısı 0.971 olarak hesaplanmış, bu sonuçlar veri setinin faktör analizine son derece uygun ve ölçeğin yüksek derecede güvenilir olduğunu göstermiştir. Elde edilen bulgular, ziraat fakültelerinde dijital tarım teknolojilerine yönelik hem teorik hem de uygulamalı eğitimlerin artırılması gerektiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca dijitalleşmenin yaygınlaştırılması sürecinde yalnızca teknolojik avantajların değil eğitim, destek ve adaptasyon boyutlarının da dikkate alınması gerektiği vurgulanmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, teknoloji temelli değil, sosyo-kültürel ve eğitimsel bileşenleri içeren bütüncül yaklaşımlar benimsenmesi önerilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Determining the Attitudes of Agricultural Engineer Candidates Towards Digitalization in Agriculture with Factor Analysis: The Case of Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University

Abstract

The aim of this research is to determine the attitudes of Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University Faculty of Agriculture students towards digitalization in agriculture and to analyze the factors affecting these attitudes. The data of the study were collected from 208 third and fourth-grade students in the 2024-2025 academic year by survey. A Likert-type scale consisting of 23 items was used as a data collection tool, and exploratory factor analysis was applied to the obtained data. As a result of the analysis, the scale was divided into three main dimensions. These are: "Perception of the Benefits and Education of Digital Agriculture", "Economic and Environmental Benefits of Digital Agriculture" and "Concerns and Support Needs for Digital Agriculture". While students largely expressed positive opinions on issues such as increasing productivity, reducing costs, and contributing to environmental sustainability in digital agriculture, they also expressed their concerns about risks such as dependence on technology, high investment costs, and the decrease in agricultural employment. The KMO value was calculated as 0.950, and Cronbach's Alpha coefficient as 0.971, and these results showed that the data set was extremely suitable for factor analysis and the scale was highly reliable. The findings reveal that theoretical and applied training on digital agricultural technologies should be increased in agricultural faculties. It is also emphasized that not only technological advantages but also education, support, and adaptation dimensions should be taken into consideration in the digitalization dissemination process. In this context, it is recommended to adopt holistic approaches that include socio-cultural and educational components, not technology-based ones.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Agricultural Economics (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Asena Ertürk
0000-0002-7435-6822
Türkiye

Didem Doğar ^*
0000-0003-0330-255X
Türkiye

Adnan Çiçek
0000-0002-2671-1439
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

January 21, 2026

Publication Date

January 21, 2026

Submission Date

July 11, 2025

Acceptance Date

September 18, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 29 Number: 2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.1740494

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA49YY73WA

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Ertürk, A., Doğar, D., & Çiçek, A. (2026). Determining the Attitudes of Agricultural Engineer Candidates Towards Digitalization in Agriculture with Factor Analysis: The Case of Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University. Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Tarım Ve Doğa Dergisi, 29(2), 475-486. https://doi.org/10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.1740494