Problems and Evaluation of Secondary Education System in Turkey: A Meta Synthesis Study

The aim of this study is to find out what members of different ethnicities living in Turkey as Turkish citizens think about how the Turkish education system addresses cultural differences in schools. This qualitative study utilized a descriptive analysis method to collect data through five focus groups based ethnic diversity: Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Balkan refugees and Caucasian refugees. Each focus group consisted of four participants and interviews were tape-recorded and then analyzed by using the qualitative research analysis program, NVivo 10. The results show that most of the participants think that the current education system in Turkey does not represent the ethnic and cultural differences in Turkey since it is developed based on a certain ideology. Another finding of the study is that teachers are not aware of the cultural differences in their classrooms and they do not have adequate training to meet the expectations of students from those cultures. The participants have stated that in order to get the values and beliefs of different cultures living in Turkey represented in educational institutions, certain reforms should be implemented effectively, including teacher training programs.

This study discusses the history and education system in Turkey, focusing on the developments and challenges faced. Turkey, as a country located in the Eurasian region, has a centralized education system and is managed according to the provisions set by Mustafa Kamal Ataturk. The purpose of this education system is to produce skilled, productive, and creative individuals in the era of reform. Some important points raised in this study include: Quality of Education, although there are many quality higher education institutions, the global ranking of the Turkish education system still needs to be improved. Improving the quality of teaching and curriculum development are key to facing this challenge. Educational Inequality, there is inequality in access to education, especially in rural areas. Although basic education is mandatory, there are still areas in Turkey that experience limited access to education, which creates a gap between urban and rural areas. Educational Reform, since 2012, the structure of education in Turkey has changed, where students must complete upper secondary education which is now mandatory. Previously, students completed basic education for eight years and secondary education for three years. Comparison with Indonesia, the education system in Turkey has similarities with Indonesia, especially in the use of a modern system in implementing the curriculum in universities. However, Turkey has greater academic autonomy in universities. Investment in Education, Turkey has invested in education through the "2023 Eğitim Vizyonu" program to improve the quality and accessibility of education. However, challenges such as educational inequality still need to be addressed. This study is expected to provide deeper insight into the education system in Turkey and the challenges faced, as well as comparisons with education systems in other countries, especially Indonesia.

Problem statement: The process of access to the tertiary education in Turkey has always been an issue of debate and a criticism. The secondary education system becomes less important for the pupils due to the nature of the university entrance examinations. Purpose of study: The present study aims at providing a comparative analysis of the educational systems in Turkey and Germany so as to offer a refreshing approach to the problematic situation in Turkey. Methods: The study is based on a comparative analysis of two different educational systems. To actualize this aim, regulations and current applications of two countries were analyzed in parallel with the latest organizational and structural reforms in both Turkey and Germany. Findings and Results: The study has revealed that different phases of the educational system in Turkey, such as secondary and tertiary levels, display a detachment in both content and structure, the results of which seem to have a negative impact on the pupils, teachers and on the society from a broader perspective. Conclusions and Recommendations: The educational model of German, in which vocational education system offers effective programs to get qualified for the various posts in the industrial arena, does not require all the citizens to get a university degree, and this helps reduce the number of pupils awaiting to get accepted to the tertiary education programs.

Today, it is not enough for individuals to only speak a native language. Individuals feel the need to learn a second or more language. In the developing world, it is seen that by the help of the technology people can reach the world from home and can learn one or more languages and may even grow in a multicultural family and become bilingual. In this research, it is aimed to investigate the views of Turkish learning international students on the education system in their countries, the education system in Turkey, Turkish and the language areas they study. The purposive sampling method was used in this study. In order to collect qualified data, B2 level students who can easily express themselves in Turkish were selected and interviewed. The research survey was applied to 30 students who were volunteers. To obtain in-depth information, the semi-structured interview method was decided to be used. In this study, it is seen that Turkmen students are not satisfied with the education system in their country while Azerbaijanis are satisfied and both groups liked the education system in Turkey. It is determined that the learners have positive and beautiful thoughts about Turkish. In terms of linguistic areas they do not find listening necessary, they do not mind much about reading, and on the contrary, they care a lot about speaking, and they give importance to writing and grammar, though they have difficulties in both.

To adapt to the advances of the era, the economic, technological, social and cultural competition continues growing rapidly between the world countries. The main way to adapt this competition is to improve the quality of human edification, in the other words to change education system. As one of the developing Asian countries in the world, Turkey wants to reach advanced development like other powerful countries in the world. So Turkey is one of the sample countries in the world that changes the education system in recent days. The aim of this research is to examine the opinions of school managers with respect to their views on the practical implications of the legal changes to the 4+4+4 new education system in Turkey. Qualitative methods were used for this phenomenon study and the participants were 34 school managers from several private and official institutions in Kirklareli city in Turkey. School managers were taken from utilizing eight semi-structured open-ended questions according to law which is about new education system to get their experiences. Data were collected in writing in fifty minutes and were given personal numbers. Data were analyzed via NVivo 10 and were created categories and themes. Findings were presented with tables and mind maps. The findings were coded into themes and presented with mind maps and tables. The results show that managers were attempting to implement the 4+4+4 new education system in Turkey accordance with the legal provisions. There are, however, some problems in doing so and the analysis of the issues they raised, has resulted in a number of recommendations.

This study discusses the impact of John Dewey (1859–1952) on Turkey's teacher education system. In so doing, it heavily relies on the commissioned report “The Report and Recommendation on Turkish Education” prepared by Dewey in 1924. This paper documents Dewey's ideas about teacher education in Turkey and analyses their take up in practice. Based on the research findings, it could be argued that Dewey had a considerable impact on the transformation of teacher education system in Turkey. His most visible impact was best observed in the policies and practices in the training of village teachers. The Village Institutes Project, launched in the early 1940s to introduce a model specific to Turkey, was extensively based on Dewey's recommendations. In the Republican Era, Dewey's ideas and thoughts on education have been eagerly observed and implemented by Turkish authorities, who have openly recognised his competence and authority in the field of education. His impact on Turkish education system is still visible as the present policy makers make reference to his works.

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Feminist photography in Turkey operates at the intersection of artistic expression and political resistance, navigating a landscape shaped by patriarchal norms, authoritarian governance and a rigid educational infrastructure. This article explores how such visual practices challenge the dominant photographic education system in Turkey – one rooted in technocratic modernism that privileges technical mastery over critical, embodied and inclusive approaches to image-making. The work of emerging photographer Cansu Yıldıran, whose practice is shaped by feminist and queer sensibilities, enables an analysis of alternative photographic aesthetics and methods which suggest modes of resistance. In voicing personal and collective forms of marginalization in this context, Yıldıran’s photographs implicitly critique its conventions of photography education. This, I argue, offers a counter-model that emphasizes performativity, vulnerability and lived experience and opens a critical space that invites more inclusive pedagogical possibilities.

The higher education system in Turkey suffered from capacity problem during the 1980s and the 1990s. After the election in 2002, to solve the problem, the Justice and Development Party governments have invested in higher education through opening new universities, increasing the total capacity in higher education, and sending more students abroad especially for graduate studies. In this paper, noting the conservative structure of the Justice and Development Party, we determine whether a dilemma exists between these liberal practices and the party’s conservatism. By constructing a one-period sequential game, we show that heavy investment in higher education by the Justice and Development Party is not contradictory and, in fact, inevitable, as long as it tries to maximize its vote in the short-medium run.

The world is going through a rapid transformation process in all fields. Those countries, which cannot keep up with this process, face numerous problems in terms of maintaining the living standards of their citizens. With the priority of enhancing the lives of individuals, the field of education is greatly affected by this process. Therefore in line with Turkey’s ambition to become a full member of the European Union (EU), it has been determined that vocational technical secondary education needs “restructuring”. Key indicators of the need for this is a mismatch between what the education sector can deliver and demands for a suitably qualified workforce. This is coupled with an increasing demand for higher education and close cooperation between the sector and industry. The EU membership process already specifies certain elements which will shape the future organization of vocational and technical education in Turkey. These concern progression from primary education to vocational-technical education, the general structure, content and evaluation of programs, adoption of a more flexible and modular vocational education structure, and establishing curricula with basic vocational standards. These elements have therefore become key determinants of the “restructuring” process. In this article, the current structure of the vocational-technical secondary education system in Turkey is discussed, and the general specifications of the system are compared with that of EU countries. Moreover, certain recent studies, which can be evaluated within the scope of the restructuring, are analyzed and suggestions are made

PurposeThe current synthesis study was conducted to locate comprehensive perspectives about the transformation of higher education institutions from being the only places where formal education programs are offered into settings where lifelong learning can be integrated. This demands an inquiry through not only instance investigation but also a more comprehensive evidence upsurge which has great importance in obtaining lessons and drawing conclusions from existing facts to show how higher education institutions can be places where lifelong learning is promoted for the good of both individuals and societal advancement.Design/methodology/approachUsing a meta-synthesis methodology, a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge in the area of higher education institutions' role in promoting lifelong learning was synthesized.FindingsThe study identified wide-ranging lifelong learning conceptualizations, potential beneficiaries, learning contents and ways of delivery that can be applied in higher education institutions. Furthermore, the practical challenges, partnership and coordination concerns and policy and reform issues towards promoting lifelong learning were addressed.Originality/valueThis meta-synthesis provides crucial evidence for higher education policymakers and practitioners seeking to guide the transformation of their institutions into settings where lifelong learning is integrated with other forms of educational programs, thereby optimizing individual's professional development and societal progress.

This research study carried out to examine the postgraduate theses on teachers’ views of the values education in Turkey was designed as a meta synthesis study. Postgraduate theses were obtained from the National Thesis Center of the Council of Higher Education. During the research process, these steps were followed;(1) determining the research subject, (2) selecting the studies to be included in the study, (3) picking and presenting the data, (4) ensuring validity and reliability and (5) analyzing the data and explaining the synthesis. Content analysis was used in the analysis of the data. The qualitative findings of the 24 theses included in the study were examined singly and as a result of the examination three main themes were determined; Applications practiced to gain values education and problems encountered, The values that should be gained by the students according to the teachers and the factors effective in gaining these values, The problems that the values education can deliver solution and the behavioral changes observed in the students after the values education practices. From the findings of the research, it was concluded that the teachers mostly used the drama method to gain of values education, that there were problems experienced caused by the family in practice, and that the practices could solve the problem of injustice the most.

Bu araştırmada ilkokulda Sosyal Bilgiler eğitimi alanındaki çalışmalara ilişkin araştırmaların mevcut durumunun analizinin ortaya konulması amaçlanmıştır. Araştırma, nitel verilerin yorumlanması ve değerlendirilmesinin temel alındığı, bu çalışmaların yine nitel bir yaklaşımla ele alınarak sonuçlarının derinlemesine irdelendiği, benzerlik ve farklılıklarının ortaya konulduğu meta sentez çalışmasıdır. Araştırma verilerinin toplanmasına 10 Ekim 2017 tarihinde başlanmış, veri toplama süreci makalenin tamamlanmasına kadar geçen süre zarfınca (30 Haziran 2018) devam etmiş, yayımlanan yeni çalışmaların da verilere dâhil edilmesine özen gösterilmiştir. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre ilkokulda Sosyal Bilgiler eğitiminde yapılan çalışmaların konu alanlarına ilişkin sonuçlar incelendiğinde, program değerlendirmesi, konu ya da ünite bazlı çalışmalara ilişkin incelemeler ile değer eğitimine yönelik çalışmaların olduğu görülmüştür. Özellikle Sosyal Bilgiler program incelemeleri ile ilgili elde edilen sonuçlarda 1’den 5’inci sınıflara kadar program geliştirme öğeleri açısından inceleme çalışmalarının olduğu görülmüştür. Ayrıca ilkokulda Sosyal Bilgiler eğitimine yönelik nitel çalışmaların çoğunlukla eylem araştırması, durum çalışması ve fenomenolojik desende temellendiği görülmüştür. Gömülü teori/kuram oluşturma ve etnografik desende çalışmaların azınlıkta olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca yapılan çalışmaların veri analiz süreçlerine ilişkin sonuçlarda içerik analizi ve betimsel analiz yöntemlerinin ön planda olduğu görülmüştür. Öte yandan incelenen çalışmaların birçoğunda analiz yöntemlerinin belirtilmediği tespit edilmiştir. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre ilkokulda Sosyal Bilgiler eğitimi çalışmalarında programın sahada uygulamasına dönük çalışmaların yapılması önerilebilir.

The purpose of the current study is to make a detailed introduction to the Irish education system and to come up with some implications latter through comparing it with the Turkish education system. Accordingly, the literature was reviewed. A general introduction was made to Ireland and its education system was examined considering its goals, structure and process dimensions. Similar and different aspects of the Irish and Turkish education system were discussed, and various suggestions were developed. The Irish and Turkish education systems have many similarities in terms of having a centralized structure, students’ obligation to take a general exam at the end of secondary education, financing of schools mostly by public resources, dominance of external inspection at schools and control of higher education by higher education councils such as YÖK and HEA. On the other hand, these two systems differ from each other in terms of administrative structure of schools, time of compulsory education, secular structure of education, rights to send children to whichever school they wish and to educate children at home, financial resources allocated for education, appointment of school principals and participation of stakeholders in administration. As a result of the comparison of these two education systems, it can be said that more opportunities should be provided for stakeholders to take part in administrative processes, psychologists should be included in inspection units, more emphasis should be put on self-assessment and more guidance and counseling should be offered to students so that the education system in Turkey can develop more.

The aims of Village Institutes were to create modern Turkey and start development from the villages by presenting civilization and revolutions to Turkish villagers and to supply primary education in the villages at 100% percent. In 17 April 1940, “Village Institutes” were founded by Ministry of National Education Hasan Ali Yücel and his General Director of Primary Education İsmail Hakkı Tonguç. The most important principles of them were; education in work, education with work, education for work. The Village Institutes’ system allowed the students to participate actively into education with their own actions leading to educated, critical thinking and creative individuals being capable of using their rights in the right manner; moreover, leading the formation of a creative society. In this article, similar and common dimensions of the group works applied in the Village Institutes and Cooperative Learning have been presented. Also, being aware of this educational system in Turkey in the past is tried to be provided. As a result, the value of The Village Institutes’ system should be regiven to humanity by using its positive aspects in today’s education systems. Article visualizations: