Response of educational research in Turkey to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

Abstract

With the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), nations’ engagement with sustainability has differed considerably on the basis of their socio-political priorities. Since reviewing research trends is one way of getting a broad understanding about the value attached to an internationally prioritized issue, such as Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), this study aims to see the coherence and effectiveness of the DESD on the Turkish stakeholders’ side and portrays how such a global issue is addressed in educational research by local actors. The study employed a mixed-method design through a two-step process: a quantitative investigation through numbers to assess the level and direction of the attention paid to ESD; and a qualitative examination through content and collocation analyses to identify key dimensions and prevalent themes. As the sample, the papers published with a focus on ESD themes between the years 2005 and 2014 in three high-impact educational journals in Turkey were included. The data analyses were carried out through: (a) descriptive statistics by use of frequency distribution tables and percentages; (b) a content analysis employed with thematic coding and categorization and (c) a collocation analysis done by means of the software AntConc. The most prevailing themes emerging from the publications were on environmentalism; human values; gender equality; democratic values; multiculturalism; interculturality; morals and character education; student dropouts and absenteeism; life-long learning; community service and responsibility; human rights; children’s rights; citizenship and peace education. All those themes gave crucial hints about the local concerns and socio-cultural priorities of the case of Turkey.