Abstract
The present study examines the Turkish higher education system using Martin Trow’s ten-aspect transition model from elite to mass to universal access in higher education. Using a semi-structured interview form, 13 eminent people in the higher education sector, including executive board members of the Council of Higher Education, government officials, university administrators and faculty members, and representatives from major education-related non-governmental organizations, were interviewed. Qualitative data was analyzed through descriptive analysis. Findings revealed that the Turkish higher education system has been under the influence of politics and vulnerable to threats from the continuously changing political landscape due to its centralized, non-autonomous structure. Problems arising from the rapid increase in the number of higher education institutions and the expansion of the system are more visible today in every segment of the system, from attitudes toward access and the role of the universities attributed by public, issues with diversity and equity in access, and central student selection and placement mechanisms. Additionally, problems related to state control and the centralized structure of the system, failures in institutional governance, and the lack of institutional autonomy as well as problems related to curriculum, forms of instruction, and the lack of mechanisms for quality control and accountability in the institutions were also discussed. Recommendations for further research and policy were provided.
Highlights
The present study examines the Turkish higher education system using Martin Trow’s ten-aspect transition model from elite to mass to universal access in higher education
Martin Trow (1973) discusses issues related to higher education expansion and proposes a model that categorizes higher education expansion-related transformation into three stages: (a) “elite higher education” that provides access to only 15% of the age grade; access to higher education is seen as a privilege for a small group of society; (b) “mass higher education” that serves between 15% to 50% of the age grade; access to higher education is seen as a right for students with formal qualifications; and (c) “universal access” that provides access to over 50% of the age grade; higher education attendance is seen as an obligation
One participant indicated that there are two sides of the coin impacting the higher education system: First, the structures, purposes, and functions of higher education institutions (HEIs) have always been shaped by political events
Summary
The present study examines the Turkish higher education system using Martin Trow’s ten-aspect transition model from elite to mass to universal access in higher education. Problems arising from the rapid increase in the number of higher education institutions and the expansion of the system are more visible today in every segment of the system, from attitudes toward access and the role of the universities attributed by public, issues with diversity and equity in access, and central student selection and placement mechanisms. Parallel to this growth, higher education student enrollments increased dramatically and this resulted in the rapid expansion of higher education in Turkey, consistent with the continuing and accelerating trend of expansion around the world (Çetinsaya, 2014). While the gross enrollment rates for the total Turkish higher education system reached the trend bar of 50% that represents the shift from the mass to the universal access stage in 2009, this transformation was completed only after 2010 for both women and men. That was the time when attendance in higher education began to be seen as an obligation by the general public
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