Turkish Education System Research Articles

Opinions of Social Studies Teachers on Turkish Education System: Current Problems and Suggested Solutions

The value given to social sciences in developed societies is increasing day by day. It is a discipline that deals with the individual, social life and events from different perspectives with a scientific approach; It is important for a better understanding of the individual and social events. This work; This study was carried out in order to examine the problems faced by social studies teachers in the social studies lesson and other factors related to the social studies lesson in line with the views of the social studies teachers. In the research, it was aimed to reveal the existing or past problems as they are, therefore, a widely used qualitative design based on consultation was used. This research was conducted with 50 social studies teachers in primary schools in Mardin province, district and village affiliated to the Ministry of National Education. In the research, the data were collected with the semi-structured interview form technique, which is one of the qualitative research methods. The data obtained in this study were analyzed descriptively according to the previously classified guidelines. When the results of this study are examined, it can be seen how the school situation affects the readiness of the student, the high internal motivation of the student, how the child's genetic and mental codes direct the child, the fact that the financial conditions are directly proportional to the education, what kind of environment he grows up in, the textbook is not sufficient for the exam. Whether there is an additional source or not, the direct reflection of friendship relations or the level of class success on the student, the burden of more responsibility than the student can bear, Results have been obtained such that its existing capacity should be supported socially and economically rather than being very intelligent.

Design-Based Self-Study; Is One’s Philosophy of Education Fixed?/ Tasarım Temelli Öz Araştırması: Eğitim Felsefesi Sabit midir?

Educational philosophies pertain to teachers’ perceptions, beliefs, and values about teaching and learning. They are teachers’ reference points for instructional effectiveness. In this study, I examined my own case to manage a dissatisfying incongruence between my educational philosophies and instructional practices. For this purpose, I employed self-study methodology with design-based research methods and analyzed instructional instances which reflected a divergence from my dominant philosophies via thematic analysis. I realized that I applied different educational philosophies at different stages of the class. For syllabus design, I employed traditional philosophies to meet departmental expectations. However, I taught the class mostly via Progressivism and Reconstructionism for pre-service teachers’ professional development. The fact that I could not reflect my educational philosophies satisfactorily created an instructional dissatisfaction; therefore, I made instructional changes throughout the class to manage it. Initially realizing pre-service teachers’ traditional perceptions of teaching, I taught by Reconstructionism and Existentialism to broaden their perspective. However, pre-service teachers’ class participation was low and to assess their internalization of content, I adopted Progressivism. As pre-service teachers analyzed a language teaching class, I also recognized their traditional beliefs about learning. This realization led me to examine the context of the study. For a long time, the Turkish education system reflected characteristics of Perennialism and Essentialism. It is only recently that Progressivism was adopted. In this context, Existential and Reconstructionist teaching would not be effective, and I diverted to Essentialism, Progressivism, and Reconstructionism. Therefore, I could teach for my students’ learning habits, professional development, and workforce demands. On the last weeks, Existentialist and Progressivist principles were vivid in my class because I value training autonomous, well-educated, and critical thinkers. I could not teach this class as I would ideally do because of my course design as well as characteristics of the context and stakeholders, yet met course objectives.

The Roles and Responsibilities of School Administrators during the Emergency Remote Teaching Process in Covid-19 Pandemic

When Covid 19 pandemic started, schools in Turkey, as in many parts of the World, were closed and then emergency remote teaching started. The purpose of this study is to explain the roles and responsibilities of school administrators related to emergency remote teaching after schools were closed. In order to reveal the purpose above, this research was carried out in qualitative research design. 105 school administrators from different regions of Turkey and different school levels participated the study. The data were collected through a Google Drive form with open-ended questions. The collected data were analyzed with content and descriptive analyses. The findings showed that the roles and responsibilities of the school administrators regarding emergency remote teaching included planning the process, starting online classes, opening different social media accounts, managing the online program, solving the adaptation problems of students and teachers, monitoring the actions taken and motivating teachers, students, parents; communication and finally it has been seen that they are in the act of transition to and maintaining digital management. During the Covid 19 pandemic, school administrators have mostly done “communication”. There were also changes in the communication styles of school administrators and social media tools were used effectively. The intensive use of technology in this period has caused changes in management processes and managers have mostly talked about digital management. The exhausting aspects of digital management are expressed as well as the facilitating ones. Since emergency remote teaching is not a common case in the K-12 Turkish education system, the roles and responsibilities of school administrators during such emergency periods have not been studied in national context yet. Therefore, what school administrators did in relation to remote teaching during this Covid 19 period was explored.

‘Am I a terrorist or an educator?’ Turkish asylum seekers narratives on education rights violations after a crackdown following the 2016 failed coup attempt in Turkey

ABSTRACT Democratisation in Turkey collapsed in the wake of the 2016 failed military coup and the crackdown that followed, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launching a widespread rollback of academic and other liberties, systematically purging civic institutions of political opponents and critics that significantly harmed intellectuals, students, and educational rights. This paper analyses the narratives of Turkish citizens who were prosecuted, dismissed, abused, tortured, victimised, and imprisoned during the State of Emergency (OHAL) initiated after the failed coup attempt in July 2016. This narrative approach examines the transcripts of in-depth interviews about the experiences and critical life stories of 20 individuals now living in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Also included are field notes and documents that reveal the authorities’ violations of their educational human rights. These included the denial of education, unwarranted dismissal, elimination of academic freedom of thought, and harassment of academics and their children. Such violations have created a brain drain of educators fleeing the country. These deleterious changes in the Turkish education system have had severe social and political effects and have produced an education system that fails to meet the country’s needs, which, if not remediated, will ripple through the generations, dimming the nation’s future.

How parents spent time at home with their preschool-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been seen in more than 120 countries, including Turkey, which took public health measures to reduce the spread of the novel virus. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the Turkish education system, where schools closed indefinitely on March 16, 2020, due to the pandemic. School closures immediately changed the lives of Turkish children and their parents, as children started to spend more time with their families at home during this pandemic. This article addresses how parents spent time with their children at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how their feelings changed during this time. Purposive sampling was used to select 25 parents whose children in preschool education during the spring semester of 2020. This study used qualitative methods, collecting data through a semi-structured interview form. Interviews were conducted over the telephone because of the social distancing guidelines during the pandemic. Results from the interviews show that parents engaged in several different types of activities with their children at home during the pandemic. Parents’ reflections detailed how they noticed behavioral, psychological, socialization, and school-based impacts on their children during the pandemic period. Besides, findings indicate that parents generally experienced negative feelings and effects due to the pandemic. Results are discussed in terms of the effects of the pandemic on the lives of parents and their young children.

REVISITING THE PROSPECT OF REVISION IN TURKISH SECONDARY SCHOOL HISTORY TEXTBOOKS: THE CASE OF THE ASSYRIAN DEBATE

ABSTRACT This article is based on the premise that the constructed image of the national self is a fundamental criterion shaping the conceptions of history teaching in the Turkish educational system. In this regard, I argue that examining how particular ethno-religious groups are discursively positioned in relation to the idealised self-image can reveal whether and how history textbooks can be revised. Having described the historical and political context for the only curriculum revision occurred in 2013 concerning a non-Muslim community, the Assyrians, the article demonstrates that specific discursive strategies are used to position the Assyrian community in relation to the favourable national self-image, rather than a fixed categorization for non-Muslim communities. Adopting the methodological framework of critical discourse analysis, the author examines the portrayal of the Assyrian community in the secondary school Turkish history textbooks taught over the last three decades and identifies how the topoi of justice and tolerance, as well as allegiance and betrayal allow a particular group to be a member of the larger body of ‘acceptable citizens.’

Problems Experienced by Prospective Turkish Teachers in Paragraph Development Process

It is observed that individuals have problems in written expression in the Turkish education system, and a permanent solution can not be developed to solve these problems. Therefore, the primary objective of this research is to determine the problems of prospective Turkish teachers in paragraph creation. This research was carried out in the descriptive survey model. The study group consists of 88 students studying in the 3rd grade at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University in the 2018-2019 academic year. In the data collection process, the “paragraph creation problem inventory” developed by the researchers was used in the study. According to research results, it was found that the students suffered the most in “inability to create an introductory paragraph” (n=86), “inability to maintain the thought unity in the paragraph” (n=84), and “inability to develop thought in the paragraph” (n=83). In this study, solutions to the problems experienced by the students were also presented. The study findings are expected to contribute to teaching paragraph development.

THE INCLUSION OF MINSTREL TRADITION IN TRADITIONAL TURKISH FOLK MUSIC EDUCATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE OPINIONS AND EXPECTATIONS OF TODAY'S MINSTRELS

In this research, the aim is to determine to what extent the minstrel tradition is included in traditional Turkish folk music education. The study is of qualitative type and is a case study. The pattern which was used in the study is the Interpretive Social Science approach, which is known to be mostly used in qualitative research. The participants of the study consist of 14 minstrels, 4 of whom reside in Kars, 5 in Erzurum, 3 in Ankara, 1 in Izmir and 1 in Istanbul. The data of the research were obtained as a result of the interviews with the minstrels between November and December in 2020. As a data collection tool, a semi-structured interview form consisting of nine openended questions prepared by the researchers was used. It has been understood that the notions regarding the tradition of minstrelsy not being given enough place in traditional Turkish folk music education is mostly dominant. Although, it was determined that a lesser extent stated that it was sufficient. It is seen that most of the requests for discussions and invitations for classes for the minstrels who were to be interviewed in the area of bachelor's degree, postgraduate or doctoral education were mostly from the Faculties of Literature and Turkish Language and Literature departments, while the invitations to a small number of minstrels are from the institutions where professional music education is given. The research has provided the opportunity to make various determinations in line with the views and expressions of the minstrels about the importance of tradition, its contributions to the society as a cultural and historical document, how necessary it is to carry Turkish culture and music to the future, and the inclusion of the minstrel tradition in the Turkish education system through the education policies of the state From the data obtained, it is seen that the biggest problem experienced in the transfer and survival of this culture is the fact of unemployment (economical problems) encountered among minstrels in general. It can be suggested that regular and compulsory advertisements, films or music programs promoting the minstrel tradition should be organized under state control in every national channel to promote and disseminate the tradition and provide financial gain to minstrels who are alive.

Voices of Underrepresented Stakeholders: Parental Evaluation on 5th Grade ELT Curricula

The opinions of parents as a school-based stakeholders on ELT curricula have been neglected by not only authorities but also the related literature. Except from their consent or demands’ being a prerequisite for the application of intensive curriculum for 5th graders, parents do not have a role for the development or application of English language curricula in Turkish education system. The present study is an attempt to hearken to their voices about the English language curricula implemented for 5th graders in Turkish middle schools. To this end, a cross-sectional survey study was designed and 116 parents of 5th graders were reached through ‘Parental Questionnaire on ELT Curriculum.’ The data were analyzed through Nvivo 12 and the results were supported with visual maps and direct quotations. The findings indicated that with high expectations from the curricula, the parents supported learning English based on the factors of providing long-term benefits and keeping up the new world order. Sharing their opinions on teaching material, content, class hours, assignments, and activities, participants gave suggestions on cognitive, affective, and practical aspects to improve the applications.

ARTISTIC EDUCATION IN TURKEY

This Article Aims to study Turkey’s Education system, history and culture. The Article includes Turkish Educational system from the beginning till today. It also includes the importance of Education and the effects of culture. One of the many important functions of art is to encourage people to see different cultural perspectives and enable them to better understand and appreciate themselves and others. Engagement with art from other cultures may help us transform our understanding of learning (Joseph & Southcott, 2009). Art has the tremendous potential to develop children’s cross-cultural competence and experience, and it can reveal the values and beliefs of a culture, while helping children view the world from new perspectives.

Establishing Football Vocational Schools: Perspective from Turkey

The aim of this study was to understand what principles should be used in the future when establishing Football Vocational Schools in Turkey in order to ensure that future Turkish football players are better trained, and that this occurs in economically viable ways. The study was conducted as a case study. The data were collected using the interview technique and then subject to content analysis. Converting the football academy units currently found in Turkish sports clubs into Football Vocational Schools will fill the current deficiencies in the Turkish education system and will provide the well-trained and elite football players increasingly required by professional clubs. These schools should focus on providing education and training in football, which should be complemented by the subjects in the national education curriculum. This will make it easier for talented young footballers to choose football as a profession from an early age. Such a training model will help create a new service area with high added value in a market in which there is strong international competition. Keywords: Vocational School, Syllabus, Football Training, Turkish Education, Football Economy

An examination of values education based on the experiences of classroom teachers

Classroom teachers, who have the duty of fostering values in the socialization of the child, occupy a key position in achieving success in primary education. In this research, the impact of values education on the Turkish education system was revealed, based on the experiences of classroom teachers. The research was conducted in a case study design, which is one of the qualitative research methods. A purposive sampling method was used to determine the study group by considering gender, professional experience, graduate/postgraduate education status, job seniority, work location and class levels. The results revealed that values education enables for students hardworking, honesty, successfulness and virtuousness, solidarity, and cooperation. The values, which is necessary to be nurtured in students are primarily universal, individual and national values. Values education must be supported by integrating it with lessons and by the participation of the family. In order to attain success in a sustainable values education, it is seen that for fostering of basic values, responsibility should be shared among the stakeholders.

THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PERSONAL INITIATIVE IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHERS' WORK AUTONOMY AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING

The aim of the study is to examine the mediating role of personal initiative in the relationship between job autonomy and subjective well-being in the Turkish education system. In this context, the research was carried out on a sample created by the convenience sampling method on the teachers working in the 2019-2020 Education and Training Period at the primary and secondary education levels within the borders of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality. The data of the research are collected by using three scala, job autonomy scale, subjective well-being scale and personal initiative scale. Relational scanning model was used to determine the direction and level of change between the variables subject to the research, and partial least squares-structural equation model was used for the structural analysis of the established model. SmartPLS package program and R programming language were used in the study. In the analyses, the assumptions that need to be provided about the data were checked first, and then the established model was tested. As a result of the analysis; It has been determined that there is a significant and same-sided relationship between job autonomy, subjective well-being and personal initiative variables, and personal initiative plays a full mediator role in the relationship between work autonomy and subjective well-being. It is considered that the study will contribute to the organizational behavior literature and that the results obtained from the research can form the basis for future studies. Key words: Job Autonomy, Subjective Well-Being, Personal Initiative

Dil Öğreniminde Güdülenmeye Etki Eden Unsurlar

English knowledge has become the language of communication and and many other areas in the world. It is now seen as an important requirement in today’s world. It is widely used especially in international trade today and it has also used in the science and education areas as a common language. In this regard the focus on English teaching has been given importance in Turkey as well as in many other countries for a long time. As can be understood from the ongoing regulations, great importance is attached to English teaching from the primary  to university level in the Turkish education system, solutions are sought for effective teaching and various innovations have been made. There are many factors which have influences on language learning, motivation is one of them. Students’ motivation level is very important in foreign language learning. Motivation of the learners can be considered as the most important factor that directly affects their success in a foreign language. The success in foreign language learning activities mainly depends on motivation, teacher quality, interaction between teacher and students, parental factors, socio-economic status and cultural background of students some other possible reasons. In the study   the concept of motivation and the factors have effects on motivation, and current language education situation of Turkey are expounded in detail and it is tried to shed light on the issue in every aspect.

Okul Yöneticilerinin Eğitim Yönetiminde Toplam Kalite Yönetimi Uygulanmasına Önderlik Etme Süreçleri

The Ministry of Education as a school, or even aware of the importance of quality in the classroom for more than 10 years of Total Quality Management Implementation Project realized. There are schools and institutions, its impact on the project and the situation is important in terms of labor spent on studies. Total Quality Management in all public institutions, as well as contemporary participatory management approach and implementation of the national education system in the process of habituation occurred. Exchange of training programs, the implementation of student-centered educational programs is a positive development in the process of implementation of TQM. Where leading executives adopted the philosophy of TQM, continuous improvement targeted, small but continuous steps were taken forward, with one study achieved full participation is not possible to reach the success of Total Quality Management practices . Key Words: Education Management, Total Quality Management, Turkish Education System.

Türkiye'deki ortaöğretim tarih ders kitaplarında Afrika

The early republican era official historiography in Turkey was affected by Eurocentrism, while at the same time criticizing it. This study scrutinizes the knowledge structures in Turkey about Africa by examining the secondary level national education in Turkey. This article analyzes the secondary level history textbooks of the Turkish education system and the university entrance exams. In the article, the effect of the Eurocentric approach on secondary education history textbooks in Turkey is discussed. In this context, the ways in which the African geography, peoples, and societies are included and not included in these books are evaluated. The narrative created by the Eurocentric perspective on the African geography, in which history textbooks are influenced, is discussed. This study shows the connections between the contents of the history textbooks and the Official Turkish History Thesis and argues that Africa is given not enough importance in the secondary level history textbooks published in Turkey.

TURKISH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ CAUSAL ATTRIBUTIONS TO THEIR PERCEIVED ACHIEVEMENTS AND FAILURES IN LEARNING ENGLISH

This study aimed to look into Turkish learners’ examples of success and failure, and attributions to their perceived achievements and failures in learning English as a foreign language. Data were collected from 41 students majoring in physics, metallurgy engineering and paramedics at a public university in Turkey. An open-ended questionnaire was translated into Turkish and delivered to the students to obtain data. Research findings firstly showed that one-third of the participants did not recount an example of success or failure, which might point out learners’ lack of self-awareness and self-assessment. Furthermore, their examples of success and failure mainly were grade-oriented. This finding might display the influence of the Turkish educational system focusing on academic achievement which is primarily evaluated by exam results. Secondly, students were found to attribute both their achievements and failures to effort as an internal and controllable factor. Another important factor was found to be motivation; hence the importance of motivating university students who claimed their own responsibility for success and failure arises.

The compliant wife, the good mother and other normalizing constructions of womanhood: a critical discourse analysis of idealized female identities within Turkish educational policy

ABSTRACT The present study analyzes discursive practices that work to construct particular female identities and re/construct gender inequalities in Turkish educational system. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) was utilized to analyze 124 publicly available educational policy documents directly related to gender in education. Additionally, CDA was applied to a total of 252 Turkish newspaper clippings published over the last decade in 14 different national newspapers. Analysis of the data was used to critically examine perceptions of teachers regarding gender issues in education. A total of 13 semi-structured interviews with teachers working at public schools in Ankara province were conducted for this purpose. The analysis describes the effects of discourse produced by and through the framing of policies and educational practices that shape Turkish social identities. Specific discursive effects examined include the construction and normalization of a female identity that is inferior, submissive, and conservative.

Does the Turkish Education System Have an Educational Philosophy?

There is a widespread belief as regards our educational system, which is also evaluated as the "Human Raising System", that it lacks an educational philosophy. It is obvious that as education system without an educational philosophy cannot raise people suitable for the information society. Considering the people raised by the system, it would not be a very unfair to label the education system as without philosophy. The objective of this study is to try to look for an answer to the question "if the education system has a philosophy or not" by examining the issue within the context of the objective and principles of the Turkish education system. To this end, objective and principles of the system were examined and discussed in terms of educational philosophies with an eye to achieve the cited objective. Given the fact that the human type that raised by the system in general “does not question things, believes that all the things said by the rulers is true, makes everything ordered without any objection (approach of “I Close My Eyes and Do My Duty”) and obeys the authority by all means”, the opinion that the system is "without philosophy" emerges by itself. However, although the system actually owns a philosophy, beliefs as to what this philosophy are different than each other. Keywords: philosophy, educational philosophy, philosophy of the Turkish education system DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-17-10 Publication date: June 30 th 2021

Turkish Education System from the Eyes of Future Teachers: Metaphorical Perceptions

The aim of this study is to determine preservice teachers’ metaphorical perceptions regarding the following concepts: school, school principal, Turkish education system, teacher and student. This qualitative study was designed according to the principles of phenomenological model. The participants of the study are 160 preservice teachers attending the Education Faculty of a state university located in Mid-Anatolia region of Turkey during the Spring semester of 2019-2020 academic year. The data was collected by asking the participants to complete the following sentences “I liken “school” (and others) to …. because…” The data were analyzed through content analysis. The results of the study revealed 4 themes for school, 5 themes about school principal, 4 themes about Turkish Education System, 4 themes for teacher and 4 themes about student. Teacher candidates generally likened school, school principal, Turkish Education System and student to negative things, while they likened teacher to positive things.