Curriculum reform in Turkish teacher education: Attitudes of teacher educators towards change in an EU candidate nation

Abstract

Educational development is one way through which Turkey enhances progress towards its social goals and prepares itself for European Union membership. A major effort to upgrade the Turkish educational system was made through a multi-phased comprehensive reform of the sector introduced during the 1990s. One part of this reform, perhaps most crucial to the long-term effectiveness of other developments in education, was a transformation of the approach to teacher education. This paper utilizes recently conducted research to assess the nature and extent of that reform as well as identifying the factors which enhanced its effectiveness.

Introduction

The World Bank-funded national education development project (NEDP): Pre-service Teacher Education component was implemented in Turkey between 1994 and 1999 by the Turkish Higher Education Council (HEC). The technical assistance was provided by the British Council and Arizona State University. The aim was to improve the pre-service education of teachers in Turkey. Towards the end of the project, the HEC instituted a parallel reform: the restructuring of the faculties of education. Restructuring involved instituting new programmes and courses, changing the composition of departments, and revising the content of courses.

In 2003–2004, four years after the end of the project and the restructuring, a major study of their effects was conducted under the sponsorship of the Fulbright Commission for Educational Exchange between the United States and Turkey. One portion of the study consisted of an evaluation of the project's teacher education curriculum reform. The study measured a representative national sample of Turkish teacher educators and educational leaders, constituting one of the largest surveys of the teacher educator community in Turkish history. It considered their levels of acceptance together with their use of project ideas and materials, and their attitudes to the changes needed in teacher education as Turkey aims towards EU membership.

This paper examines the effectiveness, from the perspectives of teacher educators, of these recent teacher education reforms in Turkey. It specifically looks at the efforts to change curricula and accreditation criteria in faculties of education across Turkey, and examines the theoretical implications for the change in teacher education in an institutional context. Attitude differences between Turkish teacher educators in terms of experience, rank, and length of time spent abroad are also considered, factors which the research found to be of relevance in separating attitudes towards the reform and the future of Turkish teacher education. Finally, the paper addresses issues which may be useful for other countries with similar developmental goals, both inside and outside the EU.