TY - JOUR T1 - Navigating the Accreditation Labyrinth with Meta Synthesis Tips TT - Meta Sentez İpuçları İle Akreditasyon Labirentinde Yol Bulmak AU - Orhan, Alev PY - 2025 DA - October Y2 - 2025 DO - 10.24106/kefdergi.1795791 JF - Kastamonu Education Journal JO - Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi PB - Kastamonu University WT - DergiPark SN - 2147-9844 SP - 738 EP - 752 VL - 33 IS - 4 LA - en AB - Purpose: This approach will facilitate the identification of prevailing issues and recent developments in the accreditation process. The objective of this study is to systematically analyze and present all aspects of qualitative theses that address the accreditation process. Furthermore, the objective was to ascertain the lacunae within the field by employing meta-synthesis analysis, a methodological approach that facilitates the examination of all dimensions of qualitative research on the accreditation process.Design/Methodology/Approach: In this study, meta-synthesis, a qualitative research method, was employed. The present study encompasses the qualitative findings of a set of graduate theses (n = 17) obtained from the Thesis Center of the Council of Higher Education. A content analysis was performed on the data obtained through the utilization of the MAXQDA 2020 (20.4.0) program.Findings: The results of the research demonstrated that the majority of accreditation studies are conducted within the domain of educational sciences, with a preponderance of literature focusing on the comparison of accreditation processes across various nations. Furthermore, the research findings indicate that the impact of training curricula on accreditation is a salient issue, underscoring the significance of accreditation by independent institutions. Highlights: Researchers, too, have several recommendations, including the inclusion of different stakeholders. KW - Accreditation KW - Meta-synthesis KW - Higher education KW - Quality of higher education N2 - Çalışmanın amacı: Yükseköğretim, öğretim, bilimsel araştırma ve topluma hizmet işlevlerinin gerçekleştirildiği dinamik bir süreçtir. Bu noktada, mevcut literatürün kapsamlı ve bütüncül bir analizinin yapılması zorunludur. Bu analiz, ülkelerin akreditasyon kriterleri, akreditasyon kurumlarının özellikleri, öğretim süreci ve kurumları ile ilgili değerlendirme ve karşılaştırmaları kapsamalıdır. Bu yaklaşım, akreditasyon sürecindeki mevcut sorunların ve son gelişmelerin belirlenmesini kolaylaştıracaktır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, akreditasyon sürecini ele alan nitel tezlerin tüm yönlerini sistematik olarak analiz etmek ve sunmaktır. Ayrıca, akreditasyon sürecine ilişkin nitel araştırmaların tüm boyutlarının incelenmesini kolaylaştıran metodolojik bir yaklaşım olan meta-sentez analizi kullanılarak alandaki boşlukların tespit edilmesi amaçlanmıştır.Materyal ve Yöntem: Bu araştırmada nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden olan meta-sentez kullanılmıştır. Veri seti tez tarama veri tabanından “akreditasyon” anahtar kavramı kullanılarak elde edilmiştir. Araştırmanın kapsamını ise Yükseköğretim Kurulu Başkanlığı Tez Merkezi’nden elde edilen lisansüstü tezlerin (n¬=17) nitel bulguları oluşturmaktadır. Elde edilen veriler üzerinden MAXQDA 2020 (20.4.0) programı aracılığıyla içerik analizi gerçekleştirilerek ilgili tema ve kodlar oluşturulmuştur.Bulgular: Araştırma sonuçları akreditasyon çalışmalarının en fazla eğitim bilimleri alanında yapıldığını ve ülkeler arasındaki akreditasyon sürecinin karşılaştırılmasının daha ağırlıklı olduğunu göstermiştir. Ayrıca araştırma sonuçlarına göre eğitim müfredatlarının akreditasyon üzerindeki etkilerinin ön plana çıktığı ve akreditasyonun bağımsız kurumlar tarafından yapılmasının önemine dikkat çekildiği görülmektedir. 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