Education Stakeholders’ Views on Controversial Issues in Terms of Null Curriculum

Abstract

This study aims to identify the controversial issues in Turkey based on the views of some education stakeholders and analyze the experiences of teachers in terms of those controversial issues. This study was designed in a qualitative research design. The participants of the study are 250 academicians from the departments of educational sciences, maths and science, Turkish and social sciences, primary education, foreign languages and fine arts of universities; 26 form tutors, religious culture and ethics, Turkish, science, maths and English teachers employed in public schools in Eskişehir; and the representatives of 5 teacher unions. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with teachers and open ended questionnaires with academicians and the representatives of teacher unions. Inductive analysis method was used to analyse all the data. The study revealed that the controversial issues which were identified by the help of education stakeholders were mostly not covered in elementary education curriculum and in teachers' practice; in other words, it was null curriculum.

Keywords

• Critical pedagogy
• Controversial issues
• Null curriculum
• Basic qualitative research.

Eğitim paydaşlarının ihmal edilen eğitim programı bağlamında tartışmalı konular hakkındaki görüşleri

Öz

Bu çalışma, bazı eğitim paydaşlarının görüşlerine dayalı olarak Türkiye'de tartışmalı konuları tespit etmeyi ve öğretmenlerin deneyimlerini bu tartışmalı konular açısından analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma, nitel araştırma deseninde tasarlanmıştır. Araştırmanın katılımcılarını üniversitelerin eğitim bilimleri, matematik ve fen bilimleri, Türkçe ve sosyal bilimler, ilköğretim, yabancı diller ve güzel sanatlar bölümlerinden 250 akademisyen; Eskişehir ili devlet okullarında görev yapan 26 sınıf öğretmeni, din kültürü ve ahlak bilgisi, Türkçe, fen bilgisi, matematik ve İngilizce öğretmeni; ve 5 eğitim sendikasının temsilcileri oluşturmaktadır. Veriler, öğretmenlerden yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler; akademisyenler ve eğitim sendikaları temsilcilerinden ise açık uçlu anketler yoluyla toplanmıştır. Tüm verilerin analizinde tümevarımsal analiz yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Araştırma, eğitim paydaşlarının yardımıyla tespit edilen tartışmalı konuların ilköğretim programında ve öğretmenlerin uygulamalarında çoğunlukla yer almadığını; başka bir deyişle ihmal edilen eğitim programı kapsamında kaldığını göstermiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Eleştirel pedagoji
• Tartışmalı konular
• İhmal edilen eğitim programı
• Genel nitel araştırma

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