RETHINKING FACULTIES OF EDUCATION IN THE CONTEXT OF LIFELONG LEARNING: UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the perspectives of undergraduate and graduate students who receive education in state university in Turkey regarding the transformation of faculties of education into lifelong learning environments. A qualitative research method was adopted, and data were collected in two main phases. In the first phase, written, open-ended responses were gathered from 70 undergraduate students from various departments who took the "Adult Education and Lifelong Learning" course over three consecutive academic terms (2022-2023 Fall, 2022-2023 Spring, 2023-2024 Fall). In the second phase, semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted in the 2023-2024 Spring term with 11 graduate students (5 with thesis, 6 non-thesis) from the Curriculum and Instruction department, all of whom are also in-service teachers. Data from undergraduate students were analyzed using inductive content analysis, while data from graduate students were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The findings indicate that both groups critique the theory-practice gap and demand an application-oriented curriculum. Other shared expectations include the evolution of the academic’s role towards guidance and the faculty's integration with society. The graduate group also emphasized systemic issues, such as inter-institutional incoordination. Based on these stakeholder perspectives, the study presents a framework for transformation.
Keywords
Lifelong learning, faculty of education, teacher education, student perspectives, qualitative research.
Ethical Statement
All ethical rules were observed at each stage of the research. The author declares that he acted in accordance with ethical rules in all processes of the research. The author declares that they do not have any conflict of interest with other persons, institutions or organizations.
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