Research Article

Between Compliance and Practice: Understanding Teaching Quality in Turkish Higher Education

Volume: 9 Number: 2 June 29, 2026
TR EN

Between Compliance and Practice: Understanding Teaching Quality in Turkish Higher Education

Abstract

Teaching quality has become a central concern of quality assurance systems in higher education, yet it remains a complex and context-dependent concept. This study explores how teaching quality is interpreted and constructed by institutional actors within the Turkish higher education system. Adopting a qualitative design, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with 12 quality coordinators working at universities holding five-year institutional accreditation. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings show that teaching quality is understood through multiple and sometimes competing lenses, including compliance with formal procedures, measurable performance indicators, and pedagogical practice. They also reveal the influence of institutional pressures and a recurring gap between formal representations of quality and everyday teaching realities. These results suggest that teaching quality is not only assessed through standardized mechanisms but also interpreted, negotiated, and enacted within institutional contexts. The study contributes to the literature by offering empirical insight from the Turkish higher education context and by showing how teaching quality is shaped both by formal quality assurance structures and by local meaning-making processes. It also points to the need for more comprehensive and context-sensitive approaches to quality assurance that better capture the pedagogical and relational dimensions of teaching.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

TÜBİTAK

Project Number

1059B192200979

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Boğaziçi University Social and Human Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee, with the decision dated 18/04/2024 and numbered 2024-22.

Thanks

The author would like to express sincere gratitude to Professor Paul Ashwin for his invaluable support, guidance, and encouragement during the postdoctoral research period.

References

  1. Abbas, J. (2020). Service quality in higher education institutions: qualitative evidence from the students’ perspectives using Maslow hierarchy of needs. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 12(3), 371-384.
  2. Akyürek, M. İ., Göktaş, E., & Aslan, A. (2025). Exploring the Mediating Role of Lecturer Competence in the Relationship Between Service Quality and Academic Engagement in Higher Education. Journal of University Research, 8(3), 329-340.
  3. Ashwin, P. (2014). Knowledge, curriculum and student understanding in higher education. Routledge.
  4. Ashwin, P. (2020). Transforming university education: A manifesto. Bloomsbury Academic.
  5. Ashwin, P. (2022). The educational purposes of higher education: Changing discussions of the societal outcomes of educating students. Higher Education, 84(6), 1227-1244.
  6. Ashwin, P., Boud, D., Coate, K., Hallett, F., Keane, E., Krause, K.-L., Leibowitz, B., MacLaren, I., McArthur, J., McCune, V., & Tooher, M. (2020). Reflective teaching in higher education. Bloomsbury Academic.
  7. Baldwin, G., & James, R. (2000). The market in Australian higher education and the concept of student as informed consumer. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 22(2), 139-148.
  8. Barnett, R. (1997). Higher education: A critical business. McGraw-Hill Education.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Quality Assurance in Higher Education

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

June 29, 2026

Submission Date

April 13, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 4, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 9 Number: 2

APA
Ergin Kocatürk, H. (2026). Between Compliance and Practice: Understanding Teaching Quality in Turkish Higher Education. Journal of University Research, 9(2), 198-211. https://izlik.org/JA46HC96BA
AMA
1.Ergin Kocatürk H. Between Compliance and Practice: Understanding Teaching Quality in Turkish Higher Education. Journal of University Research. 2026;9(2):198-211. https://izlik.org/JA46HC96BA
Chicago
Ergin Kocatürk, Hatice. 2026. “Between Compliance and Practice: Understanding Teaching Quality in Turkish Higher Education”. Journal of University Research 9 (2): 198-211. https://izlik.org/JA46HC96BA.
EndNote
Ergin Kocatürk H (June 1, 2026) Between Compliance and Practice: Understanding Teaching Quality in Turkish Higher Education. Journal of University Research 9 2 198–211.
IEEE
[1]H. Ergin Kocatürk, “Between Compliance and Practice: Understanding Teaching Quality in Turkish Higher Education”, Journal of University Research, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 198–211, June 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA46HC96BA
ISNAD
Ergin Kocatürk, Hatice. “Between Compliance and Practice: Understanding Teaching Quality in Turkish Higher Education”. Journal of University Research 9/2 (June 1, 2026): 198-211. https://izlik.org/JA46HC96BA.
JAMA
1.Ergin Kocatürk H. Between Compliance and Practice: Understanding Teaching Quality in Turkish Higher Education. Journal of University Research. 2026;9:198–211.
MLA
Ergin Kocatürk, Hatice. “Between Compliance and Practice: Understanding Teaching Quality in Turkish Higher Education”. Journal of University Research, vol. 9, no. 2, June 2026, pp. 198-11, https://izlik.org/JA46HC96BA.
Vancouver
1.Hatice Ergin Kocatürk. Between Compliance and Practice: Understanding Teaching Quality in Turkish Higher Education. Journal of University Research [Internet]. 2026 Jun. 1;9(2):198-211. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA46HC96BA