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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
- 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.
- 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.
- Ashwin, P. (2014). Knowledge, curriculum and student understanding in higher education. Routledge.
- Ashwin, P. (2020). Transforming university education: A manifesto. Bloomsbury Academic.
- Ashwin, P. (2022). The educational purposes of higher education: Changing discussions of the societal outcomes of educating students. Higher Education, 84(6), 1227-1244.
- 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.
- 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.
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Quality Assurance in Higher Education
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
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