The Social Status of Teaching Profession: A Phenomenological Study

Year 2019, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 183 - 203, 31.08.2019

Özgül Mutluer , Sedat Yüksel

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the perception
of the social status of the teaching profession in Turkey and what the factors are shaping this
perception in the past and present, based on the opinions of teachers. This
study is a qualitative research in phenomenological pattern. The data were
obtained by semi-structured interviews with 26 teachers, 16 of which were
retired. The findings of the study reveal that teachers have negative opinions
about the social status of the teaching profession. Teachers base their views
on a variety of professional and non-professional factors. The most effective
factors are financial gain, relations between the Ministry of National
Education and teachers, teacher training system and the employment of teachers.

Keywords

Social status, teacher, teaching, profession

References

• Akyüz, Y. (1978). Türkiye’de öğretmenin öğretmen ve meslek imajı. Ankara Üniversitesi Eğitim Bilimleri Fakültesi Dergisi, 11 (1), 115-12.
• Akyüz, Y. (1999). Cumhuriyetten günümüze öğretmenlik mesleğine ve toplumdaki imajına bir bakış ve tarihten çıkarılamayan dersler. Eğitimde Yansımalar: V, 21. Yüzyılın Eşiğinde Türk Eğitim Sistemi Ulusal Sempozyumu Bildiriler kitabı içinde (pp.222-227). Ankara: Öğretmen Hüseyin Hüsnü Tekışık Eğitim Araştırma Geliştirme.
• Akyüz, Y. (2013). Türk Eğitim Tarihi M.Ö. 1000-M.S. 2013 (24. Edition). Ankara: Pegem Akademi.
• Aslan, N. (2015). Öğretmenliğin meslek olarak seçilmesinde etkili olan temel unsurlar. International Journal of Social Science, 37, 53-64.
• Ataünal, A. (2003). Niçin ve Nasıl Bir Öğretmen? Ankara: Milli Eğitim Vakfı.
• Aydın, İ., Güner D., T., & Erdemli, Ö. (2015). Teacher’s views regarding the social status of the teaching profession. Anthropologist, 22 (2), 146-156.
• Balcı, E. (1991). Öğretmenlerin statüsü ve ödüllendirilmesi. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Dergisi, 6, 121-128.
• Barber, M., & Mourshed, M. (2007). How the world's best performing schools systemscome out on top. Retrieved from https://smhc-cpre.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/how-the-worlds-best-performing-school-systems-come-out-on-top-sept-072.pdf
• Bek, Y. ( 2007). Öğretmenlerin mesleki rolleri/statüsü. (Unpublished Master's Thesis). Trakya Üniversitesi, Edirne.
• Bell, B. (1988). What the public thinks. Report: Assistant Masters and Mistresses Association, 11 (4), 10.
• Cameron, M. (2003). Teacher status project: Identifying teacher status, its impact and recent teacher status initiatives. Paper prepared for The New Zealand Ministry of Education New Zealand Teachers Council. Retrieved from https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/ECE/2535/10612
• Creswell, J.W. (2007). Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. London: Sage.
• Cunningham, P. (1992). Teachers’ professional image and the press, 1950-1990. History ofEducation, 21 (1), 37–56.
• Çilesiz, Ş. (2011). A phenomenological approach to experiences with technology: Current state, promise, and future directions for research. Educational Technology Research and Development, 59 (4), 487–510.
• Eğitim-Bir-Sen. (2004). Öğretmen Sorunları Araştırması. Ankara: Eğitimciler Birliği Sendikası. Retrieved from http://www.ebs.org.tr/arastirma/01ogretmensorunlar%C4%B1.pdf
• Etimoloji Türkçe (2018). Statü kelimesinin kökeni. Retrieved from https://www.etimolojiturkce.com/kelime/stat%C3%BC2
• Everton, T., Turner, P., Hargreaves, L., & Pell, T. (2007). Public perceptions of the teaching profession. Research Papers in Education, 22 (3), 247-265.
• Feiman-Nemser, S., & Floden, R. (1984). The cultures of teaching. In M. Wittrock (Ed.) Handbook of Research on Teaching (pp. 505-526). New York: Macmillan.
• Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2006). How to design and evaluate research in education. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Freedman, S., Lipson, B., & Hargreaves, D.(2008). More Good Teachers. London: Policy Exchange.
• Gök, F., & Okçabol, R. (1998). Öğretmen profili araştırma raporu: 75. yılda eğitim. İstanbul:Tarih Vakfı.
• Gökırmak, A. (2006). Öğretmen statüleri üzerine bir araştırma (Unpublished Master's Thesis). Yeditepe Üniversitesi, İstanbul.
• Giddens, A. (2001). Sociology. UK: Polity & Blackwell.
• Guerriero, S. (Ed.) (2017). Pedagogical knowledge and the changing nature of the teaching profession. Paris: OECD. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264270695-en.
• Hall, D., & Langton, B. (2006). Perceptions of the status of teachers ministry of education. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Perceptions%20of%20the%20Status%20of%20Teachers%20-%202006.pdf
• Hargreaves, L. (2009).The status and prestige of teachers and teaching. In L. Saha, & G. Dworkin (Eds.) The Springer International Handbook of Research on Teachers and teaching (pp. 217-230). New York: Springer.
• Hargreaves, L., Cunningham, M., Hansen, A., McIntyre, D., Oliver, C., & Pell, T. (2007). The status of teachers and the teaching profession in England: Views from inside and outside the profession. London: DfES. Retrieved from http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/RRP/u013771/index.shtml
• Higginson, F. L. (1996). Teacher roles and global change an issues paper. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001055/105528e.pdf
• Hoyle, E. (2001). Teaching: prestige, status and esteem. Educational Management and Administration, 29 (2), 139-152.
• ILO. (2016). The ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers (1966) and The UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel (1997) with a revised Foreword and Users' Guide. Retrieved from http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---sector/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_493315.pdf
• ILO / UNESCO. (1966). Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/TEACHE_E.PDF.
• Ingersoll, R. M., & Merrill, E. (2011). The status of teaching as a profession. In J. Ballantine & J. Spade (Eds.), Schools and Society: A Sociological Approach to Education (pp. 185-189). CA: Pine Forge/Sage.
• Ipsos-MORI. (2003). One in three teachers to leave within five years. IPSOS/Mori/Guardian poll for the General Teaching Council for England. Retrieved from https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/one-three-teachers-leave-within-five-years
• Judge, H. (1995). The image of teachers. Oxford Review of Education, 21 (3), 253-265.
• Kalin, J., Čepić, R., & Šteh, B.(2017). Status of teachers and the teaching profession: A study of elementary school teachers' perspectives. Paper prepared for The Annual International Conference of the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society and the International Partner Conference of the International Research Centre. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED574223
• Koçer, H. A. (1983). İlkokul Öğretmeninin Yetiştirilmesi. Cumhuriyet Döneminde Eğitim, Bilim Kültür Eserleri Dizisi, Atatürk Kitapları, İstanbul: Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı.
• Macbeath, J. (2012). Future of teaching profession. Education International research Institute, Faculty of Education Cambridge University. Retrieved from https://download.ei-ie.org/Docs/WebDepot/EI%20Study%20on%20the%20Future%20of%20Teaching%20Profession.pdf
• Monteiro, R. A. (2015). The teaching profession present and future. New York: Springer.
• Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological Research Methods. London: Sage.
• Musgrave, P.W. (2017). The Sociology of Education: The Status Of The Invidual Teacher. UK: Routledge.
• OECD. (2005). Teachers matter: Attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264018044-en
• OECD. (2014). TALIS 2013 results:An international perspective on teaching and learning. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264196261-en
• Özbek, R. (2007). Öğretmen adaylarının öğretmenlik mesleğini tercih etmelerinde kişisel ekonomik, sosyal faktörlerin etkisi. Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 17 (1), 145-159.
• Özoğlu, M. (2010). Türkiye’de öğretmen yetiştirme sisteminin sorunları. Ankara: Seta Analiz.
• Özoğlu, M., Gür, Bekir S., & Altunoğlu, A. (2013). Türkiye ve dünyada öğretmenlik retorik ve pratik. Ankara: Eğitim-Bir-Sen.
• Özpolat, A. (2002). Sosyolojik açıdan öğretmenlik mesleği ve öğretmenlerin toplumdaki yeri (Unpublished Dissertation Thesis). İstanbul Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, İstanbul.
• Öztürk, C. (1996). Atatürk Devri Öğretmen Yetiştirme Politikası. Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu.
• Özyurt, S. (1999). Öğretmenlik Mesleğine Giriş. Adapazarı: Değişim.
• Parsons, T. (1967). The Social System. Retrieved from http://home.ku.edu.tr/~mbaker/CSHS503/TalcottParsonsSocialSystem.pdf
• Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative Research And Evaluation Methods (3. Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Rice, S. (2005). You don't bring me flowers any more: A fresh look at the vexed issue of teacher status. Australian Journal of Education, 49 (2), 182-196.
• Short, P. M. (1992). Dimensions of Teacher Empowerment. Pennsylvania State University, Program in Educational Administration. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/ERIC_ED368701
• Symeonidis, V. (2015). The status of teachers and the teaching profession: A study ofeducation unions’ perspectives. Brussels: Education International Research Institute.
• Turner, B. S. (2001). Statü (2. Edition). Ankara: Ütopya.
• Ünsal, S., & Bağçeci, B. (2016). Öğretmenlerin mesleki imajlarina ilişkin görüşleri ve mesleki imaja etki eden faktörler. Journal of Human Sciences, 13 (3), 3905-3926. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.14687/jhs.v13i3.3908
• Ünsal, S., Ağçam R., & Korkmaz, F.(2017). Exploring teaching profession from a sociological perspective: Evidence from Turkey. Universal Journal of Educational Research 5 (5), 874-880.
• Van, M. M. (1990). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York.
• Varkey Gems Foundation. (2013). 2013 Global teacher status index. Retrieved from https://www.varkeyfoundation.org/sites/default/files/documents/2013GlobalTeacherStatusIndex.pdf
• World Bank, (2012). What matters most in teacher policies?A framework for building a more effective teaching profession. Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-1290520949227/SABER-Teachers-Framework-Updated_June14.2012.pdf
• Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2013). Sosyal Bilimlerde Nitel Araştırma Yöntemleri (9. Edition). Ankara: Seçkin.
• Yurdakul, S., Gür, B.S., Çelik, Z., & Kurt, T. (2016). Öğretmenlik mesleği ve mesleğin statüsü.Ankara: Eğitim-Bir-Sen Stratejik Araştırmalar Merkezi.
• Yüksel, S. (2011). Türk üniversitelerinde eğitim fakülteleri ve öğretmen yetiştirme (2. Edition). Ankara: Pegem Akademi.