An Evaluation on the Change of the Basic Principles of Turkish National Education in the Context of Sociopolitical Paradigms

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Turan Akman Erkılıç

Abstract

Various variables in social, economic and political dimensions affect the administration of education
systems of countries. Turkish education system is fundamentally based on the principles manifested in
the Basic Law of National Education. In Turkey, education has always been under the influence of
such social and political movements as socialist, liberal, social-democratic groups and Kemalism,
conservative and political Islamic groups and Turkish nationalism. The main purpose of this study is
to reveal how and under which principles of the basic principles of national education have changed
in the historical developmental process. The study is a document review type of research. Thematic
analysis was used combined with interpretivist approach in the process of analyzing and interpreting
data obtained from the document review. As a result, these findings have been reached: The change
in the basic principles generally happens during the social, economic and political turbulent periods of
the country. The academic and scientific view on educational problems remains weak compared to the
philosophical, political and belief-based views. The principles have been interpreted based on
philosophical, belief, ethnic and political views increasing in Turkish society. It is recommended to
investigate the basic principles and the researches and the articles which have been written on basic
principles from different perspectives at historical, social, economic and politic dimensions. Also, it is
recommended to compare the basic laws and principles of education in other countries to Turkish
equivalents.

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