Curriculum Development in Türkiye from the Perspective of Curriculum Specialists

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to reveal the Curriculum Development Process in Türkiye from the perspective of curriculum specialists. Phenomenology, one of the qualitative research designs, was used in the study, with a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher, and content analysis applied in the analysis of the obtained data. The participants of the study consisted of 48 faculty members from 19 different universities. Interviews were conducted on a one-to-one, face-to-face basis by the researcher, having visited each of the universities where the participants worked. According to the study’s findings, three main interrelated problems are present in curriculum development in Türkiye: Policymakers that dominate curriculum development and decision making; Non-fulfilment of the sine-qua-non (a thing that is absolutely necessary) of the curriculum development process; and, Abrupt and rapid changes introduced to curricula. However, these problem areas all stem from one major issue, policymakers’ priorities, understanding, and thoughts about curriculum development and education. According to the solutions proposed by the study’s participants, education should be accepted to have a supra-policy structure, and policymakers should be stakeholders in the curriculum development process rather than being the sole decision-makers.