Browsing by Author "Akşit, Necmi"

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Open Access
Issues and challenges facing Education in Turkey
(Sense Publishers, 2006) Akşit, Necmi; Sands, Margaret; Earnest, J.; Treagust, D.
Turkey is situated between east and west. It has a history of 80 years as a republic, founded by Atatiirk who ensured that the country was shorn of its old customs and ideas and turned instead to the west. It is currently amending its laws to become eligible for consideration for entry to the EU. There are great inequalities between different areas of the country in terms of access to education and health care. The economy is emerging from a period of high inflation and the repayment of high levels of loan. The population is pyramidal, with 40% below the age of 18, thus putting a strain on the country's limited financial resources. Some aspects of the system provide excellent models, which are prevented by various constraints from being implemented nationwide. The picture is one of fragmentation. New structures may be superimposed on old systems to suit the aims of a particular government. Meanwhile the high number of young people have to be supported in their education and training. The chapter discusses the political, social, and economic factors which affect education, then considers recent changes in three strands in the education system, and relates them to the factors above: the system itself, teacher education, and the curriculum. The chapter ends by discussing the systemic implications of changes.
Open Access
Turkey 2010: transforming education to meet challenges
(Information Age Publishing, 2008) Akşit, Necmi; Mutua, K.; Sunal, C. S.
This chapter discusses the state of education in Turkey and the emergence of new key ideas within the framework of one of the strategic goals of the Lisbon 2010 Strategy: improving the quality and effectiveness of education and training systems. Since October, 2005, Turkey has been a European Union (EU) candidate country. In December 2006, the EU suspended eight out of 35 policy areas because of Turkey’s restrictions regarding Cyprus. Nevertheless, Turkey remains committed to its bid to join the EU. The Lisbon indicators form key development points and emerging trends in education in Turkey.
Open Access
Turkey: paradigm change in education
(Information Age Publishing, 2006) Akşit, Necmi; Sands, Margaret; Mutua, K.; Sunal, C. S.
Teaching in Turkish schools has long been delivered in a teacher-centred way. The means of assessment also has been traditional, and because the major examinations are used for entry to quality schools and ultimately to universities, they have a powerful backwash effect on the high school curriculum. National results in three subject areas indicate that the Turkish model of teaching is not yielding results comparable with 25 other OECD countries. Current change, led by the Ministry of National Education, is directed to both curriculum and the means of assessment, as well as to teaching methodology. In addition to changes in the school classroom, the Higher Education Council recently instituted wide-ranging reforms in teacher education.
Open Access
Tutors’ beliefs about language and roles: practice as language policy in EMI contexts
(Routledge, 2021-09-06) Heron, M.; Dippold, D.; Akşit, Necmi; Akşit, Tijen; Doubleday, J.; McKeown, K.
It has been well established that for all students, but particularly second language (L2) English speaking students, academic English speaking skills are key to developing specialist terminology and disciplinary content in an English as a medium of instruction (EMI) context. However, what is less clear in many contexts is the institutional language policy necessary to guide and support both L2 English speaking students and disciplinary tutors. In this paper, we focus on disciplinary tutors’ beliefs of language and their roles with respect to language support to surface implicit and covert language policies. We argue that in the absence of explicit policy, showcasing the range of tutor perspectives and practice around language support can provide a way forward in explicating good practice and highlighting an approach in which all stakeholders take responsibility for supporting students’ academic speaking skills in an EMI context.