An Evaluation of Turkish Teacher Education System Compared to Other Models in Different Countries

Abstract

Teachers and their education, as the most important elements in educational systems, have been one of the mostly debated issues in Turkish national education system. The success of an education system largely depends on the quality of the teachers who plan and practice teaching and learning process. Reviewing Turkish educational history with a well-established tradition of education reveals a rich experience in teacher training within this tradition. The main objective of this study is to examine teacher training policies and practices from 1848 to these days in Turkey, and to compare the Turkish teacher training system to the current teacher training models applied in different countries. This survey research has been conducted based on the literature review. Not yet completed, some of its recent results obtained are as follows: Teachers in Turkey were regarded as the main agent of educational innovation, and teacher education was discussed as an issue within educational reform. Turkey, to the present day from 1848, the date when first teacher training institution was founded in the country, during the Republican era in particular, had many teacher training institutions and practiced many different training models considering the socio-economic, cultural and political conditions. In spite of some similarities to other models in different countries, Turkish teacher training system shows originality and richness in terms of its features.