An Evaluation of the Educational Articles in Major Journals Published in Istanbul During the Constitutonal Period

The Second Constitutional Period is marked with maturing of the ideas of Tanzimat Reform Era, which were mostly imported from West, -later bequeathed to Republic Period, exhaustion of Ottoman Empire, occurrence of rapid changes in many areas and acceptance of education as the most noteworthy survival alternative. The interest in education, which was seen as the means of survival of the Empire can be traced in the press, which had not benefited from the liberty so much as it did in the period. Education occupied a specific significance in the survival prescription of each ideological and political view mustered up support. This research deals with articles in the major journals of the period about educational reforms, legal regulations related to education, schooling policies, primary education obligation, vocational education, role of the family in education, curriculum, methods and technics applied, disciplinary regulations, attitudes towards new tendencies in education, game activities as educational means, teacher training policies and educational policy of the period. This qualitative research was carried out using documentation method and content analysis. It was limited with the issues of Yeni Mecmua, Islam Mecmuası, Tedrisat-ı Ibtidaiye (later only Tedrisat) Mecmuası, Muallim and Iktisadiyat Mecmuası printed in the period of 1908-1918. Decisions taken for the educational progress, struggles to reach the targets determined were found out not be achieved due to many problems such as financial problems, various domestic restlessness and breaking out of a serial of wars in this relatively short period. Intellectual efforts exerted in progress of education, beside many others, although did not contribute into survival of Ottoman Empire, they were observed to have constructed the infrastructure of the Turkish Republic, the successive Turkish State. Turkish educational history from proclamation of II. Constitutional Period to proclamation of Republic can hardly be divided into distinguished periods. Only after the developments such as arise of new governmental staff, introduction of Unification of Education Law ( Tevhid-i Tedrisat Kanunu) in 1924 and alphabet reform in 1928, could significant changes be traced; the similarities between Ottoman and Turkish Republic Educational systems started fading away gradually and objectives of Constitutional Era for education were achieved to a great extent. Key Words: Turkish Educational History, II. Constitutional Period, Curriculum, Teacher Training.