Nâfi Atuf Kansu's views on education and reflections on present education system

This thesis aims to determine Nâfi Atuf Kansu's works, articles, different perspectives brought to education, the solution proposals, traces in our education history and to determine his reflections by examining current educational system. In our research, using document analysis technique from the qualitative research methods, Nâfi Atuf Kansu's books and articles about his education view has been reached. The investigation of Kansu's educational views who lived in an era which covers Sultanate, II. Constitutionalism and Republic period is very important to determine the relationship between these times and their effects on present day. As a result of the study, common ideas of his time and the shared and unique aspects of the ideas in the period in which Kansu lived has been determined. It is found that Kansu have expressed his own thoughts on key factors of education such as society, schools, teacher, family and children training. In addition to explainining frequently these key factors in his writing, he had mentioned to the close relationship between school, teacher, students and their families and while criticizing some aspects of the existing education system, he had offered solutions on what needs to be done. In this period which pre-school education has just started to institutionalize and became popular, Kansu views the child as an individual with specific world and had benefited from the views of foreign trainers for selection of method and techniques to be used in children's education. Kansu investigated the relationships between age, life and cognitive development of children and as result of this survey, he gave value to practise-based training, scouting education, common-public education process of being in harmony with nature. Kansu also aims to spread the education from children to public by undertaking the educational mission of the Community Centers. As a result, It has been observed that Kansu's education views maintains effectiveness in today because they cover basic issues of education. Key Words: Nâfi Atuf Kansu, Education, Child Education