Analysis of after the year 2000 "Education reforms" in Turkey through teachers' views

The aim of this research is to reveal the general characteristics and realization strategies of neoliberal conservative/neo-conservative policies implemented under the name of "educational reform" in the field of education in Turkey since 2000, based on the narratives of teachers who are both implementers and influencers of them. Qualitative method was used in the research. The research group consists of teachers working in public secondary schools and Anatolian High Schools in Çankaya, Mamak, Yenimahalle and Sincan districts of Ankara. The selection of participants was based on maximum diversity and criterion sampling techniques. Research data was collected based on interview technique. In this context, a semi-structured interview form was developed. The data collected from 51 research participants through this form was analyzed using the content analysis method. Research findings show that the changes made under the name of "education reform" in Turkey after 2000 cannot be called "reform". The majority of the participants had negative experiences about the changes that took place in the field with the reform discourse after 2000, and it is seen that the changes did not satisfy the teachers to a large extent. The findings show that policy makers during reform processes failed to explain the reasons for the change to teachers and social groups and to persuade them. Almost all of the participants have negative experiences in terms of the participation of relevant parties in policy-making processes, communication with the education field, processes of receiving ideas and feedback from the field, and processes and environments for discussing and progressing change processes. In the evaluations of the reform making processes, it is observed that a participatory process was not carried out, a one-sided policy making process was carried out and there was no polyphony. The main issues mostly expressed by the participants in terms of the methods of implementation in reform processes are that these reform processes, which are unprepared, unplanned, inconsistent, not carried out within a certain system, far from democratic participation and without qualified information, are findings that show that policy-making processes lack democratic qualities. In addition, the findings show that these changes have a negative impact on teachers' professions, students' learning processes, the teaching profession, the meaning students attach to education and their future expectations, and the situation of public schools. The suggestions developed in the context of the research results were that policy-making processes in education should be carried out in a democratic participatory manner, in which educational components and social segments, primarily teachers, can have their say, discuss, and intervene in the processes when necessary, in a planned, systematic, holistic, consistent and qualified way of informing, in the form of considering the child's right to education and children's dreams and expectations for the future in decision-making processes, developing policies where children can improve themselves and get to know the world, and policies where a public education approach prioritizes the needs and demands of teachers.