Examination of graduate thesis written at universities on transition from primary education to secondary education in Turkey

The purpose of this research is to examine and evaluate the distribution of seventy-nine postgraduate studies carried out between 2000 and 2020 on the transition from primary education to secondary education practices in Turkey at the postgraduate level in universities and made accessible online through the YOK National Thesis Center, based on various variables. A screening model was used in this study. Theses were read carefully, and the findings were transformed into categories, frequencies, percentage tables, and column graphs on a general table and evaluated. As a result of the research, it was observed that 95% of the theses examined were worked on as graduate theses, the theses were mostly carried out between 2010 and 2020, and the highest number of postgraduate studies were applied respectively at Gazi, Hacettepe, Abant Izzet Baysal, and Ankara Universities. It was found that the title of the advisor professor was remarkable with a rate of 38%, students were worked with a rate of 47% in the sample selection, and the studies carried out in the quantitative research model were high, and the General Assessment of Transition to Secondary Education stood out in terms of content themes. When the content themes of the theses were examined, it was thought that it was not a correct approach to label students as losing the exam without creating an environment for the student to discover their interest and abilities, where there are question marks about how much the questions in the secondary school transition exam measure the characteristics of the students. Apart from exam practices, it is thought that the transition to secondary education can be achieved through different application systems based on "guidance" for students. Various recommendations have been developed based on the findings and results of this research.