Accreditation in social studies teacher education programs according to the views of evaluators involved in the accreditation process

The social studies course enables individuals to participate effectively in social life and acquire fundamental values essential for the country's development. This highlights the importance of social studies in teacher education. As a quality assurance process, accreditation increases the quality of social studies teacher candidates, thereby contributing to social development. This study aimed to explore the opinions and experiences of evaluators involved in the accreditation process regarding the importance of accreditation in social studies teacher education. The study was conducted using a phenomenological design, which is a qualitative research method. Within the scope of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 evaluators involved in the accreditation processes of social studies teacher education undergraduate programs. The data were analyzed using the descriptive analysis method. Participants characterized accreditation as a process facilitating quality assurance, continuous improvement, and standardization. The study found that the accreditation process was important due to the close relationships of social studies education with that of citizenship and its interdisciplinary structure. Field visits revealed infrastructural inadequacies and issues with implementation. The findings led to several recommendations, including improving infrastructure, sharing best practices, and upgrading educational processes. Finally, the study shared various suggestions for future research and practical applications.