Evaluation of shadow education activities in the context of social policy: The case of Bursa

Shadow education activities, which are supposed to be a different reflection of educational processes and to spread rapidly around the world, are the main focus of this study. In this thesis, it is aimed to make an assessment in terms of social policy by analyzing shadow education activities in secondary education institutions in Bursa. Within the framework of this general-purpose, a questionnaire was applied to 1448 students studying in 9 secondary education institutions. The data obtained through the questionnaire were analyzed using the SPSS program. Frequency and percentage distributions, comparison of group averages are used as a data analysis technique. When the findings of the research are analyzed, it is revealed that the participation rate in shadow education activities is 58%. As a reason for participating in shadow education activities, the majority of students have given the motive to increase their academic success at school. It has been observed that shadow education activities are concentrated in the 8th grade. More than half of the 12th-grade students stated that they took private lessons or courses. The emergence of this situation is caused by high-stakes central examinations, which play an important role in the transition to a higher level. The fact that the majority of students spend their time solving tests in private lessons or courses emphasizes the importance of central exams. It is found out that teachers' attitudes are significant in participating in shadow education. The students who participated in the questionnaire stated that they can communicate better with their private or private course teachers. In the study, Bronfenbrenner's ecological system approach is adopted to explain shadow education activities. The ecological system approach emphasizes that environmental factors are particularly important in the development of the individual. In terms of social policy, it has been determined that private lessons or courses cause inequality in education. 10% of the students who participated in the survey stated that they could not participate in shadow education activities due to financial difficulties. The fact that students in schools with high academic success also prefer shadow education activities makes the situation even more complicated for disadvantaged students. For disadvantaged students, education is far from being a means of achieving better living conditions. This situation leads to social stratification and social closure. It causes an increase in social problems. Equal opportunity in education is a fundamental right for all individuals. Shadow education prevents equal opportunities in education. The financial dimension of shadow education activities is also an issue that needs to be evaluated. While private lessons should be evaluated within the scope of income tax, this fact is ignored. In this study, shadow education activities in Germany, Japan and Russia, which have different welfare regimes, are analyzed. Although participation in private lessons or courses is not intensive in Germany, participation in shadow education activities in Russia is increasing rapidly. Turkey is considered South European welfare model. For shadow education activities at different times in our country, laissez-faire, monitor but not interfere, regulate and control, ban approaches are adopted. However, the findings have shown that shadow education activities should be supervised and controlled. Shadow education activities are a problematic area of education in terms of pedagogical, sociological, and financial aspects. Therefore, it should be examined in terms of education and social policy. This thesis provides important findings for those working in the field of education and social policy.