Historical course of primary school Turkish course curriculum: Developments and changes

Educational activities, which continue throughout life, have undergone numerous changes over the years, shaped by societal needs, development, historical circumstances, and socio-cultural interactions. Throughout history, the Turkish course has not only been considered a tool for language education but has also played a central role in the construction of national identity and modernization. Accordingly, the changes in the primary school Turkish curriculum over time have been inevitable. The main purpose of this study is to examine the historical trajectory of the primary school Turkish curricula and to analyze the changes and developments in the curricula implemented between 1981 and 2024 (1981, 2005, 2009, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2024). This research was designed within the framework of qualitative research and employed the document analysis method. The curricula analyzed in the study were accessed through the official website of the Board of Education and Discipline of the Ministry of National Education; in cases where the curricula were unavailable or removed from the website, access was obtained via academic databases and library archives. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive analysis. Prior to the study, five main themes were determined. Each curriculum was examined in accordance with these themes, thematically categorized, and coded. Following the coding process, the curricula were compared, and their historical development was analyzed. The findings revealed that the primary school Turkish curricula implemented between 1981 and 2024 underwent significant changes in terms of "curriculum approach, learning domains, assessment and evaluation tools, grammar teaching, and vocabulary instruction." While the 1981 curriculum stood out with its teacher-centered, knowledge-transmission, and memorization-oriented approach, the 2005 and 2009 curricula shifted to a student-centered, skill-based, and process- oriented approach under the influence of the constructivist paradigm. In the curricula introduced after 2015, a more holistic and multidimensional approach was adopted, with grammar and vocabulary instruction being emphasized. The 2024 curriculum, on the other hand, was characterized by a thematic, holistic, and technology-supported structure. Keywords: Curriculum, Turkish course, Primary school Turkish curriculum, Turkish language teaching, Curriculum comparison