The New Century Maarif Model in the context of John Dewey's and Nurettin Topçu's contributions to the Turkish education system

In this thesis, the educational philosophies of John Dewey and Nurettin Topçu are examined comparatively and the contributions of these two thinkers to the Turkish education system are evaluated, especially in the context of the New Century Education Model. American pragmatist philosopher John Dewey's student-centered, experience-based and democratic approach to education and Turkish philosopher Nurettin Topçu's approach to education, which is based on the philosophy of movement and emphasizes national culture and spiritual values, offer complementary perspectives to Turkish educational thought, despite their different philosophical traditions. In the study, firstly, Dewey's pragmatist philosophy, experience-based education, democratic school thought and the effects of his report prepared after his visit to Turkey in 1924 on the Turkish education system are analyzed. Then, Topçu's philosophy of movement, the morality of rebellion, the relationship between national culture and education, his views on morality and character education, and his criticisms of the Turkish education system of the period were discussed. The educational philosophies of the two thinkers were compared in terms of the purpose of education, the relationship between teacher and student, the relationship between school and society, curriculum and teaching methods, values education and modernization and traditional values. As a result of the research, it was seen that Dewey and Topçu's educational philosophies enriched the philosophical foundations of the New Century Education Model. On the one hand, the model adopts Dewey's student-centered, constructivist and problem-solving oriented approaches, while on the other hand it reflects Topçu's understanding of education based on national culture and spiritual values. This balanced synthesis offers a promising vision for the future of the Turkish education system. This study aims to make an original contribution to the fields of educational philosophy and policy by revealing the complementary roles of the two philosophers' conceptions of education in Turkish educational thought.