The social status of teaching profession: A phenomenological study

Tests to measure student achievement at international level has allowed countries to compare their achievements with other countries in the world and led the countries to conduct self-assessment on education systems. Review of education systems has revealed the need to strengthen the objective conditions of teaching, which is the main element of the system and the social status of teaching has become an important topic. In this study, aiming to determine the standpoint of the social status of the teaching profession in Turkey, 26 retired and experienced teachers were interviewed. Due to the rapidly changing living conditions and the dynamic nature of the status, this research is important in terms of revealing more up-to-date data than previous research results. Data collected through the semi-structured interview form prepared by the researcher was examined by phenomenological design in the framework of the main objective of the research and the main problem. The findings show that retired and experienced teachers have negative opinions about the social status of the teaching profession. It is determined that this view differs between teachers in terms of working status and branch variables.Teachers base their views on a variety of professional and non-professional factors. Financial gain, relations between Ministry of Education and teachers, teacher training system and employment of teachers are considered to be the most effective factors.