Perceptions of private school teachers regarding their experiences during contract period: A case study

The purpose of this research was to understand and interpret the views of private school teachers regarding the situations they experience during their contract periods. This research is important in order to determine what the teachers' employment rights are, how aware they are of their rights, which rights need to be addressed, what improvements can be made during the contract period, the rectification of deficiencies in their rights, and ultimately, their development. The research sought to answer the question: What are the abilities of teachers working in private schools to exercise their employment rights, and what are their views on the situations they experience during their contract periods? This study is a comprehensive single-case study. The population of the research consisted of elementary, middle, and high school teachers working in a private school within the boundaries of Manavgat district in Antalya province during the 2022-2023 academic year. The sample consisted of elementary, middle, and high school teachers selected based on purposive sampling and voluntary participation from a specific private school. A semi-structured interview form was used, which was developed based on relevant literature review, in accordance with the interview method in the research. The collected data was analyzed using computer software. According to the findings of the study, it is seen that the majority of the participants do not have enough information about personal rights. In addition, it is seen that the most common problems faced by private school teachers during contract periods are inadequate salary increase, non-renewal of the contract, and non-payment of overtime wages. When the thoughts of private school teachers about the effect of the stress they experienced during the contract periods on their success in teaching lessons are examined, it is seen that three-quarters of the participants said that their in-class performance was not affected, while one-quarter of the participants said that their in-class performance decreased.