Comparison of English language curricula for secondary schools in Turkey, Germany and England

The aim of the current study is to compare the education systems of Turkey, Germany and England and the secondary education English language curricula of the countries mentioned above in terms of their aims, contents, teaching-learning processes and evaluation systems. It is a comparative study and the data is gathered through document analysis. Most of the data used in the study is collected from the state education servers of each country and internatioal official resources. According to the results of the study, in German education system, supervision and administration are conducted locally via statewide while there is a standardized approach in England with entitled local authorities. When the education system in Turkey is analyzed, research has found that it is carried out through a centralized management system. Therefore, administration and supervision in the education systems of England and Germany aren't totally centralized. The budget allocated to education and the structure of the education system differs in all three countries. Training allowance in Turkey has been found to be below the OECD (The Organisation For Economic Co-Operation And Development) average compared to the other two countries. Although organisation of the academic year consists of 180-190 workdays in all three countries, weekly teaching hours in Germany and England are less than Turkey. In addition, weekly hours allocated to English lessons in Germany and England are longer than Turkey and preparatory education, which changes between half a semester or one and a half semester, is provided in the transition from primary to secondary education in Germany. English Language Curriculum for secondary education in Turkey is more comprehensive and detailed compared to the German and English curricula, which are more flexible in this aspect. The English Language Curriculum of England is a framework curriculum and is expressed in terms of core objectives, which indeed identify the overall curriculum. Every school in the country has been given freedom in program development practices provided that they comply with the standards set by the framework. Secondary English curriculum objectives focus on language skills in Turkey, while competence areas such as language awareness, language mediation, intercultural communication, text and media literacy are also included in Germany. The English language teaching programmes in Germany and England give the teacher greater freedom to take into account students' interests and needs in planning the course. The content in the programmes of all three countries differs in terms of presentation. Although different secondary education institutions (anatolian high schools, vocational and technical high schools, multi-program high schools) in Turkey have different weekly course hours, they are obliged to apply the same English language curriculum. In Germany and England, teachers are given the opportunity to choose subjects based on the interests and needs of their students. In Turkey, the content is given in detail and teachers have to follow the program. The content and subject density during the academic year has been kept the same at all types of secondary education institutions and at all grades. In comparison to the topic titles mentioned in the German curriculum, the number of topic titles that teachers must follow during the academic year in Turkey is higher. There are no clear teaching methods and techniques in English language teaching programmes in England with respect to teaching processes, and it is left to teachers to decide on the appropriate methods and techniques. In the English curriculum of Turkey, the teaching methods and techniques to be used are listed, but there are no explanations for where and how they will be used. In Germany, not only language learning strategies and methods of the students but also the teaching methods and techniques for teachers are clearly stated with explanations of where and how to be used. It has been found that both product and process evaluation have been taken into consideration in all of the aforementioned countries. Key words: Comparative education, secondary education curriculum, English language teaching program.