(In)equality of opportunity in education in Turkey and education decisions of individuals: The case of Ardahan and Karabük

This study discusses the issue of (in)equality of opportunity in education which is one of the main problems of Sociology of Education, examines the problems of the Turkish education system and its practices towards equal opportunities in education through the example of Ardahan and Karabük provinces. In this study, the center is trying to generalize the reasons for the first and last row in one of the two emergence of inequality of opportunity in education over Turkey with interviews in school the first row in one of the Karabük and in the province of Ardahan located in the last row in the exams. In individual societies, educational decisions of individuals have a great impact on the education system as well as the individual aspect of education as well as the institutional aspect of education.For this reason, this study was the result of forty-six interviews conducted with the students, teachers, parents and the Presidents of the Parent-Teacher Association. Turkey education system is committed to ensuring equal opportunity in education for many years.While it is seen that these studies have been significantly successful in access to education, it is understood that education system contributes to inequality of opportunity through central examinations. The school preferences determined by the central exams vary in the proportion of their children's investment in education according to the social, cultural and economic capital of their families. This study claims that the center of inequality of opportunity in education is reproduced through the centralized examinations and the changing capital structure of the family in Turkey. Key Words: Education, Sociology of Education, Equality of Opportunity in Education, Education System in Turkey.