An oral history investigation on the problems of teachers serving in third service areas (1995-2005)

Teaching profession is recognized as one of the most important public services from the very beginning of human history. Teaching profession has a pivotal role in maintaining of social life in order and it provides necessary knowledge for common shared life. Therefore, it sustains its importance in every era. However, the perception and problems of teachers also change with changing world and people.In academic world, mostly literature scanning and interview techniques have been used in defining teacher?s problems so far. However, besides these techniques, there is also on important and effective method, which is called as oral history. With this oral history method, we can detect problems via direct interviews. Yet, oral history method hasn?t been used effectively until now.It may be stated that teachers having the most problems in Turkey are primarily those serving in third service areas regarded as compulsory service areas. These problems include: generally serving as a single teacher in villages, security and climate conditions, poor physical conditions of schools in villages, lack of lodging and accommodation facilities for teachers in many villages, difficulties in the satisfaction of transportation requirements and basic needs in those areas, indifference and insensitivity of parents to education of students especially in remote areas, lack of Turkish speaking and understanding capabilities in students in such areas. Teachers do not feel safe in their service areas and especially they have language problem with students, which constitutes the most important problems among aforementioned ones.In determining the problems of teachers serving in such areas, the practice of having personal interviews with teachers within the bounds of possibilities of oral history is considered as an important method. Oral history has recently started to be used in Turkey as a method for determining problems and it refers to studies introduced by the interpretation of historical information obtained via oral interviews made and recorded in relation to personal experiences and memories of individuals.The results of this investigation have revealed that the problems of teachers are various and necessary solutions to such problems have still not been found. In general, teachers endeavor to solve their problems by themselves. Teachers have difficulty in communicating with students and parents. Furthermore, they do not feel safe and secure due to terrorism problem in such areas.Within the framework of aims and methods stated, this investigation is intended to determine professional and extraprofessional problems faced by teachers serving in third services area between 1995 and 2005.