State‐based curriculum making in Turkey: Curriculum modernization initiative and the latest science curriculum

Abstract

Turkey's politically induced 'curricular modernization initiative' intended a philosophical change and a system-level transformation from behaviouristic to constructivist-inspired pedagogies in the early 2000s. Science curriculum has been one of the curricula that has taken precedence. It has changed four times since then. The latest science curriculum for grades 3-8 -age group 9-13 -is issued in 2018. This study examines these curricula and discusses curriculum making at the macro site. Whether or to what extent the tools of state-based curriculum making (ToSBCM) are used is also investigated. Directed content analysis and thematic analysis are used to address the research questions. Findings revealed that Turkey's latest science curriculum is a reformulation of its predecessors' goals, learning outcomes and content. ToSBCM are effectively used in introducing the new emphases of curriculum, managing discourse communities and granting the executive responsibility to teachers. Considering Turkey's curricular experiences as a country which has one of the most centralized education systems among OECD countries, and a very large hierarchical national administration with schools having the lowest levels of autonomy in determining curriculum and assessment policies among countries participating in PISA, findings offer opportunities to compare and discuss processes of curriculum making with an international perspective.