Ph.D. Theses
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Item Achievement and achievement motivation :|an explanatory model(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 1990., 1990.) Ardaç, Dilek.; Baykal, Ali.The purpose of the study is to determine parental factors related to achievement motivation and achievement of children in order to; 1) explain how parental factors act so that they influence academic achievement of children, 2) identify parental factors which are influential over achievement of children to provide guidelines for parent education programmes intending to increase academic achievement. A total of 1420 fifth grade students (498 during academic year 1988-89 and 922 during academic year 1989-90) attending to a private preparatory institute and their parents participated in the study. The sample was preferably chosen among samples attending a private preparatory institute due to the existence of a severe achievement situation facing these students. The measuring instruments used to assess parental variables were; 1) Home Educational Environment Questionnaire, 2) Parent Socialization Questionnaires, and 3) Parental Atti tudes Research Instrument. The measuring instruments used to assess achievement and achievement motivation of children were; 1) Achievement Motivation Scale, and 2) Achievement tests administered to the students as part of the private preparatory course. Home Educational Environment Questionnaire, Parent Socialization Questionnaires and Achievement Motivation Scale were developed and analyzed in terms of their validity and reliability by the researcher. The data was analyzed using; 1) Pearson Product Moment Correlations, 2) Analysis of Variance Technique, 3) Regression Analysis, and 4) Analysis by t-test. The results of the study indicate the existence of significant positive relationships between achievement motivation and overprotection and restrictions & punishments dimensions. On the other hand achievement was found to be negatively related to overprotection and strict discipline dimensions, and positively related to mother education, father education, democracy, demands & age, and home educational environment where home educational environment, mother education, and strict discipline were observed to be the three parental variables explaining the greater percent of variance in achievement of children. No significant relationship was observed between achievement motivation and achievement. The nonexistence of a relationship between achievement motivation and achievement as well as the low number of contradictory correlations between achievement motivation and other parental process variables are discussed in terms of 1) the homogeneity of the sample population, 2) the dominant effect of ability over achievement motivation, 3) problems concerning the content-validity of Achievement Motivation Scale, and 4) the relative position of achievement motivation within the sample population. Although the results indicate the existence of global and specific parental behaviors/attitudes related to different achievement levels, they lack the explanation concerning the function of achievement motivation in causing differences in the achievement level. Therefore implications of the results were mainly directed towards parental factors related to higher academic achievement. Characteristics of parents whose children achieve higher compared to other children were outlined resulting in a list of "favorable" parental attitudes and behaviors related to high academic achievement. These "favorable" parental characteristics were differentiated in terms of their instructability level and parent education programmes which could provide a change from "unfavorable" to "favorable" parental characteristics were discussed.Item The ideological meaning of primary education in Turkish modernization(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2002., 2002.) Şahin, Alper.; Gök, Fatma.In this thesis, it was intended to find out the influence of modernization and socioeconomic politics of the State on the politics of primary education. The aim of the study is to discover the citizen model that the modem Turkish State wanted to create. The researcher used a historical perspective to understand the the features of modem primary education policies in Turkey. Therefore three primary school civics textbooks are examined from 1928, 1934 and 1937. By this way the difference between citizenship understanding during various periods is understood. Hermeneutics and content analysis methods are used to examine the textbooks. The results demonstrated that the education is an important aspect of creating a modem citizen. The nationalism has also important place in the modernization movement. Nevertheless the emphasis on freedom changes its intensity throughout the years from individual freedom to freedom of the country. The State control over public is clearly observable in the textbooks which leaves a small room for self expression. The content of the civics textbooks aim to shape the future citizen with the following characteristics: nationalist, able to self-govern with limited freedom, gaining strenght with mutual responsability and solidarity and one who values education.Item An evaluation of adult literacy campaigns in Turkey(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2003., 2003.) Kirazoğlu, Cem.; Gök, Fatma.The aim of this study is to make an evaluation of adult literacy campaigns conducted in Turkey since the establishment of the Turkish Republic until 1980's, in order to analyze their approaches and philosophies, and evaluate them with a Freirean viewpoint. For this purpose, the first literacy campaign in 1928 conducted after the transition into the Latin alphabet, and the second literacy campaign in 1981 conducted after the 1980 Military Coup was taken into consideration. Other large-scale literacy activities conducted by the state agencies in 1958, 1962, and 1972 were not taken into consideration for the analysis since these activities were oriented toward a definite segment of the society. The concept of campaign in this study was defined as an official activity, the target of which is the whole population in a country rather than a definite segment of the society.As a result of this analysis, adult literacy campaigns conducted in Turkey are found to have basic, traditional, and functional approaches. The aim of the first literacy campaign is different than that of the second campaign. The first literacy campaign was one of the tools of the establishment of the nation state, which needed a new type of citizen who was equipped with the skills of reading and writing with the Latin alphabet. It was argued that the real impetus behind this project was the adaptation into the new economic, cultural and political system. On the other hand, the aim of the second literacy campaign conducted after 1980 Military Coup is to provide the contribution of the adult illiterates to the economic growth, industrial development, and technological improvement the Turkish Republic had to fulfill. Both of the campaigns are not successful in reaching all of the illiterate population. Thus, the number of the illiterates have increased. But one point that has to be addressed is the fact that the first literacy campaign was conducted with a higher enthusiasm and motivation, and the interest of the adult illiterates could be attracted.Looking from a Freirean approach, the reason why both campaigns have been unsuccessful in a sense of not reaching all of the population, and not attracting the interest of all segments of the society is that they have not considered the needs and expectancies of all of the population. As the date of the first campaign preceded the rise of the Freirean approach the implementation of that approach could not be expected. However, the needs and expectancies of the illiterate population could be investigated more effectively, which would have create a basis for further campaigns and activities. In the second campaign, the Freirean approach could be implemented after a deeper investigation of its implementation throughout the world. The most important reason why this approach was not implemented in the second campaign is that this campaign having only one type of curriculum was conducted with an offcial centralist understanding. However, the Freirean approach is one that the needs and expectancies of the adult illiterate have primary importance, and the curriculum takes a form in the direction of these needs and expectancies. This approach intends to develop the awareness of adults to situate themselves into the realities of the world and help them ask critical questions about their life.Item The transformation of higher education by means of Techno-Parks: case of Turkey(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2013., 2013.) Sart, Gamze .; Gök, Fatma.; Ercan, Fuat,This study aims to explore the transformation of the universities by means of the techno-parks in Turkey. To conduct a critical phenomenological analysis, the study is divided two different parts in which the first part generates a perspective from outside by analyzing critically related documents about the reasons behind the transformation of the higher education and the development of the techno-parks. The university-industry-government partnership, which forces to make changes in the universities and “human capital,” is studied together with the science and technology policies and national strategies, which are taken into consideration with the arrangements and mechanisms in the techno-parks at the universities. The second part, as a case study, explores a perspective from inside by asking personal experiences and perceptions of the participants related to the same questions of the first part, which are the reasons behind the transformation of the higher education and the development of the techno-parks. The segregation in terms of gender, the implications of science and technology policies, and spatial redevelopment, which generate exacerbation of economic and spatial inequality, and political transformation, were critically analyzed by the data collected from the participants of the focus group. Exacerbation of economic and spatial inequality was analyzed together with economic and political transformation by questioning commercialization, marketization, commodification, managerialism, massification, privatization, internalization, rationalization, vocationalization, liberalization, revaluation, devaluation, reterritorialization, and entrepreneurialization of the higher education. After analyzing the related documents about the reasons behind the transformation of higher education it is so clear that the reasons are not only national, but also supranational where innovation and knowledge are taken as drivers of the competitiveness and growth. The transformation in the higher education is seen as the marketization of the universities by means of generating technological knowledge, which is commodified in the global market economy so that the integration of the universities has been enforced by the government and by the private industry. The benefits are mainly taken by the political stakeholders and private sector because the unemployment rate and the country’s current account deficit can be decreased, while the competitiveness in the knowledge economy is increased. The effects of the techno-parks are serious on the academic missions of universities, while changing innovation system so that the missions of universities are re-defined. Hence, knowledge as a commodity can be sold in the market and techno-parks and universities have become the headquarters of corporations. The analyses show that as a phenomenon, universities are not capable of absorbing the increasing demand so that techno-parks open new liberalization in commodification of knowledge. In order to make all these changes. The transformation towards entrepreneurialization has profoundly produced different problems-inequalities, segregation, and social injustices.Item Informal workplace practices and learning experiences of permanent and hourly-paid teachers: a comparative study(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2014., 2014.) Güvercin, Gökçe.; Ünlühısarcıklı, Özlem.; Nohl, Arnd-Michael.This study was conducted to explore the influences of the changing teacher recruitment regulations on teachers’ daily experiences and practices, and the consequences of those influences on teachers’ informal workplace learning experiences. The study is focused on two teacher statuses as hourly-paid and permanent teachers. Theoretical sampling method was used. Biographical Narrative Interviews were conducted and then analyzed using the Documentary Method. In the analysis, different teacher orientation frameworks were constructed. Then, these orientations were abstracted and detached from the individual case with the means of sense-genetic typification. Next, the constructed types were put in a social context with socio-genetic typification. According to the elicited results, hourly-paid and permanent teachers who are the graduates of faculties of education or the holders of pedagogical formation certificate complete their teacher training period with a lack of required skills and background for teaching practices. After graduation, when they start teaching, hourly-paid and permanent teachers acquired experiences and practices that are distinctly varied in relation to their employment type. Permanent teachers made an effort to improve their teaching skills through experimenting, socialization environmental scanning with these informal learning experiences, permanent teachers gradually improved their professional competencies. On the contrary, hourly-paid teachers identify being a good teacher only with personal characteristics. They assume that they have a natural ability to teach. Neither do they critically reflect on their own professional experiences, nor do they prefer to observe more experienced teachers in the way that permanent teachers do. Furthermore, hourly-paid teachers, since they teach with the possibility of losing their jobs at any time, feel the need to prove how good they are at teaching. They compare their professional competencies with those of permanent teachers and highlight what they consider their own superiority.Item Breastfeeding the educational system: analyzing women’s unpaid labor and voluntary mother participation in schools within the context of neoliberal economic policies(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2014., 2014.) Apak Kaya, Meral.; Gök, Fatma.This study intends to examine the role of mothers in the school system in the context of the neoliberal transformation process with regard to the special labor of women in the forms of domestic labor, care labor and voluntary work. In this respect, the presence of mothers in the school system is analyzed in terms of the labor processes and the special characteristics of this unpaid labor in interaction with the ways in which their patriarchally defined motherhood role is utilized to penetrate in the power positions in the school system. The issue is conceptualized around the notions of power and empowerment and around the related strategies implemented by mothers in the school. The research aims to unveil the ways in which the mothers’ practices and attitudes in the school field reproduce the class and gender inequalities. In this respect, the differentiations in the mothers’ attitudes in their participation process and the tensions created by their praxis are analyzed. The research identifies and illustrates certain characteristics of the activities and relationships in the school environment to signal the reproduction of gender inequality and the exclusion generating from the class differences. Finally, with reference to the findings, an alternative way of maternal participation in order to elicit empowerment for and solidarity of women regarding the intermitting class differences is discussed and expanded. The field data and the analysis point out that with the neoliberal policies which retract public funding from education and leave the schools on their own fate with the discourse of ‘parental participation’, mothers started to take part in the ‘running’ of the schools. With this penetration, they started to locate themselves in the power positions such as Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) in the school system. The way to PTA passes from the functioning and social capital gaining in the position of Classroom Motherhood (CM) which represents the mothers who allocate their unpaid labor to substitute the duties of the state in the schools. However, these power positions and the power struggles unveil the class difference of the mothers as actresses in the school system. Because middle-class mothers have relatively more economic and cultural capital, they can easily occupy the power positions in the school, whereas working class mothers deprived of economic and cultural capital, they have no voice in the school system. The maternal participation is patriarchally designed in the neoliberal system in essence and the power is gained in a sphere where patriarchal rules are valid, thus this kind of environment results in ‘power-gaining’ of the middle class mothers and this represents a contrast with the feminist empowerment discourse as the power gained by the middle class mothers keep the working class women in deprivation. The analysis of the data led to the development of certain conceptions such as ‘network blockage strategy’, ‘dispossession of social capital’, ‘catalyzing capital’ and ‘breastocracy’ to unveil the power relations and to shed light to possibilities of genuine women’s empowerment.Item The phenomenon of disability perception in blindness(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2015., 2015.) Yılmaz, Engin.; Gök, Fatma.; Müderrisoğlu, Serra.The present study aimed to investigate the perception differences of blind people about their blindness, the determining factors of those differences and their possible consequences. For this purpose a qualitative survey was conducted on 36 blind participants, 22 men and 14 women. The findings revealed 5 perception levels from affirmer participants to normalizers. It is found out that, while affirmers and partial affirmers view blindness as a part of their identity, a difference and are not eager for a possible cure, for negative perceivers and normalizers, blindness is certainly a deficiency and is the main causes of their troubles in their lives. Independent living skills and equal interrelation with both blind and sighted people were observed as the most determining factor of perception of disability. The role of schools for blind had dualistic effects. While they provided independence skills, they had inhibitory effects in the lives of the participants. The impact of sight degree, family atmosphere, employment area, technology and blind related NGO‟s as facilitator or inhibitory factors were also discussed. The findings showed that people with more positive blindness perception had more active roles on both blind related and other NGO areas.Item Lifelong learning policy making process in Turkey: the lifelong learning coordination law(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2015., 2015.) Seçkin, Onur.; Ünlühısarcıklı, Özlem.The aim of this study is to explore lifelong learning (LLL) policy making process in Turkey under the global effect in the case of the Lifelong Learning Coordination Law (HBÖKK). Findings emerged as a result of a content analysis of in-depth elite interviews with major policy makers in the HBÖKK making process with the assistance of Qualitative and Mixed Methods Data Analyses Software, MAXQDA. The findings indicate that bringing the LLL concept and the HBÖKK into the policy agenda in Turkey is mostly related to global changes and the accession process of Turkey to the European Union. Maintaining the coordination of LLL activities, increasing participation rate in LLL were the other reasons for bringing the HBÖKK into the policy agenda of Turkey. The findings showed that having operations and activities in the field of LLL, particularly on vocational education and training, was the main criteria for the selection of stakeholders in the HBÖKK making process. The stakeholders mostly take the LLL issue into hand in terms of vocational education and training. There were conflicts in the process among the stakeholders especially related to the issue of financing of LLL and changing authorities that will emerge as a result of the HBÖKK. There were some problems related to the participative dimension of the policy making process. Besides, the process was affected negatively due to administrative changes.Item Adult education in social movements: the case of the Gülen movement(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2015., 2015.) Cıngıllıoğlu, Salih.; Seggie, Fatma Nevra.This research explored the sohbets (spiritual conversations) of the Gülen Movement from two perspectives, with regard to adult education: the educational aspects of sohbets and the personal and social transformations experienced by the participants of sohbets. The research employed qualitative research methodology, in which participants were businessmen attending to the sohbets of the Gülen Movement in two different cities of Turkey. The data was collected through face-to-face in-depth interviews with an interview protocol developed after the pilot study. Grounded theory approach was used to analyze the findings obtained via interviews. The findings revealed how interviewees met the Gülen Movement, the reasons why they participated, the significance they attributed to the movement, and how they positioned themselves within it. The findings also provided information as to the educational aspects of sohbets, namely their aims, organization, syllabus, educators and the teaching and learning. Data analysis also revealed findings about the effects of sohbets on the personal daily lives of businessmen, their families and friends, and their business lives. The findings were discussed through the perspective of adult education and its implementation in social movements. It was concluded that the Gülen Movement constituted an example of a social movement in which adult education is extensively implemented to educate its participants and that the adult education in the Gülen Movement carried a formal aspect in contrast to the nonformal aspect of adult education in social movements, as described in the literature.Item School relocations in the context of urban transformation and education policy change in Turkey(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2016., 2016.) Bayhan, Sezen.; Gök, Fatma.; Ünlühisarcıklı, Özlem.This research examines the school relocation process in Istanbul, with a particular focus on two schools. The aim is to understand the interaction between the school relocation policy and the urban and education policy processes. Much of the data was collected through participatory inquiry where the researcher was a participant observer. Two high schools in Istanbul were explored with respect to their relocation processes, with a much more emphasis on one of the schools as its relocation was imminent. The findings show that school relocations induced by urban transformation are inextricably linked to the material and symbolic reorganisation of neighbourhoods and contribute to the destabilization of secular middle class neighbourhoods and their schools. Also, by showing how neoliberalisation interacts with inherited regulatory systems, this research brings a novel contribution to the existing international literature on the interaction between education policy and urban space. While a large body of international literature has demonstrated that school relocations or closings contribute to the perpetuation of the inequalities rooted in the racialised structures and institutions, this research brings a novel dimension with its argument that the relocation policy in Istanbul interacts with the desecularisation of the city and the education system.Item Differentiating children through education: school choices and educational practices of middle-class families in neoliberal times(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2016., 2016.) Çimen, Canan Aratemur.; Gök, Fatma.This research examines school choices and educational practices of middle-class families within the context of neoliberalization. The aim is to understand the ways in which their dispositions in education contribute to the creation of class advantage, class distinctions and increasing inequalities in a society. The data was collected mainly through in-depth interviews with parents, administrators and teachers in two selective high schools –one public and one private high school–in Istanbul. The findings indicate that reproduction of the middle class on the basis of education is highly dependent on the mobilization of economic, cultural and social capital of the families with extensive efforts of mothers. Since families have a high sense of responsibility for directing children’s education in the right way and making up differentiated children, they become more responsive to market signals in trying to find the best schools and the best ways to support the academic and individual development of their children. In this process, parents’ desires, dispositions and choices are shaped by the rationality of neoliberalism and those who continuously invest in children for enhancing their economic and social well-being turn into “active, responsible, competitive and entrepreneurial” subjects. After all, since their educational strategies and practices contribute to a social boundary-making process, middle-class families continue to retain their key roles in the creation and reproduction of class-based distinctions within the context of neoliberalization.Item An analysis of the critical thinking of university students enrolled in a faculty of education(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2016., 2016.) Buran, Ayşe Aylin.; Kızıltepe, Zeynep.This study seeks to identify the critical thinking of students in a state university in Turkey. All the subjects were enrolled in the Faculty of Education. While doing this research, the students’ approaches to critical thinking and their critical thinking experiences are analyzed. The data gathered is interpreted within the framework of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. Using a mixed methods sequential explanatory design, the following research questions were investigated: (a) What are the critical thinking dispositions of the subjects? (b) Based on their personal experiences, how do they conceptualize critical thinking? In the quantitative stage, the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI) was employed. In the qualitative stage, semi-structured interviews with 20 students were conducted. The quantitative data suggests that the subjects have a positive disposition towards critical thinking. It was observed that exercising critical thinking depends not only on actually having the ability to think critically but also upon the subject’s environment as well as the characteristics of people surrounding the subject. Hence, it is concluded that critical thinking is a context-based concept rather than a purely individual characteristic or skill. This research contributes to the field in terms of understanding critical thinking in a more comprehensive manner.Item Internationalization of higher education via distance learning: A grounded theory study in Turkey(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2017., 2017.) Ergin, Hakan.; Seggie, Fatma Nevra.This qualitative study examined how a faculty in Turkey internationalized via distance learning. This was made by multiple data collection and analysis procedures. First, observations were made to explore the operation of the faculty. Second, official documents produced by the faculty, university, national and supranational organizations were analyzed to reveal how hierarchical relations among policymakers influenced the faculty's approach to internationalization. Third, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 administrators of the faculty, 10 faculty members and 10 international distance students to explore their experiences in international distance learning programs. Based on the findings, the operation of the faculty was associated with the theory of the industrialization of teaching (Peters, 1983). Next, it was explored that the faculty administration was under the pressure of the massification of higher education and world university rankings. It was revealed that the participants had undergone academic, economic, social/cultural and psychological transformative influences of international distance learning programs. The main contribution of this study to the literature is that a theoretical model of distance internationalization has been proposed. The model introduces the rationales, philosophical foundations, global pressure, advantages, challenges and transformative influences in the internationalization of higher education via distance learning. It is expected to provide a route map for policymakers and higher education institutions with an agenda of internationalization via distance learning.Item Seeking education beyond refuge: An analysis of Syrian parents’ perspectives of their children's education in Istanbul(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2017., 2017.) Beyazova, Ayşe.; Caner, Ayşe.; Gök, Fatma.This study is an inquiry into the experiences of Syrian refugee parents in their pursuit for education in Istanbul for their children. Aiming to analyze the ways their parents struggle for acquisition of cultural capital for Syrian children, this thesis explores the possibilities and constraints encountered within the education system as well as the resources and strategies Syrian parents put into use as a response. A qualitative study was conducted through grounded theory methodology. The study suggests that children’s education has a significant precedence in refugee families’ lives but their overall living conditions full of deprivation have adverse influence on children’s education. The study also reveals parents’ dilemma of school choice between public schools and Temporary Education Centers nourished by the possibilities and constraints that two different school choices bring about. Some parents reported better experiences for their children’s educational inclusion in public schools. Acquisition of Turkish before school, extracurricular support in learning Turkish and other studies, having Turkish friends in and out of school, attentive treatment by teachers and strong parental involvement were particular aspects of these children’s educational lives. However Syrian refugee families’ resources to mobilize in response to the challenges against educational inclusion of their children is considerably scarce and the language barrier is a common obstacle ahead of all their strategies. Still, parents struggle to make use of their cultural and social capital, learn together with their children, engage with schools at differential levels and find ways to draw resources from the school.Item Higher education governance: Perceptions of rectors, council of higher education members, and government representatives(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2018., 2018.) Akbulut, Meltem.; Seggie, Fatma Nevra.This qualitative study investigates the operation of the system governance model in Turkish higher education through the perceptions of state university rectors, Council of Higher Education (CoHE) members, and government representatives. It also examines the advantages and the challenges of this model and explores the suggestions for improvements in the model. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with fifteen rectors, twelve CoHE members, and four government representatives and informed by grounded theory. The data analysis is conducted under the conceptual framework that is derived from the literature review and coined as “Rhizomatic System Governance Process Framework.” Based on the findings, the structure operating in the system governance model appears to be law-bound, have power-centers, combine supervision of inputs and outputs, and deprofessionalize academic roles. Also, a suggestion for a pluralized coordination seems to indicate perception of system governance as a process, which is argued to be “Rhizomatic-Tree-like” in this study. The main contribution of this study to the literature is the development of the “Rhizomatic System Governance Process Framework” by taking a deconstructive and reconstructive perspective in the literature review. Although the sub-items in the framework can change from one context to another, the main items together with their sub-items as a whole can offer a new perspective in the study of the system governance of higher education.Item Educating the parents of gifted children :|a needs analysis(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2019., 2019.) Zat, Uğur.; Kızıltepe, Zeynep.Parents education programs constitute one of the most popular subjects in family education. One of the parental education fields is the education of parents of gifted that is aimed to know how to meet needs of their children with differences and sensitivities from other peers. This study aims to identify the educational needs of parents of primary school age gifted children. To accomplish this, both focus group and in-depth interviews were used in order to gather thematic qualitative data from thirteen parents(F=13). The design of research is an exploratory design in order to deepen the understanding of each participant’s lived experiences. Using this design, the followings research questions were investigated: (a) What do parents need to learn after their primary school age children are identified as gifted? (b) What is the educational support program that should be provided for the parents? In order to reach to the answers of these questions, a semi-structured interview with open-ended questions was applied to the mothers of primary school age gifted children. Descriptive coding and the thematic analysis for qualitative data were used to analyze the data. According to the analysis of this study, four master educational themes were reached, these are theory & practices and out of school activities, before and after identification, personal development and twice exceptional. Despite the limitations of the study, it contributes to the field in terms of understanding educational needs of parents whose primary school age children identified as gifted.Item Family education policies in Turkey :|a critical discourse analysis of a family life education program(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2020., 2020.) Günaydın, Ayça.; Caner, Ayşe.; Gök, Fatma.The purpose of this study was to examine the construction of family within the Family Education Program (FEP) of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services. This qualitative study utilized Critical Discourse Analysis. Seven textbooks from the field of family education and communication were chosen for the analysis. FEP posits a claim to “strengthen and protect” the family and improve its wellbeing through education. This study reveals that the authors utilized a number of textual instruments to normalize the nuclear family as a privileged institution in society. In the texts a heteronormative discourse with an emphasis on reproductivity is reinforced. It is also apparent that no attention is paid to diverse families from different social, economic, and cultural backgrounds. The study also reveals that women were presented as the primary care providers in the family. In this regard, it is argued that the lack of progressive or critical approaches to the conceptualization of family inhibits a wider understanding of families and therefore limits understandings of needs and educational practices available. It is concluded that by understanding multiplicity, complexity, and diversity of families it becomes possible to envision new opportunities for support and education.Item Informal workplace learning experiences of gold-collar workers(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2021., 2021.) Sarkan, Oya.; Ünlühısarcıklı, Özlem.The purpose of this study was to examine informal workplace learning experiences of gold-collar workers working as corporate executive leaders. It was expected to understand what, how and why gold-collar leaders learned informally in the workplace, throughout their careers. The research was designed as a qualitative study and the data was collected mainly through semi-structured interviews. This study reveals the learning outcomes that are essential to act and perform as better leaders while dealing with increasingly complex tasks and responsibilities. These are solving problems, making decisions, managing risks and crisis, communicating, building teams, delegating, and monitoring tasks. The findings indicate that thinking strategically, exercising judgment, leading by values, engaging people, empowering leaders, developing teams, leading the change and transformations, and fostering the organizational culture are the major learning outcomes associated with leadership thinking, mindsets, and styles. Learning from experiences and other people, self-directed learning and meta cognitive learning skills, initiatives taken for increasing self-knowledge, dialogue, and networks as communities of practices are found as the major sources, strategies, and processes of informal learning used by the corporate leaders. Growth mindset, flexibility, passion, adaptation, and curiosity are revealed as individual factors influencing learning in the workplace. It is concluded that informal learning accounts for most of the leader`s learning in the workplace and leader development in the workplace should be considered and redesigned more from the perspective of informal learning.Item Program development for leaders in the Post-Truth Era :|arts-based creative leadership communication program(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2021., 2021.) Ertürk Kılıç, Burcu.; Seggie, Fatma Nevra.; Kızıltepe, Zeynep.Developments in media and communication technologies welcomed a new era, defined as post-truth, implying a general distancing from the truth, where fake or speculative messages can be instantly shared by a vast audience. In this era, we need leaders with strong emotional and social skills to create a positive and ethical impact in society. In this study, due to the requirements of the Post-Truth Era which necessitates a new approach to leadership development, an online arts-based learning program entitled Arts-Based Creative Leadership Communication Program is designed for leaders with three main objectives. These objectives are to increase firstly their creative communication skills; secondly, healing effect of arts for their resilience; and, thirdly, social sensitivity through arts. After the design and implementation of this program, its targeted effects on the participants were analyzed, and an ARTS Learning Model was developed. Results indicated that all of the expected outcomes of the program were achieved successfully, and also its transformative effects were ensured in the long run. Meanwhile, it was observed that the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic with its digital transformation process increased the effects of the program. The highest development was seen in the healing effect, while change in social sensitivity appeared as the lowest. The awareness created about the irrational functioning of the Post-Truth Era during the program affected social sensitivity scores negatively. Emotional skills as non-verbal communication element was developed more than social skills. To sum up, the program was found successful for the leaders in the Post-Truth Era.Item Transformation through social action :|experiences of participants in new social movements(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2021., 2021.) Bahadır, Zehra.; Ünlühısarcıklı, Özlem.The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of the participants during new social movements and the effects of their participation on their later lives in terms of transformative learning. A qualitative approach was adopted for this study to understand how their experiences shape their perspectives. Research data for this study was collected through a semi-structured interview guide which was developed and implemented by the researcher. 24 individuals are selected purposefully, and through snowball sampling technique from among people who actively participated in new social movements. In Vivo Coding was employed to analyze the findings of this study in addition to descriptive coding, simultaneous coding, and lastly pattern coding. The findings indicated that participating in new social movements brought about transformation in the consciousness levels of the participants, in their emotions and feelings, and in their behaviors and habits. The findings revealed that several participants needed to reformulate their old-established assumptions through critical reflection. The study indicated that many participants underwent a perspective transformation. Moreover, this study demonstrated that emotional-spiritual dimensions play a great role in learning experiences of the participants. Following the analysis of the data through the theoretical perspectives of Mezirow and Freire, we can claim that social movements might provoke transformative learning experiences, which may end in a process in which the individuals transform their ideas, beliefs, emotions, and actions.