Türkiye Millî Eğitim Şuraları Eğitim Programlarına İlişkin Kararlarının Felsefi Yönden İncelenmesi: Cumhuriyet'in İlk Yüzyılına İlişkin Dönemsel Bir Analiz

This study examines the curriculum decisions of Turkey's National Education Councils over four distinct periods of Turkish Republic: single-party (1923-1950), multi-party (1950-1980), authoritarian (1980-2000), and technological advancement (2000-2023). This qualitative explanatory case study examines 409 council decisions through philosophical analysis based on idealist, realist, pragmatist, naturalist, polytechnic, existentialist, and constructivist philosophies, and the following results were obtained: The curriculum was designed to instil national consciousness in individuals during the single-party period, followed by loyalty to Atatürk's Principles and Reforms in the multi-party and authoritarian periods and enlarging into universal values during the technological advancement period. The council's initial decisions on teaching status were focused on idealist, realist, and pragmatist philosophies, while realism took the lead in the assessment dimension. Primary education was geared towards idealist and realist approaches, utilizing societal and scientific resources. In the case of secondary education, vocational and technical education were the primary focus, with pragmatist and polytechnic philosophies being aligned with the needs of productive individuals and development. Within the framework of field curriculums, regulations have been proposed to support individuals' vocational training and their development in artistic, athletic, moral, and values-based aspects, varying by the periods. In the technological leap era, philosophical understandings in decision texts became more intricate. Contrary to previous periods that prioritized society over the individual, philosophies such as naturalist, constructivist, and existentialist, which can be characterized as reactive and prioritize the individual over society, have gained relatively more prominence compared to earlier times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]