Provincial Universities from a Gender Perspective: A Case Study Based on the Opinions of Prospective Teachers

Arzu Saldıray

Article Details

Provincial Universities from a Gender Perspective: A Case Study Based on the Opinions of Prospective Teachers

Authors:

Arzu Saldıray

Publisher:

Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University

Main Topics:

Yükseköğretimde Program Geliştirme ve Yeterlilikler

Journal:

Yükseköğretim ve Bilim Dergisi Vol.15 Issue 1, pp.81-100

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

4/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001347486

pISSN:

2146-5959

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Following the Higher Education Councils reforms in 2008 to increase the capacity and scope of universities, many new universities, also known as provincial universities, were established in different cities across Türkiye. Although this reform movement has been criticized for being a political act that empowers political power, given strong patriarchal social structure in Türkiye, it is also possible to see it as an important step towards gender equality. The aim of this study was to examine the perceptions and experiences of prospective teachers studying at a state university in Central Anatolia about provincial universities in the context of gender. Phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The participants of the study were 73 pre-service teachers studying at a provincial university in Central Anatolia. Qualitative data were collected through student essays, open online discussion sessions and individual interviews and content analysis was applied. The findings of the study showed that proximity to their hometown and exam scores were influential factors in students university choice. However, for those who felt obliged in their university choice, economic concerns and family pressure were influential factors. Pre-service teachers indicated that provincial universities were redundant because of low education quality, and their contribution in graduate inflation and high unemployment rates. Although pre-service teachers viewed provincial universities as ideal institutions that had the potential to transform the patriarchal structure, it was also observed that their experiences at the provincial university were not in accordance with this picture. Pre-service teachers stated that there was no gender equality perspective in the university they were students of. Female pre-service teachers stated that they were forced into silence, muted and witnessed gender-based discrimination at the provincial university. The pre-service teachers also mentioned the gender-based pressure mechanisms in the Turkish social structure, appearing as patriarchal pressures and economic difficulties, that pushed female students to study in the fields they wouldnt prefer The study shows that female students sometimes have to prefer nearby cities because they are close to their hometown and inexpensive, yet sometimes with an aim to get rid of family pressure they feel obliged to choose the departments they do not actually want.

 Following the Higher Education Councils reforms in 2008 to increase the capacity and scope of universities, many new universities, also known as provincial universities, were established in different cities across Türkiye. Although this reform movement has been criticized for being a political act that empowers political power, given strong patriarchal social structure in Türkiye, it is also possible to see it as an important step towards gender equality. The aim of this study was to examine the perceptions and experiences of prospective teachers studying at a state university in Central Anatolia about provincial universities in the context of gender. Phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The participants of the study were 73 pre-service teachers studying at a provincial university in Central Anatolia. Qualitative data were collected through student essays, open online discussion sessions and individual interviews and content analysis was applied. The findings of the study showed that proximity to their hometown and exam scores were influential factors in students university choice. However, for those who felt obliged in their university choice, economic concerns and family pressure were influential factors. Pre-service teachers indicated that provincial universities were redundant because of low education quality, and their contribution in graduate inflation and high unemployment rates. Although pre-service teachers viewed provincial universities as ideal institutions that had the potential to transform the patriarchal structure, it was also observed that their experiences at the provincial university were not in accordance with this picture. Pre-service teachers stated that there was no gender equality perspective in the university they were students of. Female pre-service teachers stated that they were forced into silence, muted and witnessed gender-based discrimination at the provincial university. The pre-service teachers also mentioned the gender-based pressure mechanisms in the Turkish social structure, appearing as patriarchal pressures and economic difficulties, that pushed female students to study in the fields they wouldnt prefer The study shows that female students sometimes have to prefer nearby cities because they are close to their hometown and inexpensive, yet sometimes with an aim to get rid of family pressure they feel obliged to choose the departments they do not actually want.

 Following the Higher Education Councils reforms in 2008 to increase the capacity and scope of universities, many new universities, also known as provincial universities, were established in different cities across Türkiye. Although this reform movement has been criticized for being a political act that empowers political power, given strong patriarchal social structure in Türkiye, it is also possible to see it as an important step towards gender equality. The aim of this study was to examine the perceptions and experiences of prospective teachers studying at a state university in Central Anatolia about provincial universities in the context of gender. Phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The participants of the study were 73 pre-service teachers studying at a provincial university in Central Anatolia. Qualitative data were collected through student essays, open online discussion sessions and individual interviews and content analysis was applied. The findings of the study showed that proximity to their hometown and exam scores were influential factors in students university choice. However, for those who felt obliged in their university choice, economic concerns and family pressure were influential factors. Pre-service teachers indicated that provincial universities were redundant because of low education quality, and their contribution in graduate inflation and high unemployment rates. Although pre-service teachers viewed provincial universities as ideal institutions that had the potential to transform the patriarchal structure, it was also observed that their experiences at the provincial university were not in accordance with this picture. Pre-service teachers stated that there was no gender equality perspective in the university they were students of. Female pre-service teachers stated that they were forced into silence, muted and witnessed gender-based discrimination at the provincial university. The pre-service teachers also mentioned the gender-based pressure mechanisms in the Turkish social structure, appearing as patriarchal pressures and economic difficulties, that pushed female students to study in the fields they wouldnt prefer The study shows that female students sometimes have to prefer nearby cities because they are close to their hometown and inexpensive, yet sometimes with an aim to get rid of family pressure they feel obliged to choose the departments they do not actually want.

 Yüksek Öğretim Kurumunun üniversitelerin kapasite ve kapsamını arttırmaya yönelik 2008 yılında gerçekleştirdiği reform hareketi sonrasında, Türkiyenin farklı şehirlerine taşra üniversiteler olarak da bilinen birçok yeni üniversite kurulmuştur. Bu reform hareketi, siyasi iktidarı güçlendiren politik bir eylem olması sebebiyle eleştirilse de, Türkiyenin güçlü ataerkil toplum yapısı göz önünde bulundurulduğunda toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliği adına önemli bir adım olarak görmek de mümkündür. Bu araştırmanın amacı; taşra üniversiteler olarak anılan ve İç Anadoluda bir devlet üniversitesinde okuyan öğretmen adaylarının; toplumsal cinsiyet bağlamında taşra üniversiteleri algılarını ve deneyimlerini incelemektir. Nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden fenomenolojik olgubilim desen kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın katılımcıları, İç Anadoluda bulunan bir taşra üniversitesinde öğrenim gören 73 öğretmen adayıdır. Öğrenci kompozisyonları, çevrimiçi açık tartışma oturumları ve bireysel görüşmeler aracılığıyla nitel veri toplanmış ve içerik analiziyle analiz edilmiştir. Bulgulara göre, okudukları taşra üniversitesini gönüllü tercih eden öğretmen adayları, yaşadıkları ile yakınlığı ve puan yeterliğini dikkate alırken; mecburi tercih edenler, ekonomik kaygılar ve aile baskısı etkisinde kalmıştır. Öğretmen adayları, taşra üniversitelerini, nitelik düşüklüğü, mezun enflasyonu ve istihdam sorunu oluşturmaları bakımından gereksiz bulmaktadır. Öğretmen adayları, taşra üniversitelerini ataerkil yapıyı dönüştürme potansiyeline sahip ideal kurumlar olarak görmelerine rağmen, okudukları taşra üniversitesindeki deneyimlerinin bu yönde olmadığı görülmüştür. Öğretmen adayları, öğrencisi oldukları üniversitede cinsiyet eşitliği perspektifinin olmadığını belirtmişlerdir. Kadın öğretmen adayları öğrencisi oldukları taşra üniversitesinde suskunluğa sürüklenerek sessizleştirildiklerini ve cinsiyete dayalı ayrımcılığa tanık olduklarını belirtmişlerdir. Öğretmen adayları, Türk toplum yapısındaki cinsiyete dayalı baskı mekanizmalarına da değinmiştir. Bulgulara göre ataerkil baskılar ve ekonomik sıkıntılar kadın öğrencilerin istemediği meslekleri okumalarına sebep olmaktadır. Kız öğrenciler kimi zaman yakın ve masrafsız olduğu için yakın şehirleri tercih etmek zorunda kalırken kimi zaman da aile baskısından kurtulmak amacıyla istemedikleri bölümleri yazmak zorunda kalmaktadır.

Article Details

Provincial Universities from a Gender Perspective: A Case Study Based on the Opinions of Prospective Teachers

Authors:

Arzu Saldıray

Publisher:

Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University

Main Topics:

Yükseköğretimde Program Geliştirme ve Yeterlilikler

Journal:

Yükseköğretim ve Bilim Dergisi Vol.15 Issue 1, pp.81-100

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

4/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001347486

pISSN:

2146-5959

Provincial university

Gender

Higher education programsTaşra üniversitesi

Toplumsal cinsiyet

Yükseköğretim programları

Issues

Article Details

Provincial Universities from a Gender Perspective: A Case Study Based on the Opinions of Prospective Teachers

Authors: Arzu Saldıray

Publisher: Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University

Main Topics: Yükseköğretimde Program Geliştirme ve Yeterlilikler

Journal: Yükseköğretim ve Bilim Dergisi Vol.15 Issue 1, pp.81-100

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 4/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001347486

pISSN: 2146-5959

Provincial university

Gender

Higher education programsTaşra üniversitesi

Toplumsal cinsiyet

Yükseköğretim programları

Issues

Authors:

Arzu Saldıray

Publisher:

Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University

Main Topics:

Yükseköğretimde Program Geliştirme ve Yeterlilikler

Journal:

Yükseköğretim ve Bilim Dergisi Vol.15 Issue 1, pp.81-100

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

4/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001347486

pISSN:

2146-5959