The Social Status of the Teaching Profession: Teachers' Views in Turkey and Kazakhstan

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine the views of teachers in Turkey and Kazakhstan on the social status of the teaching profession. The universe of the study was comprised of teachers in Ankara and Nur-Sultan, the capital cities of Turkey and Kazakhstan, respectively. In order to collect qualitative data, an interview form titled "Opinions on the Status of the Teaching Profession" was prepared in Turkish and those interview questions were translated into Kazakh. Teachers' views on the status of the teaching profession were determined on the basis of the phenomenology pattern. In this context, the interview groups consisted of 14 teachers working in Ankara and 14 teachers working in Nur-Sultan, 28 participants in total. The findings of the study revealed that some of the participants in Turkey believed the status of the teaching profession in the present is lower than in the past. Among the factors affecting social status, participants noted excessive workloads, incompetence of teachers, low salaries, extra workloads, economic dissatisfaction, and difficulties with teacher appointments and training. Teachers working in the province of Nur-Sultan stated that the status of the teaching profession in the country has improved following the approval of the ‘Teacher Status Law’ and the increasing of the base scores for applicants to teaching departments. A few participants, however, noted that the status is still low. The factors that affect teachers' social status were identified as excessive workload, incompetence, teacher salaries, economic dissatisfaction, and problems in professional development. Turkish and Kazakh participants' suggestions for elevating the status of their profession were presented at the end of the research.