A content analysis of early childhood education graduate theses written in Turkey


Thesis Type: Postgraduate

Institution Of The Thesis: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Faculty of Education, Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Turkey

Approval Date: 2017

Student: SEDEN DEMİRTAŞ İLHAN

Supervisor: FEYZA ERDEN

Abstract:

This study aims to investigate descriptive characteristics, research topics and methodological procedures of master’s theses and doctoral dissertations regarding early childhood education in Turkey. Within the scope of the current study, 931 M.S. theses, and 171 Ph.D. dissertations were analyzed according to university, institute, department, publication year, the degree held by the advisor, research topic, the sample group, the city where the study took place, research setting of the study, the type of research, instruments, statistical analysis and sampling methods. Data of the current study covers the theses published in between 1989-2016 years. In the data analysis process content analysis method was used. The current study found that students are the most frequently used subject groups, in regards to both M.S. theses (37.39%) and Ph.D. dissertations (53.39%). In the M.S. theses, researchers mostly prefer research topics regarding the education of young children (29.95%) but in PhD. dissertations, researchers focused on developmental issues (32.78%). Nearly, all of the graduate theses were conducted in city centers and central districts.