Determining the Standard of Quality: Examining the Turkish University Ranking Systems According to the Berlin Principles
Engin Karadağ1(), Cüneyt Belenkuyu2
1Faculty of Education, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey 2Faculty of Education, Süleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey
*This research has been supported by GEBIP Award of Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA). This work has been presented as an oral presentation at III International Higher Education Studies Conference (Sept 11-13, 2018, Kayseri, Turkey).
Abstract
The increasing competitive environment arising from the commercialization and internationalization of higher education (HE) and the increasing influence of the liberal character of educational policies have led to the emergence of HE ranking systems which have become an inevitable part of HE with the effect they have created. The lack of unambiguous methodological processes is one of the oft-cited critical problems in the HE ranking system literature. These systems vary due to the particular methods they adopt in creating their ranking results. This variation requires a set of principles on how best to perform these rankings. The principles established under Berlin Principles in 2006 aimed to address this need. This study aims to determine to what extent Turkish ranking systems comply with the basic tenets determined in the Berlin Principles. The study was designed as a methodological assessment study and the data were obtained from the websites and printed and electronic publications related to Turkish ranking systems. The data obtained were scored according to an evaluation form consisting of the tenets set out in the Berlin Principles. The findings show that the majority of the Turkish university ranking systems were not designed to be fully compliant with the Berlin Principles and instead they evaluate HE institutions by their research approach and quality definitions.
Keywords: Berlin principles, Turkish ranking systems, university rankings
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