Universal Journal of Educational Research Vol. 5(12), pp. 2251 - 2258
DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2017.051215
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Selection Process of School Principals in Turkey and Some Other Countries: A Comparative Study

Sait Akbaşlı ¹, Mehmet Şahin ^2,*, Burak Gül ^3
1 Faculty of Education, Hacettepe University, Turkey
² Ahmet Keleşoğlu Faculty of Education, Necmettin Erbakan University, Turkey
³ St. Graduate School of Educational Sciences, Hacettepe University, Turkey

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to analyze the process of school principal selection and appointment in Turkey and some other developed countries in a comparative way. The specific purpose is to make suggestions in order to improve the school principal selection process in Turkey by comparatively analyzing school principal selection process in Turkey and some developed countries. The focus is on the principal selection processes in the USA, Germany, and Finland, and it makes a comparison with the current situation implemented in Turkey. In most of the states in the USA, in order to be a principal, a certificate, a master's degree, and being an actual teacher are required. In the study methodology, official papers and documents have been analyzed in the context of research review in order to study the existing materials that do not require collecting through a data collection tool. These documents include related official reports, graduate thesis, articles, proceedings, National Education Councils conclusions, and legislative texts consisting of official regulations. The findings indicate that there are various selection methods used for this purpose. District Board of Education is in charge at selection procedures. In Germany, there is a variety of selection procedures among the states. The states' Education Ministries and administrators are in charge of selection and appointment of principals and modifications of selection procedures. The state exams and regular official performance assessments by superiors are decisive in the centralized selection process in most federal states. In Finland, a certificate and teaching qualification are required to be a principal. Interviews and tests are used in the selection procedures. Administrators and educational committee members are in charge of the highly decentralized selection process. There are some common and varied features in principal selection process between Turkey and the mentioned countries in the study. In Turkey, school principality is regarded as a secondary role to a teacher and the principal selection processes, procedures, and rules change very frequently in time.

KEYWORDS
School Principal, School Principal Selection, Educational Administrator

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Sait Akbaşlı , Mehmet Şahin , Burak Gül , "Selection Process of School Principals in Turkey and Some Other Countries: A Comparative Study," Universal Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 5, No. 12, pp. 2251 - 2258, 2017. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2017.051215.

(b). APA Format:
Sait Akbaşlı , Mehmet Şahin , Burak Gül (2017). Selection Process of School Principals in Turkey and Some Other Countries: A Comparative Study. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 5(12), 2251 - 2258. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2017.051215.