Academic quality assessment in Turkish undergraduate institutions.

摘要

There have been no sources of reputational studies and objective data analyses regarding the comparative quality of Turkish universities which provide information and data for prospective students, advisors, university administrators, and policy makers. State government, university administrators, associations, and the Higher Education Council in Turkey have never published any quality rating and ranking of their members. Even college catalogs, brochures, and "view books" have rarely been published. Universities have provided no information about how they compare to others in important characteristics.; There is a need for information and data on academic quality to assist students and advisors in matching students' career goals with the facilities and opportunities available in relevant undergraduate programs; to inform the practical judgment of university administrators, policy makers, and managers of public and private agencies; and to provide a large, current database that can be used by scholars who focus on characteristics of the higher education system and its associated enterprise.; The purpose of this research project is to rank Turkish undergraduate institutions and their academic and professional schools in terms of academic quality; to explore the relationship between institutional ranking and school ranking; and to indicate the relationship between state and private universities in academic quality. To reach this purpose, this research encompasses 395 schools in 16 fields at 64 universities across Turkey to provide comprehensive information and data regarding Turkish universities.; The research was based on the academic reputational approach and the objective data approaches in order to assess, rate, and rank Turkish undergraduate institutions. Descriptive research was employed to collect an extensive body of data, to apply statistical techniques and to provide a broader explanation of the phenomenon in the study.; This study provides a more accurate picture regarding the academic quality of Turkish undergraduate education and correlations between reputational and objective data ranking, between institutional ranking and school ranking, and between public universities and private universities. Due to being unique in the area of academic quality assessment, rating, and ranking, this research is a reference study which sheds light on the existing quality in Turkish higher education institutions that can be used by scholars who focus their work on further steps.