Content Analysis of Curriculum-Related Studies in Turkey between 2000 and 2014.

Knowledge generation and sharing has become the most critical precondition for sustainable community development as a result of globalization (Akkoyunlu & Yilmaz, 2005; Akpinar & Aydin, 2007; Dogan, 2012). The education system changes and renews itself in parallel with these conditions (Kosterelioglu & Ozen, 2014). In recent years, signs of constructivist approaches have been seen in the curriculum, which has had update attempts as an effect of changes in Turkey's education system. Briefly, the constructivist approach says that knowledge is individually formed, and this process occurs thanks to an individual's active interactions with their own environment (Baki, 2008). Consequently, students have an active role in the process of generating the knowledge that one's social environment and culture create in order to make learning permanent and functional (Gurol, 2002). This approach brings new perspectives and concepts to education and can be summarized as student-centered and lifelong education (Akpinar & Gezer, 2010). The most concrete sign that education systems are formed by new understandings are that curriculum is certainly known as the road-map of education activities (Gozutok, 2003). Curricula are the most significant central components of a country's educational system (Ta§, 2007; Yecilyaprak, 2006). Curriculum is always open for improvement, because innovations reflected in the education system are observable to the extent that they are a part of the curriculum (Gozutok, 2003; Kosterelioglu & Ozen, 2014; Yapici & Demirdelen, 2007). Concordantly, the Ministry of National Education (MEB) has begun curriculum-development studies through the innovations and developments they've made in the education system since 2004 within the scope of a constructivist approach (Doganay & Sari, 2008). With the 2004 decision of the Board of Education and Discipline, Turkish, Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Science and Technology curricular classes prepared for 1st-5th graders were put into effect during the 2005-2006 academic year with developments that were able to reflect student-centered and constructivist approaches. Also, with the Board's 2005 decision, some changes were brought about in the Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Science and Technology curriculum for 6th-8th graders; with the Board's 2006 decision, Music, Visual Arts, Religion and Ethics, Revolution History, Physical Training, and English curriculum were also changed for 1st-8th graders. Additionally, the Board of Education and Discipline's 2008 decision caused Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Geometry curricular developments for secondary education to start being applied during the 2009-2010 academic year. Finally, with the Board's 2013 decision, changes have gradually been made to the Mathematics (5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades), Science (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades), English (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades) curricula and Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geometry curricula for high schools (see URL-1).A curriculum can only be determined to be valid and effective after it has been applied and the outcome assessed. As a consequence, curricula need to be considered regularly and systematically in terms of potential changes (Erturk, 1972; Saylan, 2001). Although these assessments hold great importance for determining considerations when developing curricula in order for the next one to be more successful, it is hard to tell whether the Board of Education and Discipline have made profound use of the research results.The Aim of StudyIt is unimaginable that an education system would be indifferent to changes in the educational field in keeping pace with the 21st century (Ozdemir, 2000; Ozden, 1999). In fact, these curriculum changes shape an important part of education reform change (Sahlberg, 2006). Education reform change is a structuring that all countries have given priority in recent years (Dogan 2012; Sahlberg, 2006). …