Views of Teachers and Academicians about Alternative Education Applications in Turkey

The purpose of the present study is to explore the views of teachers, academicians and graduate students about alternative education/school applications and applicability of these applications in Turkey. The current study is a qualitative study. The data were collected through focused group discussion and interviews and semi-structured interview form was used. The sample of the study consisted of 25 individuals including 13 academicians at Yuzuncu Yil University and 2 graduate students in Education Sciences, and 10 teachers working in Van province. The data were analyzed by descriptive analysis technique. With respect to the findings, alternative education is a new concept for the participants and they have complication for this concept. Also, the participants have different views about the applicability of alternative education in Turkey. In this respect, alternative education applications have the potential to cause great discussions.