Educational Administration and Teacher Education: A Comparative Perspective on Native Language Teacher Training Policies in England and Türkiye

Abstract

Comparing teacher training policies, this research examines pedagogical and academic readiness alongside administrative implications in training secondary native language teachers under the United Kingdom’s Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (Department for Education, 2024) and the preparatory training model of the National Education Academy established under the Teacher Profession Law No. 7528 of the Republic of Türkiye (Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, 2024; Ministry of National Education, 2026). As a qualitative comparative policy study, this research is structured around statutory legislation, national curricula, and official policy documents published by the ministries of education in England and Türkiye. The examination reveals policy shortcomings, professional erosions, and systemic tensions across both administrations. On the English side, as the teacher is transformed into a mechanical technician applying cognitive evidence, the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the classroom is adversely affected, driving both an excessive workload and retention crises (Hordern & Brooks, 2025; Smith, 2025; Stanescu, 2025). In the Turkish case, by excluding faculties of education, the process is confined to centralized preparatory training directly subordinate to ministerial bureaucracy, which prioritizes national identity transmission centred on 'cultural and civilizational values' in native language instruction (TBMM, 2024; MEB, 2026); ultimately, the professional delegitimization of degrees obtained from faculties of education is critically challenged. The newly introduced 'high-quality oral language' module in the English native language curriculum restricts teachers' pedagogical freedom, casting them into the role of spoken-language compliance monitors before their students (Cushing, 2021). Consequently, the study demonstrates how centralized control and the mechanization of teachers in global educational administration can undermine academic quality and the pedagogical framework within native language teacher training processes.