Qualitative Inquiry in Education: Theory & Practice

Editorial

Ali Ersoy — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Dear readers,

I am delighted to share the new issue of the Qualitative Inquiry in Education: Theory and Practice (QIETP) journal. This issue includes five research articles. I am grateful to our esteemed authors and referees for their contributions to QIETP. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the authors and reviewers who contributed to this issue with their valuable work.

The first article in this issue is a research article titled "Know Your Why: The Resilience of Positive Experienced Teachers." The study was conducted by Eric B. Gibson using a hermeneutical phenomenological design. The study aims to examine the resilience of teachers with more than five years of teaching experience who have had positive experiences. Utilizing self-determination theory (SDT), this study examines the relationship between teachers' resilience and the fulfillment of psychological needs, including autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The study may be of interest to researchers engaged in hermeneutical phenomenological research.

The second study is a research article titled "School Administrators' Views on the Curricula in the Context of Effective School Management and Instructional Leadership," conducted by Gamze Gülin Aygün, Kadriye Çakmak, and Nejat Ira. The researchers examined the concept of curriculum literacy within the context of effective school management and leadership from the perspective of school administrators, employing qualitative research methods. The study is significant in that it provides an in-depth examination of school management and curriculum literacy using qualitative methods.

The third study is a research article titled "Mothers' Experience of Home Education with their Children During COVID-19: A Qualitative Systematic Review" by Fatih Selim Sellüm, Ali Ersoy, and Dilruba Kürüm-Yapıcıoğlu. Sellüm and colleagues evaluated studies focusing on mothers who experienced their children's education process at home during the COVID-19 pandemic using a qualitative systematic review. The study, which comprehensively assesses the phenomenon of motherhood during the pandemic from the perspective of home education for children, has revealed significant findings.

The fourth article in this issue is Sadegül Akbaba-Altun's research article titled "The Transferability of Teacher Characteristics in the Transition to School Leadership." In her study, Akbaba-Altun examines the characteristics that teachers develop, maintain, adapt, or abandon during their transition to school leadership roles through teaching, aiming to explore how these characteristics are reflected in leadership practices and professional identity from a qualitative perspective. The study is significant for its in-depth examination of how leadership characteristics reflect in professional identity from a qualitative research perspective.

Mothers' Experience of Home Education with Their Children during COVID-19: A Qualitative Systematic Review

Fatih Selim Sellüm, Ali Ersoy, Dilruba Kürüm Yapıcıoğlu — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Purpose: One of the areas most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic has been education. The pandemic has significantly affected teaching-learning processes and caused various challenges. This process has brought a significant burden of care, especially for families with children. According to the studies, although the responsibilities and roles of parents have increased in the process, it has been observed that mothers have undertaken this more than fathers. This study aims to understand mothers' experiences of being a teacher-mother and the development of their children's educational processes according to the findings of the studies based on how mothers experienced their children's educational processes at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: In this study, which is carried out according to the qualitative systematic review design, 13 studies meeting the preset criteria are analysed. While analysing the data, thematic analysis recommended for systematic reviews is utilised/used.

Findings: In this study, even though the process offered some limited opportunities, it is concluded that the mothers felt many responsibilities, experienced feelings that arose from the uncertainty such as fear, anxiety, and guilt, and undertook the responsibility of being a pedagogical and working mother and faced a lot of difficulties/hardships.

Implications: When distance education is needed for various reasons in the future, it is among the recommendations of the study to make planning by considering the experiences of mothers.

Qualitative Research Trends in Graduate Theses in Educational Sciences: A Study from Türkiye

Fatma Mizikaci — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Purpose: This study provided a comprehensive and longitudinal examination of the expansion and institutionalization of qualitative research methodologies within graduate theses in educational sciences in Türkiye, spanning the years 2000 to 2024.

Metod: Utilizing a systematic analysis of the YÖKTEZ national theses database, the paper traced epistemological, methodological, and institutional shifts that have positioned qualitative inquiry as a central mode of knowledge production. Through a three-phase periodization and an in-depth account of research designs—including case study, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and action research—this study identified critical patterns, disruptions, and continuities.

Findings: The findings revealed not only exponential growth in the adoption of qualitative methods but also evolving understandings of methodological rigor, theoretical grounding, and ethical engagement. Despite increasing recognition, qualitative research often encounters hurdles in publication due to traditional biases favoring quantitative methodologies.

Implication: The discussion underscored the importance of fostering an academic environment that values and supports qualitative approaches. Thus, this article called for a paradigm-sensitive and epistemologically reflexive approach to graduate-level research, situating the trajectory of qualitative inquiry within the larger research trends and pedagogy of higher education in Türkiye.

Know Your Why: The Resilience of Positive Experienced Teachers

Eric B Gibson — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Amaç: Sorun, öğretmenlerin mesleğin doğasında var olan zorluklarla karşılaştıklarında okul topluluklarında bağlılıklarını ve dirençlerini korumalarının zor olmasıdır. Bu hermenötik fenomenolojik çalışmanın amacı, beş yıldan fazla öğretmenlik deneyimine sahip olumlu deneyime sahip öğretmenlerin yaşam deneyimlerindeki direnci incelemektir. Öz belirleme teorisini (ÖBT) kullanan bu çalışma, öğretmenlerin direncini özerklik, yeterlilik ve ilişki kurma gibi psikolojik ihtiyaçların karşılanmasıyla ilişkilendirmektedir.

Yöntem: Bu çalışmanın temel araştırma sorusu şuydu: Olumlu deneyime sahip öğretmenler, içsel motivasyonlarını artırarak direnç geliştirmenin yolları nelerdir? Bir günlük yazma önerisi, bireysel görüşmeler ve odak gruplarının üçgenlenmesi, dört kıtadan en az beş yıldır öğretmenlik uygulamalarına bağlı kalan 15 öğretmenin yaşanmış deneyimlerinden veri sağladı. Veriler, Atlas.ti yazılımı kullanılarak analiz edildi ve temalara ayrıldı.

Bulgular: Veriler, topluluk, kişisel değerlendirme, sağlıklı sınırlar ve içsel motivasyon yoluyla dayanıklılık temalarını ortaya koydu. Öğretmenler, neden öğrettiklerini ve bundan keyif aldıklarını açıkça bildiklerinde, zorluklardan sonra aynı veya daha yüksek bir seviyede devam edebilirler. Bütünü görmek, geçici zorlukların üstesinden gelmelerine ve öğretme sevgilerini sürdürmelerine olanak tanır.

Araştırma ve Uygulama İçin Sonuçlar : Olumlu deneyime sahip öğretmenler, tüm öğretmenlerle aynı stres faktörleriyle karşı karşıyadır ve zorlukların üstesinden gelmek, olumlu ve ilgili kalmak için öğretme nedenlerini sık sık gözden geçirerek öncelikle içsel motivasyona güvenirler. Olumlu deneyime sahip öğretmenleri belirlemek ve onlara güvenmek, okul ortamını güçlendirebilir.

School Administrators' Views on the Curricula in the Context of Effective School Management and Instructional Leadership

Gamze Aygün, Kadriye ÇAKMAK, Nejat İRA — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the school administrators' views on the curricula in the context of effective school management and instructional leadership.

Method: This study employed a qualitative approach to examine the school administrators' views on the curricula in the context of effective school management and instructional leadership. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with sixteen school administrators from two provinces, Çanakkale and Muğla, located in west of Türkiye. Participants were selected by using convenience sampling.

Findings: In this study, school administrators stated that the curricula should be student-centered, skill-oriented, up-to-date, and functional; they also emphasized that it should not be frequently revised and should avoid reliance on rote learning. The current curricula implemented in Türkiye was described as intensive, centralized, disregarding individual differences, and lacking real-life relevance. Additionally, administrators highlighted that having knowledge of the curricula contributes to the effective operation of schools, supports teachers, and serves as a key factor in improving the quality of education.

Implications: This study has revealed that there some points that need improvement in school administrators' curricula knowledge. In-service training programs are recommended to address this development. Familiarity with all curricula will contribute to their effectiveness as school leaders and enhance their instructional leadership skills, thereby improving the quality of education. Additionally, considering the views of school administrators during curricula development processes will contribute to shaping the education system more effectively.

The Transferability of Teacher Characteristics in the Transition to School Leadership

Sadegül Akbaba Altun — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Purpose: This study examines the characteristics developed through teaching that are retained, adapted, or discarded when teachers transition into school leadership roles. The purpose is to explore how these traits influence leadership practice and professional identity.

Method: A qualitative research design was employed. Data were collected via an open-ended online survey administered to 83 school principals across 36 provinces in Türkiye. Participant responses were systematically analyzed through content analysis.

Findings: Findings reveal four primary themes related to the transferability of teacher characteristics: (1) all should be transferred, (2) some should be transferred, (3) certain traits should not be transferred, and (4) none should be transferred. Most principals highlighted the importance of human competencies (e.g., empathy, fairness), technical skills (e.g., classroom management, planning), and leadership qualities (e.g., instructional and visionary leadership). A minority group cautioned against transferring traits such as excessive familiarity, irritability, or indifference. The findings align with Parsons' Role Theory and reflect Bridges' concept of the "neutral zone," indicating that transition involves partial transformation rather than complete role abandonment. This study provides a theoretically informed empirical contribution to understanding career transitions in educational leadership.