Prof. Dr. Miraç Akçay
Asst. Prof. Dr. Mine Gözübüyük Tamer
Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi,
Trabzon, Turkey
Content
 Part-I: Towards An Ageing Society (Turkey with Demographic
Indicator) and Intergenerational Solidarity Paradigm
 Part-II: Education Possibilities Towards Ageing Population (Access
to education and training)

 Part-III: Education Possibilities for Second and Third Generations
in KTU
 Part-IV: Case Study on Adults studying KTU
 Part-V: General Profile and Educational Experience of KTU Staff
Graduated from Open and Distance Education
Part-I: Towards an Ageing Society
(Turkey with Demographic Indicator)
The Changing Age Structure of Turkey
The Intergenerational Solidarity
Paradigm
 The decline of the traditional family
 Changes in family structure
 Weakened the role of the family as a socialisaion
agent and as a source for child rearing, nurturing
and support
 Disengagement of elders from their
intergenerational roles
Part-II: Education Possibilities
Towards Increasing Ageing Population:
Education
 In all countries, lifelong education and training is a
prerequisite for ensuring elderly people’s participation in
employment and social life.
 It is observed that policies involving renewal of the
education and training systems, lifelong equal
opportunities for vocational guidance and placement
services aiming at ensuring contributions of elderly people
over 60 years of age to the development of our country are
not covered at the desired levels (in terms of both content
and duration) as of yet (DPT, 2007)
Expansive Training Efforts
 are conducted across the country by the public and
private sectors under the surveillance and supervision
of the Ministry of National Education through public
education, apprenticeship, distance learning, open
primary school, open high school, open vocational and
technical school, private training institutions, private
courses, private vocational and technical courses and
private motor vehicle driving courses.
The Reason Why People Tend to Attend
Non-formal Education
 1. Being more knowledgable
 2. To prepare for a new job,
 3. On the job
 4. To spend leisure time as a good and beneficial,
 5. To meet new and interesting people,
 6. Acquiring skills for responsible works,
 7. To communicate people and self-development,
 8. To increase revenue.
The Reason Why People Attend
a Non-formal Education in Turkey
 % 60,9 being skilled in his occupation/job
 % 34 becoming skilful and knowledge in
daily life,
 % 33,4 to learn about an issue that
attracting of him
 % 27,5 receiving a certificate
Non-formal Education
 covers all educational activities organized along or
outside of formal education.
 The specific objective of non-formal education, in
accordance with the basic principles and general
objectives of the national education, to the citizens
which never entered the formal education system or at
any level or out at that level, beside or outside of
formal education to gain knowledge and skills.(TUİK,
Yaygın Eğitim istatistikleri)
The participation of Non-formal
Education in OECD Countries
In OECD Countries
 In OECD countries, 29 % of 24-64 age population
participate in non-formal education related to
occupation.
 This rate;
 is greater than % 40 in Finland, Norwegian,
Sweden, Switzerland,
 38 % in Germany and Slovak Republic
 below % 20 in Poland and Spain
 less than 15 % in Greece, Hungary, Italy and
Turkey.
In Turkey
 In Turkey, the most active participation of non-formal
education activities is seen 18 - 24 age group (26.7%)
and university graduates 40 %.
Adult Education Possibilities in Turkey
within the formal and Non-formal
Education
 Public Education Center
 Except Ministry of National Education, other
instutitions such as Municipalities, Waqfs, Associations
support directly nonformal education by opening
courses.
Part-III: Education Possibilities for
Second and Third Generations in KTU
 Formal Education
Undergraduate Programme (Evening Classess)
Master Degree
Ph. Degree
 Non-Formal Education: Continuing Education Center
 various courses launched by KTU(computer, English
language, manual skills, etc.) accept all interested
individuals who wish to receive training, without any
discrimination by age limits.
To keep the graduates’ information up to date,
To ensure a educational environment to anyone
who wants to learn,
To organize training programs based on the
demands of each institution,
To contribute to the reduction of the educational
gaps between the regions,
To contribute to the personal education , while
diploma alone is not sufficient at the present time,
To strengthen the relationship between the
university and the city,
Categories of Trainings
Part-IV: Case Study (Aim, Method and
Findings)
 The aim of this study is to reveal the general
profile of students who are at 45 and above
ages studying in KTU and their educational
experiences.
 This study is important for putting down to
the fact that how common programmes
bringing young and older together affects
the life of adult/ older.
Research Design & Methodology
 based on descriptive research.
 guided
by principles found in
quantitive and qualitative inquiry.
 Detailed
interviews and survey
techniques are used.
Researh Technique of Research
• Survey
• Deep interviews with 25 participants
• Verbal descriptions- audio taped and transcribed
• Interviews were done in places students went inside
and outside the university, such as classrooms and
cafe.
• The goal of collecting and analyzing data was to gain
an detailed understanding -- meaning from the
participants’ perspective the reason why they study,
and to reveal the educational attainment of them.
Research Questions
• The survey consisted of two stages,
The first stage as follows;
• The general profile of students including
gender, age, place of birth, occupation,
marital status, income level, family size and
spare time activities.
Second stage; Information on Educational
Experiences of participants including
several questions as below;
• Is the KTU first university you registered?
• What is the education level in KTU? Which faculty
and department do you attend?
• The reason why you study in KTU?
• What are the positive and negative side to study in
your late age/adult age?
• What do you think about university and state’s
measures on adult aducation?
Questions;
• What kinds of opportunities that universites
provides students like you?
• What are the personal and social gain to study in
late age?
• What do you think about KTU Alumni club?
• Do you have any advise to students who are at the
same age with you?
• What are the reactions of your family or social
surroundings on your studying decisons?
Finding: Demographic Profile
Information on Educational
Experiences of Participants Studying
KTU
 The reason for studying at late age or adult age
 Getting diploma
 Assessing leisure time after retirement,
 Making new friends
 Learning new things
 Improving yourself
 Studying departments which you want
 Being model for their children and nices/nephews
 As a hobby
The Positive Side to Study in Late
Age/Adult Age
 To learn new information, up date information, improve








yourself
To study with young
Keep alive memory/ prevent the alzheimer
Widen one’s viewpoints
Contribute career development and income
Get rid of monotony
To feel good among youngs because of competing with
them.
Being experinced
To better understand youth
The Negative Side to Study in Late
Age/Adult Age
 Health problems of older person
 Inadequate understanding capasities
 Not able to reacc to young or not compete with young
 Not matching with working hours and lessons
 Difficulties in learning English
 Difficulty in taking time ( for themselves and their
family)
 Difficulty to carrying out in cooperation work and
study
State’s Policy/Precautions on Adult
Education
 For still workers, flextime and income
growth
 For older, adaptation problems, following
the lessons and the exam system/ open
admission come to the fore.
Opportunities that Universites
Provides Students Who are Studying at
Adult Age
 Financial support-not to pay fees
 Abolishment of compulsory English prepatory
class
 Attendance could be more flexible
 Giving lecture as in CD
 Special
activities for adaptation and
communication with young and instructor
well
Personal Gain to Study in Late Age
 Provide prestige
 New social environment
 Being happy and self-confident
 Live close to society
 Widen one’s point of view, increase the level of education.
 Acquiring current information
 Not being detached from life
 The feeling of accoplisment
 Earn respect
 Social activities increases
 Revenue increases and career development
 Gain a sense of confidence
Social Gain to Study in Late Age
 Conscious society
 The quality of education will increase
 Social and cultural renewal
 The welfare of state will increase
 Being model for young
Advises of Student Towards Other
Adults
 Being courageous to start
 Do not spend leisure time in home and
lonely
 There is no age limit for education
Comments and Views on KTU Alumni
club
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Not active
Oppose to alumni clubs
Haven’t heard it
Not following
Not knowing
Alumni clubs,
should be active and create communication among
alumnies
should be guide in every aspect to the students and
alumnies
is important for cretaing social network, and
important for socializing
Advices
 Actions to Be Taken
 Supporting of elderly people who are retirement and sustaining
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

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of access to structural and financial services
Developing adult education and training with various incentives
and programmes being interesting
Ensuring access of elderly people to basic services
(transportation etc)
Developing and implementing programs and providing the
required services for ensuring that elderly people
Implementing policies aiming at developing opportunities
involving education and educational innovations for elderly
people, and encouraging elderly people to make use of their
acquired information and skills during their retirement periods.
Part-V: General Profile of Staffs who
Graduated from Open and Distance
Education
Demographic Profile of Staff
View on Open Distance Education
Positive
Make progress in one’s
career
Graduate from university
The opportunity to study
while working
Update information
İmprove yourself
Negative
Not equivalent diploma
Not to take formal
eductaion possibilities
Difficulty in studying while
working
Extreme density in exam
time (such as traffic)
Educational Attainment and Advices
Educational Attainment
Increase of education level
Orientation on different
business area
Personal and vocational
development
Vocational career
Increase the level of
information/ liberal
education
Getting diploma
Advices
Struggle with life
Necesaary for personal
development
Prevent conflict of generations
It is good for studying while
working
Thanks for your attention…