| Chapter 1: | Research Overview |
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A discussion of the function of history/social studies in both creating and dispatching these impediments provides the scaffold for framing the current issues.
Chapter 3 considers current theoretical thinking with regard to history/social studies education in general, and in the specifics of Turkey’s 21st-century situation. Also in this chapter is a discussion of the concepts forwarded by Milton J. Bennett (1993), as he proposes a model for intercultural sensitivity. When applied to the European Union and to Turkey, the model provides a useful guide for understanding the stages of integration and identifies their general characteristics. Applying the model to EU imperatives and Turkey’s education initiatives establishes the position of each entity on Bennett’s continuum, thus revealing where each is and what is likely to transpire next.
Chapter 4 discusses the conflicts between EU imperatives and Turkish national interests and the efforts to find commonality. History/social studies education is the arbitrator, and the specifics of the educationally oriented efforts to discover, standardize, and implement integration clarify accomplishment and direction.
Chapter 5 discusses the methodology employed for data gathering that is also necessary for the following qualitative analysis of chapter 6. The final chapter incorporates all the disparate lines of reasoning and researched material to analyze the Turkish situation and the effectiveness of the history/social studies curriculum in enhancing Turkey’s integration into the European Union. As becoming a full member in the EU is an ongoing process, this chapter also considers the challenges that lie ahead and the steps necessary to successfully engage them.