Merkezi Sınavların Öğretmenler Üzerinde Sosyal, Psikolojik Etkisi ve

Extended Abstract 
While the concept of education is defined by educational scientists in different ways, the focus of 
these definitions is emphasized on the process of changing people and their behaviors positively. 
Presenting people the desired knowledge, skills, attitudes, values and habits through education requires a 
certain plan and systematicity. Conducting education within a certain plan firstly brings to mind the 
training program. The final stage of the training programs, measuring and assessments involves the 
processes by which students’ levels related to the acquisitions within the program have been determined. 
Measurement and assessment, moreover, can be performed for many purposes, such as determining 
readiness levels, learning needs, interests and abilities of the students. The measurement and assessment 
process is carried out through examinations in order to test the knowledge and skills of the individuals 
with reference to a certain field. 
The measurement and assessment process carried out through the exams is implemented in two 
ways in our country, local and central. Local exams are usually examinations developed and applied by 
teachers to measure students' academic performance related to any subject. Central examinations are 
generally examinations developed and implemented by the Ministry of National Education and Student 
Selection and Placement Center. Central examinations performed for selecting and placing students to a 
higher education institution (secondary school-university) are significant for students and parents even 
though the reasons for the implementation of the central examinations differ from one another in Turkey. 
Central examinations may be said to have many effects on the students, the education system and the 
parents. There are also research findings showing that centralized exams are a pressure element on 
teachers. In addition, no research has been found in the related literature on how this element of pressure 
affects teachers. In this regard, the research question has been determined as "What are the effects of 
central examinations on teachers and how these influences are reflected on teachers' education and 
teaching practices?" In the context of this basic problem, the sub problems of the research are presented 
as follows. 
1. What are the social and psychological effects of central examinations on teachers? 
2. What are the effects of central examinations on teachers' personal and professional 
development? 

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Merkezi Sınavların Öğretmenler Üzerinde Sosyal, Psikolojik Etkisi ve Öğretim Programı Uygulamalarına Yansıması
323 
e-ISSN: 2536-4758 
http://www.efdergi.hacettepe.edu.tr/ 
3. What are the effects of central examinations on teachers' teaching and learning practices 
(purpose, content, method and technique, measurement and assessment tools, time)? 
4. What are the effects of the central examinations on teachers’ professional image (perception of 
the profession by the society)? 
5. What are the other effects of central examinations that affect teachers' lives? 
This is a qualitative research in the phenomenology design conducted to reveal how the effects of 
central examinations (YGS, TEOG) are reflected on the teachers working at secondary and high schools. 
The working group of the study consists of 15 volunteer teachers who work at the state secondary schools 
and high schools in the Kahramanmaraş province during the 2017-2018 academic year. Research data 
was collected through the two-part written opinion form developed by the researchers. The first part 
includes four questions to determine teachers' personal characteristics and the second consists of five 
open-ended questions to explore how teachers are influenced by the central examinations. Content 
analysis technique was used during data analysis. Research results have shown that central examinations 
have both positive and negative effects on teachers. Central examinations have been found to have a 
positive effect on increasing the image of teachers. Teachers have noted that the images of the teachers 
from those branches that are mostly included in the exams are perceived by the society at a high level. 
This, in turn, reveals that teachers are more respectful, serious and popular. Another factor that influences 
the image of the teachers is the students’ achievement in the exams as teachers are directly responsible for 
success and failure. One of the positive effects of the central examinations on the teachers is the economic 
profit. Research findings have also suggested that central examinations provide financial gain for teachers 
through private lessons, serving in support and training courses. The personal and professional 
development contributions of the central examinations have also been realized as exam-indexed. The 
teachers have been determined to pursue the changes and innovations in line with the exams. Teachers' 
effort for increasing their knowledge based on central examinations and the ability to improve their 
practical question-solving skills are the other implications for the professional development. Teachers’ 
self-evaluation depending on the students’ achievement in the exams, updating themselves and increasing 
readiness may be considered as the indicator of the effect of the central examinations on their personal 
and professional development. Another result of the research has revealed that the central examinations 
have negative effects on teachers’ learning-teaching process. Teachers have indicated that they have 
focused on the purpose and content of the lesson and that they use more methods and techniques in 
teaching, such as narration, test-solving (question-answer).Two teachers have stated that central 
examinations negatively affected their personal and professional development. They emphasized that 
central examinations prevent their socialization and robotized them. Likewise, central examinations have 
been identified to increase teachers' workload and cause them to work more. 
1- The central examinations should be removed from the factors determining the image of the 
teacher and measures should be taken to increase the image of the teachers. These measures may include 
bringing a career system to the teacher. 
2. In order to eliminate the negative effects of the central examinations on the learning-teaching 
process, they should be subjected to performance evaluation including the criteria for teachers’ 
implementations. 
3- The questions of central examinations should be selected from the questions that require 
learners to be active in the learning-teaching process, supporting the thinking skills of the students.