Student participation in Bologna Process: a case study from Turkey

Abstract

Bologna Process studies in Çankaya University’s Interior Architecture Department (INAR), Turkey have been initiated in 2008. The goal of this study is to explore students’ perceptions about the new programme outcomes framed with the Turkish Higher Education Qualifications Framework and to provide a set of guidelines for the Bologna Process to be implemented. A questionnaire including semi-structured questions is conducted in the data collection process. Content analysis method is used in order to examine students’ perceptual outcomes. The findings of the study display that students’ perceptions underline the importance of the acquisition of knowledge, skills and competences in social, economic and managerial dimensions of the professional life. Results also reveal the need of students for the acquisition and use of communicative, collaborative and interdisciplinary aspects of the profession and their expectations on both theoretical and practical contents of INAR courses. Furthermore, this study which mainly followed a student-cantered approach concluded that it is also possible to generalize new programme outcomes through the active participation of students.