Teacher education in China, Japan and Turkey

The aim of this study is to analyze teacher education systems in China and Japan, and compare the findings with teacher education in Turkey, thus contribute to the developments in teacher education in Turkey. The research was based on the years 2000 to 2017. Document analysis method, which is one of the qualitative data collection methods, is used in this research. Within the scope of the document review, official sources such as education ministries of the countries, internet pages of universities and internet pages of international education organizations are used; and educational policies, entrance conditions of teacher education institutions, the structure of these institutions and teacher education programs are examined. The collected data are analyzed by content analysis. In conclusion, the continuous policy changes regarding teacher training in Turkey are found to be detrimental to teacher training and prevent the implementation of research focused teacher education programs. For practice courses, both course hours and the cooperation between faculty and practice schools are found to be insufficient. The Education Bureau in China is the institution responsible for education policy, education program, teacher education and legislation. Though teacher education programs vary in different states, generally, those who have high school diploma may enter teacher education institutions after passing and practice-based evaluation system. It is found that the teaching profession is given a great importance in Japan, and that there is no specific policy in pedagogical formation education, and therefore, pedagogical formation education needs to be reviewed and updated. Turkey, China and Japan have taken inspiration from progressive education philosophy, one of the modern education philosophies, for their teacher education systems. Key words: Teacher education, teacher education in Turkey, teacher education in China, teacher education in Japan.