Derya YILMAZ, Gökhan KILIÇOĞLU
The purpose of this study is to explore views of teachers who have graduate degrees vs. those who do not, regarding educational research with respect to concepts, conductors, and the value of educational research, in addition to sources that teachers follow and how those sources contribute to their professional life, if at all. In this study, survey research design is utilized. Participants of the study were chosen by random sampling technique and include 61 teachers with graduate degrees and 67 teachers without graduate degrees. The study findings revealed that teachers’ views about educational research are generally positive. Graduate degree holders state that educational research is valuable for society, university faculty, teachers, school principals and Ministry of National Education, while teachers with non-graduate degrees point out its value for society and teachers. Graduate degree teachers mostly follow educational research from websites, academic journals, books and graduate courses while half of the teachers who do not have graduate degrees follow forums, such as websites. Teachers with graduate degrees assert that educational research contributes to their professional life in terms of classroom practices, as well as in individual and professional development. More than half of teachers who do not have a graduate education indicate that educational research studies contribute to professional knowledge and practice; one-forth of them think that educational research studies comprise studies that stay in theory without becoming actualized in practice
