Abstract
Being a Researching Staff in Turkey According to the Views of Teaching Staff
It is important how to the research assistant staff which form the future teaching staff candi date and the first step off academik career is seen by the teaching staff. This study aims to search the positive and negative sides of the searching staff in Turkey in the light of the ideas of teaching staff in the universities. In this study, phenomenological pattern being one of the qualitivite research pattern was used. The research was carried out with in light of information obtained from interviews made with 45 lectures who work at Firat University and voluntarily agreed to participate in the research, and the focus group interview consisting of 10 lectures. The obtained data were subjected to content analysis and tried to be explained under themes and categories. According to the research results; the research assistant staff does not have a direct equivalent in some countries abroad. While the research assistants’ duties are complex in Turkey, these duties are assigned to different positions in other countries. It has been determined that the job description of the 33/a staff type is vague and insufficient, and the 50/d staff type is seen as a temporary staff. The participants see the research assistant staff as the first and important step of the academic career process. It is understood that the primary duties of research assistants are their academic development and the working conditions show differences according to faculties and departments. It is stated that the physical working conditions are better than the previous periods. The main problems that research assistants deal with are the inadequacy of job descriptions and the temporary nature of their staff. It is stated that the group that are exposed to mobbing the most among the academic staff is research assistants. The 35 age limit specified in the Higher Education Law No. 2547 is seen as an important problem. It was stated that the assignment of research assistants were made unplanned, and that priority should be given to research assistants in the assignment of lecturers. Research assistant staff is considered important in terms of academic development, since the criteria for assignment to research assistantship are not standardized and not based on merit.
Keywords
the research, assistant staff, teaching staff and academic careers.