Analysis of the Mission Statements of Educational Administration Departments in Terms of Identity

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the mission statements of the Departments of Educational Administration within educational sciences at Turkish universities in terms of identity. The study, which adopts a qualitative approach, was designed as a case study, and the document analysis technique was used for the data collection. In line with the purpose of the study, the web pages of the Departments of Educational Administration in 78 Turkish universities were examined and the mission statements of 48 departments were obtained. These mission statements were then analyzed descriptively. The mission statements were classified under three main themes: education-training, scientific research, and community service. The mission that is emphasized the strongest in by the Educational Administration Departments was “improving the professional development of educators” under the education-training theme. While the most frequently repeated mission under the scientific research theme is “knowledge generation and dissemination in the field”, “producing knowledge for the educational needs of the society” is observed as the primary mission under the theme of serving the society. The Department of Educational Administration missions were discussed in terms of how they reflect the identity of the field, how up-to-date and applicable they are, and to what extent they are suitable for higher education purposes. Based on the findings of the study, administrators and lecturers in Educational Administration Departments are suggested to adopt the due care and meticulousness in the preparation of their departmental missions.