350 | P a g e The Constructivist Curriculum Reform in Turkey in 2004–In

This article evaluates the curriculum reform implemented in Turkey in 2004 by the Justice and Development Party (AKP). The curriculum reform targeted primary school education and reorganized the curriculum for several primary school courses. The AKP declared that renewed curricula would replace the former behaviorist approach, which had been criticized for being supportive of rote learning and teacher-centered education, with a constructivist approach. Unlike the behaviorist approach, the constructivist approach favors student-centered education and gives students more active role in the learning process. The purpose of this article is to examine the “content ” of education reorganized with the constructivist approach, rather than providing a merely pedagogical discussion on these approaches