Implementing education policy: reflections of street-level bureaucrats

Abstract

The study aims to explore the policy implementation process regarding 2023 Education Vision, a national-based top-down policy document, in the context of Istanbul through the lived experiences of 10 local-level administrators as street-level bureaucrats. This study adopted a qualitative research approach, incorporating phenomenology as the research design. The participants of the study were determined in accordance with criterion sampling. The data was gathered via semi-structured interviews. The researchers used content analysis to analyse the data. In the analysis, researchers reached three themes, which are reflections from the field, priorities, and barriers. Firstly, the findings unveil the contentious perspectives adopted from a great variety of education stakeholders regarding the implementation of this policy document. Secondly, the views of street-level bureaucrats reveal that some areas in the relevant policy document are much more highly prioritized than others and that these priorities are embodied in practice in a variety of ways. Finally, the findings draw attention to the hindrances street-level bureaucrats face regarding the implementation of this policy document. Also, it can be suggested that designing hybrid educational policies in both top-down and bottom-up ways is fundamental for efficiency in street-level policy implementation.