A comparison of level of discrimination directed at academic staff in a Turkish and an Azerbaijani university

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to understand the level of discrimination against academic staff in a Turkish and an Azerbaijani university. This research is the last stage of a four‐stage study.

Design/methodology/approach

In the first part of the study, the areas of discrimination in universities were determined using approaches related to general discrimination mentioned in the literature. In the second part, a survey was developed to measure the areas of discrimination determined by ethnographic research. In the course of the third part of the study, the discrimination level directed at academic staff in higher education in Turkey was determined. In this last part of the research, the discrimination level in Azerbaijan is analyzed and compared with the results gathered in Turkey. In order to increase the rate of reply to the survey questions, a web page was included in the Baskent University web site (see www.baskent.edu.tr/ ∼ anket) which targeted people were asked to reply to. A total of 220 instructors – 98 of whom were Turkish and 122 Azerbaijani – replied to the survey.

Findings

For each factor, the averages of academic staff were obtained, the difference between averages was determined, and the significance of the differences between averages was tested. Although the results show that Azerbaijani instructors face more discrimination, the average response of Turkish instructors is not low and should not be ignored.

Originality/value

The basic problems that instructors come across occur because of a lack of professional management principles and the classical characteristics of the organizational structure.

Citation

Halici, A. and Kasimoglu, M. (2006), "A comparison of level of discrimination directed at academic staff in a Turkish and an Azerbaijani university", International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 7-18. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540610639558