Association for Social Research on the
Four Generations of Rights
Working Students' Rights
Devam Eden Proje
Eğitim Hakkı, Sosyal Haklar, Üniversite
2025-2027
A field research and policy development project examining the educational and social rights of working students in Turkey, as well as the rights violations they face.
Project Team
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Savaşçın ( GSÜ Philosophy, Four Generations of Rights )
Dr. Seçil Doğuç Ergin ( GSÜ Sociology, Four Generations of Rights)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cem Özatalay ( GSÜ Sociology, Four Generations of Rights)
Ceren Tunay ( GSÜ Graduate student, scholarship researcher )
Gizem Kosova ( GSÜ Graduate student, scholarship recipient, researcher)
Ezgi Dinçsoy ( Marmara University Graduate student, volunteer researcher ).
Project Objective
The Working Students' Rights project aims to highlight the rights violations faced by working university students in Turkey in their education and work lives. The project aims to conduct comprehensive field research documenting these rights violations, as well as to develop policy recommendations to strengthen the rights of working students based on the findings. Key outputs of the research include scientific publications, a digital rights guide for working students, and policy recommendations for decision-makers.
Project Work Packages and Financing
The project consists of two phases/work packages. The first phase/work package involves field research and publishing a scientific paper based on the findings, while the second phase involves discussing the findings in workshops with stakeholders in the field (student workers, unions, student associations, higher education administrators, employers, etc.) and preparing a policy document.
The first phase/work package of the project is funded by GSÜ BAP (Scientific Research Projects). The project code is SCD-2025-1296, the title is "Working Students and the Future of the University", and the total budget is ₺541,406.13. ₺316,023.98 of the budget is allocated to scholarship expenses.
The second phase/work package, to be carried out by the Fourth Generation Rights Association, does not yet have funding.
Research Methodology and Design
The research is based on a mixed-methods design that combines quantitative and qualitative methods. In the first stage, focus group interviews were conducted to better understand the experiences and problems faced by working students; a comprehensive questionnaire was developed based on these findings. ( Completed in January 2026 )
Data obtained from field research to be conducted with approximately 500 university students working in Istanbul will be analyzed using SPSS and NVivo software. ( Ongoing - Planned to be completed in October 2026 )
In the final stage of the research, the findings will be discussed in a workshop with the participation of academics, civil society representatives, and relevant stakeholders; the results will be shared with the public through scientific publications and digital resources. ( January 2027 - August 2027 )