A qualitative study on Turkish-Islamic literature theses

This study, which examines the methodologies of graduate theses conducted in the field of Turkish-Islamic Literature between 1984 and 2021, emphasizes the significance of qualitative research methods widely used in social sciences. A total of 306 master’s theses and 57 doctoral dissertations were analyzed. These theses were classified according to years, subjects, and universities. The theses were categorized into five main topics: biography, concept analysis, text analysis, translation-Ottoman texts-transcription-critical edition, and Turkish-Islamic Literature genres. These topics were examined in detail in terms of content and methodology. Findings revealed that biography was the most researched topic, with 249 master’s and 44 doctoral theses. Additionally, transcription studies were found to be concentrated on works from the pre-Republican period, while studies on concept analysis and Turkish-Islamic Literature genres were less frequent. A significant increase in the number of academic studies in Turkish-Islamic Literature was observed, reflecting both rising academic interest and expanding research opportunities. Most of these studies were conducted at the faculties of theology at Marmara University and Ankara University. However, it was noted that many theses did not adequately address qualitative research methods and designs. The findings highlight the importance of qualitative research methods and designs in interdisciplinary fields like Turkish-Islamic Literature. Narrative research and case study designs were identified as the most commonly employed approaches, which correlates with the prevalence of biographical and text analysis studies. In conclusion, this research provides a methodological examination of graduate theses in the field of Turkish-Islamic Literature and outlines the current state and future directions of these theses.