Effect of blended learning to academic achievement

In this study, the effects of blended learning on the middle school students’ academic achievement level and product evaluation scores were investigated. Blended learning provides more effective learning outcome gains through enriching todays’ developing Web Technologies with learning environments. This study was carried out with a total of 53 students enrolled in the experimental group and control group in the 6th grade classrooms during the 2014/2015 school year in a middle school in southwest part of Turkey. The intervention lasted 7 weeks. During the seven weeks, the unit of “problem solving, computer programming and development of Software product”, covered in Educational technologies and Software course, is taught through blended learning environment. The experimental group was taught using blended learning environment which supported with enriched web technologies (such as video-conference, Learning Management System, Discussion blogs , etc.). Whereas the experimental group was given access to all these enriched contents that are presented to the control group only during the classroom environment through present teaching methods.The design of the study includes quantitative method. We collected quantitative data such as academic achievement test and product evaluation scale. Academic achievement test and product evaluation scale were used as quantitative data collection sources. Quantitative data was collected through the evaluation of students’ projects that they developed during the process of the study and the academic achievement tests. During the data analysis phase, independent t-test, frequency and ANOVA tests were used. As a result of this study, it is concluded that blended learning environment had generated a significant difference in students’ academic achievement on behalf of experimental group. Implications of the study for the educational environments were discussed.

Quality of school life in Turkey, Finland and South Korea

This study was aimed to compare the major studies conducted on the quality of school life in Turkey, Finland and South Korea. The study focuses on which dimensions of quality of school life research in these three countries were examined, their participants, school levels and research methods. This research is in the literature review model. In this context, data were obtained by scanning the related books, theses and articles. In the research, document analysis technique of qualitative research method was used to collect data. Based on the research findings, it is seen that research studies have been conducted in Finland to establish the theoretical framework for conceptualization of the subject. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods were used in research studies conducted in South Korea. In the research conducted in three countries, the concept of self, bullying, implicit program, gender, socio-economic level, classmate, teacher and family support, self-efficacy, music, living environment, self and teacher-learner relationship have been determined to affect quality of school life. In the research studies conducted in Turkey, levels of quality of school life were detected, whereas in the research studies conducted in South Korea, the importance of traditional values of Confucius doctrine were focused on

Metacognition researches in Turkey, Japan and Singapore

In this study, fundamental researches on “metacognition” in Turkey, Japan and Singapore between the years of 2010 and 2020 were examined and conclusions were made in terms of comparative education. For this purpose, the data of the research was collected by document scanning method and the data were analyzed using the document review technique, which is one of the qualitative research method techniques. Years of studies, countries, objectives, research methods, sample working group, data analysis methods and results; it has been examined according to comparative education approaches and data collection techniques. As a result, quantitative research methods are seen to be frequently used in researches on metacognition in these three countries. It has been determined that experimental studies are the main research patterns of the metacognition studies conducted in three countries. Metacognitive awareness scales are the most used data collection tools in all three countries. Considered in general; the research made about metacognition in Singapore Turkey and Japan shows that the studies investigating the relationship between students' problem-solving skills and metacognition are in majority. Researches examining the relationship between metacognition and foreign language teaching are also widely discussed

The Evaluation of Teacher Training Programs in the United States of America in Terms of Student-Centered Practices Used in Class

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the teacher training programs in the United States of America in terms of student-centered practices used in class. Learning and teaching processes were evaluated based on classroom observations (the methods, techniques, materials and student-centered practices used in class). Qualitative research method was used in the research. The researcher collected the data through direct participatory and unstructured observation. In participatory observation approach, the observer makes observations without any external influence. The researcher made observations in three different classes during the spring semester of 2017-2018 academic year. The observations were made at the 4th grade level. The study group of the observations was composed of three teachers. The first of the classes in which the observations were made was social studies teaching, while the second was psychological counseling and guidance teaching, and the third was primary school teaching. The researcher kept the duration of the observations long. The reason for this was to try to ensure that teacher candidates and the teacher considered the researcher as if she were a member of the class. This precaution is necessary so as to be able to capture the natural atmosphere of the class and minimize artificial behaviors, which, in turn, positively affects the validity and reliability of the research. According to the findings obtained from the research, it was found that a total of 19 active learning methods, techniques and practices were used in the three classes. In class, question-answer was used most. It was observed that there were 17 different types of active methods, techniques and instructional practices. It was determined that a total of 19 different kinds of active learning materials were used in the three classes. Projector was the material which used the most in class. Based on the findings of the research, it was determined that there were also active learning practices that were not used in class. Depending on the fact that learning by doing is the most permanent traced learning, practices that can make the student active can be included more

The characteristics of the hidden curriculum used by secondary education teachers in the in- class communication

Bu araştırmanın temel amacı, Aydın İli merkez ilçelerindeki ortaöğretim kurumlarının okul yaşam kalitesi düzeylerini belirlemek ve ortaöğretim öğretmenlerinin sınıf içi iletişimde kullandıkları örtük programın özelliklerini gözlemlere, öğretmen ve öğrenci görüşlerine göre incelemektir.Araştırmada hem nicel hem de nitel araştırma yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Bu nedenle araştırma bir yönüyle nicel araştırma desenlerinden tarama modelinde betimsel bir çalışma, diğer bir yönüyle de öğretmenlerin sınıf disiplinini sağlarken kullandıkları örtük program öğelerinden iletişim öğesinin derinlemesine ve çok boyutlu olarak incelenmesine yönelik olarak nitel bir çalışma özelliği göstermektedir.Araştırmanın evrenini Aydın İli Merkez ilçesindeki bütün ortaöğretim kurumları oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada 18 lisede öğrenim gören toplam 969 öğrenciden nicel veriler elde edilmiştir. Nitel veriler için örneklem seçiminde maksimum örnekleme kullanılmıştır.Araştırmanın nicel verilerinden elde edilen bulgulara dayanılarak, öğrencilerin okullarındaki yaşam kalitesini ortanın biraz üzerinde algıladıkları, kız ve erkek öğrencilerin okul yaşam kalitesi algıları arasında önemli farklılıklar olmadığı, orta sosyo-ekonomik düzeydeki liselerde okul yaşam kalitesinin daha yüksek olduğu ve sınıf düzeyi düştükçe öğrencilerin liselerdeki yaşam kalitesini daha olumlu algıladıkları söylenebilir.Gözlem ve görüşmelerden elde edilen bulgular değerlendirildiğinde, örtük program kapsamındaki sınıf içi iletişimde, lise yaşam kalitesi yükseldikçe öğretmenlerin olumlu davranışlarının arttığı bulunmuştur.The main purpose of this study is to determine the levels of school life quality of secondary education institutions in the central districts of Aydın and examine the characteristics of the hidden curriculum used by secondary education teachers in the in-class communication in terms of observations, teacher and students views. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used in the study. Thus, the study is descriptive in the survey model among the quantitative research designs. At the same time it is a qualitative study in terms of examining the communication element, which is among the hidden curriculum elements used by teachers while applying discipline in class, thoroughly and in a multi dimentional way. The population of the study consists of all the secondary schools in Aydın central district. Quantitative data was gathered from totally 969 students studying at 18 high schools. For qualitative data 'maximum sampling' was used in the selection of samples.Findings gathered from qualitative data put forth that students view the life quality at their schools a little above average, there are no significant differences between female and male students's views on school life quality, school life quality is higher at high schools of middle socio economic level and that students see high school life quality more positive as the class level decreases.When the observation and interview findings are examined, it is seen that as the high school life quality in the in-class communication in the scope of the hidden curriculum increases, teachers behave more positively

Exploring the role of the city as a learning environment for heritage education

Publisher's Versio