Conjugate natural convection heat transfer in a cavity with finite wall thickness

Thesis (Master)--Izmir Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Izmir, 2009Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 92-96)Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and Englishxvi, 96 leavesThe effects of a heat barrier, located in the thick ceiling wall of a square enclosure, on conjugate conduction and natural convection heat transfer are investigated numerically. The analysis is performed by numerical solution of the continuity, unsteady momentum conservation and energy equations with finite difference solution method based on the streamfunction-vorticity formulation. The vertical walls of the enclosure are differentially heated and horizontal walls are adiabatic. A thin heat barrier, having infinite thermal resistance, is located in the ceiling wall at different locations. The calculations are made for different Rayleigh numbers (103 Ra 106), thermal conductivity ratios (1 K 100), dimensionless locations of heat barrier (0<Xh<1) and two dimensionless ceiling wall thicknesses (D . 0.05 and D . 0.20). By using the results of the computer program, streamlines and isotherms are plotted. Heatline visualization technique is used to simulate heat transport and the effect of heat barrier is presented by comparing and plotting heatlines for the cavity and for the solid region with and without heat barrier. The study is performed for air with Prandtl number 0.71. It is found that the effect of heat barrier is more significant in the cavity with high thermal conductivity ratio but low Rayleigh number. There are certain reductions in the average Nusselt number at the vertical walls of the cavity and dimensionless heat transfer rate of the solid region walls for high conductivity ratios, but the reduction in dimensionless heat transfer rate is greater

Parental involvement in early childhood education: Turkish and Finnish context

Research conducted in recent decades has highlighted the significant role of parental involvement in pupils’ well-being, learning, and future academic success as well as their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Parental involvement practices not only improve parental confidence and satisfaction but also enrich educational programmes, enhance the climate of educational institutions, and ease teachers’ work burden through responsibility-sharing and increased information flow. Even though the benefits of parental involvement are well-supported by various studies, some research reveals that a gap continues to exist between the recommendations of related research and what is actually practiced in educational institutions. This gap explains in part the persistence of insufficient parental involvement practices. Gaining a better understanding of early childhood educators’ self-reported reasons for insufficient practices as well as identifying their parental involvement practices and their views thereof are key to improving parental involvement. Furthermore, investigating the factors that affect the parental involvement practices and views of these educators can help to explain the gap between rhetoric and practice. In order to obtain insight into these areas, this dissertation aims to get a grasp of early childhood educators’ views and practices of parental involvement in Turkish and Finnish contexts. Furthermore, self-reported reasons for potentially insufficient parental involvement practices are also investigated in order to shed light on the current state of parental involvement in these countries. Moreover, whether similarities or differences exist among early childhood educators’ views on parental involvement and their practices regarding parental involvement are analysed with the aim of drawing conclusions related to cultural and educational policy aspects of parental involvement. Regarding the selection of the educational contexts examined in this dissertation, the starting point was to identify countries that incorporate historical similarities regarding societal- and policy-level differences that, at the same time, most suitably lend themselves to feasible and objective research. In this regard, the physical and cultural frame of reference of the present researcher in relation to different contexts was considered. For this dissertation, the contexts settled on were Turkey and Finland partly for the straightforward reasons that the researcher’s home country is Turkey and current residence is in Finland. In addition to the researcher’s situation in relation to these contexts, the situation of these countries vis-à-vis each other also creates an interesting research opportunity. The two were founded around the same time; however, they followed different paths with regard to their educational administration in areas such as early childhood education and care governance, budget, and enrolment rates. Considering these factors, Turkey and Finland were chosen for this dissertation. For different parts of this study, different methods were used, namely, mixed methods and quantitative methods. A representative sample of 287 early childhood educators from Helsinki and 225 early childhood educators from Ankara completed a questionnaire which provided quantitative data and qualitative material. The questionnaire was prepared by the researcher and translated into Turkish and Finnish. To ensure the reliability of translations and minimise the risk of losing relevant information, translator triangulation was carried out. The questionnaire collects background information including the participants’ educational level, educational background, the age group of their pupils, and their experience in the field. The questionnaire includes five sections in addition to the background information section. The first of these five sections aims to obtain information about the participants’ general views on parental involvement, while each of the remaining four sections focusses on parental involvement practices of a certain parental-involvement type. Each of these sections comprises five-point Likert scale items; in addition, the last four sections also include multiple-choice items with an open-ended option available. The findings reveal that both the Turkish and the Finnish early childhood educators surveyed believed in the importance of parental involvement. However, they also stated that parental involvement practices are not adequate, in their opinion. The most common reason cited by the participants for this inadequacy is that the parents are not willing to be involved in their child’s early childhood education process. On the other hand, as the least cited reason is that educators think that they are not well-educated enough to involve parents sufficiently, we can draw the conclusion that early childhood educators from both countries have high levels of self-confidence regarding their professional training. An in-depth analysis by means of context analysis uncovered deeper aspects of these reasons in the Finnish context, the most prominent being lack of time on the part of both parents and educators. The similarity continues with the most practiced parental-involvement type, which is learning at home. However, the least used type differs between the two contexts: in the Turkish context, it is involving parents in decision-making, while in the Finnish context; it is involving parents as volunteers. Further comparative analysis uncovered that Turkish early childhood educators implement all types of parental involvement practices with significantly greater frequency than their Finnish counterparts. Additionally, early childhood educators from Finland are more critical of the parental involvement practices than those from Turkey, meaning that more Finnish participants claimed that their implementation of parental involvement was insufficient. The correlations between the background variables such as participants’ education level, educational background, work experience and the age group they are currently working with, and their view on parental involvement and their parental involvement practices were also investigated. According to results, Turkish and Finnish contexts present different cases. While Turkish participants’ view on parental involvement and preferences of different parental involvement types are independent from their background information; Finnish participants’ certain background variables affect their views on parental involvement and implementations of parental involvement types. In conclusion, this dissertation presents the current state of parental involvement practices in early childhood education and care institutions in Turkish and Finnish contexts. Moreover, it explains the factors affecting these practices along with self-reported reasons for their inadequacy. All the findings are categorically discussed for each context, thus allowing for the highlighting of practical implications. In addition to country-centred interpretations, the comparative aspect of this study contributes to existing research into world culture vs. local culture discussions.Viime vuosikymmenten tutkimustulokset viittaavat siihen, että vanhempien osallistuminen lastensa kodin ulkopuoliseen varhaiskasvatukseen vaikuttaa merkittävästi lasten hyvinvointiin, oppimiseen ja myöhempään opintomenestykseen sekä kognitiiviseen, sosiaaliseen ja emotionaaliseen kehitykseen. Kansainvälisessä tutkimuksessa englanninkieliseen käsitteeseen parental involvement (=PI) sisältyy ajatus siitä, että vanhempia rohkaistaan tulemaan mukaan ja osallistumaan päiväkodin tarjoamaan varhaiskasvatukseen. Parental involvement -käsitteelle ei ole vakiintunut sopivaa suomenkielistä vastinetta. Siihen viitataan tässä yhteydessä suomenkielisillä käsitteillä ”mukana oleminen”, ”osallistuminen” tai ”yhteistyö”. Vanhempien osallistuminen varhaiskasvatukseen vaikuttaa lasten lisäksi myös vanhempiin itseensä. Osallistuminen kohentaa vanhempien itseluottamusta, lisää tyytyväisyyden tunnetta ja tuo uusia hyödyllisiä näkökulmia varhaiskasvatukseen. Lisäksi vanhempien osallistuminen parantaa varhaiskasvatusyksiköiden ilmapiiriä ja keventää opettajien työmäärää jakamalla vastuuta ja parantamalla tiedonkulkua. Vanhempien mukana olemisen edut on tutkimuksissa selkeästi todettu. Tutkimustuloksiin perustuvien suositusten ja varhaiskasvatuksen käytäntöjen välinen yhteys on kuitenkin monin tavoin puutteellinen. Tutkimusperustaisilla kehittämisehdotuksilla ei ole ollut toivottua vaikutusta käytännön kehittämiseen, ja käytännöt vanhempien osallistumiseksi ovat jääneet riittämättömiksi. Vanhempien osallistumisen laadun parantamiseksi on asianmukaista kysyä varhaiskasvattajilta, mitkä syyt käytännön työssä vaikeuttavat tai estävät vanhempien osallistumista ja saamista mukaan varhaiskasvatusyhteistyöhön. Tutkittaessa tekijöitä, jotka vaikuttavat varhaiskasvattajien näkemyksiin ja käytäntöihin vanhempien osallistumiseen liittyen, saadaan tietoa siitä ristiriidasta mitä tavoitellaan ja miten käytännössä toimitaan. Tämän väitöskirjan tavoitteena on tuoda esiin varhaiskasvattajien näkemyksiä vanhempien osallistumisesta lastensa varhaiskasvatukseen sekä kartoittaa vallitsevia osallistumiskäytäntöjä kahdessa erilaisessa kulttuurissa, Turkissa ja Suomessa. Tutkimuksessa haetaan myös syitä erilaisille järjestelyille, osallistumiskäytännöille ja asenteille kulttuurisista ja koulutuspoliittisista tekijöistä. Tutkimuksen kahden erilaisen kontekstin valinnan taustalla ovat maiden tietyt historialliset yhtäläisyydet sekä yhteiskunnalliset ja poliittiset eroavaisuudet. Ne antavat tälle tutkimukselle mielenkiintoisen näkökulman, joka auttaa havaitsemaan sellaisia kansallisia ja kulttuurisia itsestäänselvyyksiä, joita ei useinkaan tulla otetuksi huomioon vain yhden maan järjestelmään kohdistuvassa tutkimuksessa. Tätä taustaa vasten oli luontevaa hyödyntää tutkimuksen tekijän asema kummankin maan asukkaana ja niiden kulttuurit tuntevana. Turkki on tutkijan kotimaa ja Suomi asuinmaa. Tutkijan suhde kahteen kohdemaahan sekä käytännön kokemukset maiden varhaiskasvatuksesta luovat tutkimukselle harvinaislaatuisen tilaisuuden. Maat itsenäistyivät samoihin aikoihin, mutta koulutusjärjestelmät poikkeavat toisistaan opetustoimen hallinnon ja erityisesti varhaiskasvatuksen johtamisen, rahoituksen ja varhaiskasvatukseen osallistumisen aktiivisuuden suhteen. Tämän tutkimuksen eri osissa käytettiin pääasiassa kvantitatiivisia menetelmiä ja yhdessä osatutkimuksessa yhdistettiin kvantitatiivista ja kvalitatiivista menetelmää (ns. mixed-metodi). Kyselyyn vastasi yhteensä 287 varhaiskasvattajaa Helsingistä ja 225 varhaiskasvattajaa Ankarasta. Väitöskirjan tekijä laati englanniksi kyselylomakkeen, joka sitten käännettiin turkin ja suomen kielille. Kolmikantakäännöksen avulla varmistettiin käännösten reliabiliteetti sekä se, että käännösprosessissa ei kadonnut mitään relevanttia informaatiota. Kyselyssä kerättiin taustatietoja, muun muassa vastaajien koulutustasosta ja -taustasta sekä kokemuksesta eri-ikäisten lasten kanssa työskentelemisestä. Taustatieto-osion lisäksi kyselyssä oli viisi varsinaisiin tutkimusteemoihin liittyvää osiota. Ensimmäisessä osiossa tiedusteltiin varhaiskasvattajien yleisiä näkemyksiä vanhempien osallistumisesta (parental involvement) varhaiskasvatukseen. Seuraavissa neljässä osiossa selvitettiin vanhempien osallistumisen ja yhteistyön käytäntöjä. Kussakin viidessä osiossa käytetiin 5-portaista Likert-asteikkoa. Lisäksi oli monivalintakysymyksiä, joiden lopussa oli avoin tila vapaamuotoiselle tekstille. Tuloksista ilmenee, että sekä Turkin että Suomen varhaiskasvattajat pitävät tärkeänä vanhempien osallistumista lastensa varhaiskasvatukseen. He ovat kuitenkin myös sitä mieltä, että vanhempien mukana olemisen ja osallistumisen lukuisia mahdollisuuksia ei käytetä riittävässä määrin, mikä vastaajien mielestä johtuu yleensä siitä, että vanhemmat ovat haluttomia olemaan mukana lapsensa varhaiskasvatusprosessissa. Kummankin maan varhaiskasvattajilla näyttää olevan vahva luottamus saamansa koulutukseen ja siihen, että oma koulutus antaa hyvät eväät tehdä yhteistyötä vanhempien kanssa. Syvempi analyysi paljasti, että Suomessa vanhempien mukanaolon ja osallisuuden puutteiden takana on erityisesti ajan puute - sekä vanhemmilla että varhaiskasvattajilla itsellään. Toinen yhtäläisyys maiden kesken on kotona oppiminen, joka oli molemmissa maissa eniten käytetty tapa, jolla vanhemmat osallistuivat varhaiskasvatukseen. Turkkilaisessa kontekstissa vanhempien osallistuminen päätöksentekoon oli vähiten käytetty osallistumisen muoto. Sen sijaan suomalaisessa kontekstissa vähiten käytetty osallistumisen tapa oli vanhempien vapaaehtoinen kasvatustyö päiväkodissa. Turkissa varhaiskasvattajat hyödyntävät kaikkia vanhempien osallistumisen tapoja merkitsevästi useammin kuin heidän suomalaiset kollegansa. Suomalaiset varhaiskasvattajat olivat turkkilaisia varhaiskasvattajia kriittisempiä omaa toimintaansa kohtaan ja turkkilaisia useammin suomalaiset vastaajat toivat esiin, että heidän toteuttamansa osallistumiskäytännöt ovat riittämättömiä. Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin myös taustatekijöiden, kuten vastaajan koulutustason, koulutustaustan, työkokemuksen ja lasten iän, yhteyksiä vastaajan näkemyksiin vanhempien osallistumisesta ja osallistumisen tavoista. Tutkimus todentaa lukuisia eroja Turkin ja Suomen välillä. Turkin varhaiskasvattajien näkemykset vanhempien osallistumisesta ja osallistumispreferensseistä eivät korreloineet vastaajien taustatietojen kanssa. Sen sijaan Suomessa useat taustatekijät olivat yhteydessä varhaiskasvattajien näkemyksiin vanhempien osallistumisesta ja siihen, millä tavoin osallistumisen toivottiin tapahtuvan. Tutkimus tuo esiin vanhempien osallistumisen ja yhteistyön käytäntöjä lastensa varhaiskasvatuksessa Turkissa ja Suomessa ja valottaa, mitkä tekijät vaikuttavat näihin käytäntöihin. Tuloksia tarkastellaan konteksteittain, ja tehdään ehdotuksia varhaiskasvatuksen käytäntöjen kehittämiseksi. Maakohtaisten vertailun ohella tutkimus osallistuu laajempaan keskusteluun ylikansallisen ja kansallisten kulttuurien välisistä eroista ja vuorovaikutuksesta

Light trap surveys for moths in Sile region of Istanbul, Turkey

In this study, Heterocera species collected by light trap method in Sile region, Istanbul province, Turkey during the years of 2007 - 2008 was evaluated. A total of 194 specimens were collected from 48 different locations in Sile. According to identification results, 70 species belonging to 15 families wererecorded. The family Noctuidae was represented by the highest number of species (26), followed by Geometridae (16) and Notodontidae (6)

Turkish Early Childhood Educators' Conceptualization about Parental Involvement

The purpose of this study is to find out Turkish early childhood educators’ views about parental involvement and their attitudes towards its types. Based on Epstein’s parental involvement frameworks, four different types of parental involvement was used in this study and these are communication, volunteer works, home support and decision making. Furthermore this reseach also aims to find the reasons behind inefficient usage of parental involvement types. For these purposes the relationship between parental involvement and the backgrounds of educators such as education level and teaching experience in the field is also investigated. Data was collected in capital of Turkey with questionnaires prepared by the reseacher. 113 early childhood educators participated in the study. Quantitative analysis were done to find the associations between parental involvement and the backgrounds of educators such as education level and teaching experience in the field. Results indicate that the Turkish early childhood educators have positive attitudes towards parental involvement and its types. Additionally the most popular parental involvement type is home support while the least popular one is involving parents in decision-making process. According to the results, Turkish early childhood educators’ views about parental involvement and the parental involvement types they use do not correlate with the years they spend in the teaching fields and their education level. However the usage of parental involvement types correlates with themselves. Finally the main reason of unefficient usage of parental involvement is that parents seem not willing to participate in parental involvement activities in Turkey. For further studies, parents’ views about parental involvement would be enlightening. </p

Factors affecting early childhood educators’ views and practices of parental involvement

Past research has shown the significant role of parental involvement in children’s academic achievements as well as their healthy development and well-being. For effective parental involvement, it is imperative to understand the views of early childhood educators and the factors affecting their parental involvement practices. The present study investigates Finnish early childhood educators’ views on parental involvement and uncovers the relationship between their parental involvement practices and their education level and backgrounds, the age groups of pupils they work with and their experience in the field of early childhood education. A quantitative method was employed, and a representative sample of 287 educators from one of the biggest municipalities of Finland completed a questionnaire. Their views of parental involvement and the types of parental involvement they employ are certainly impacted by their experience in the field. Our findings show that while the educational level of the participants and the age groups they work with impact their views and practices of parental involvement, their educational background did not have any effect on this

Late Cretaceous-Eocene Geological Evolution of the Pontides Based on New Stratigraphic and Palaeontologic Data Between the Black Sea Coast and Bursa (NW Turkey)

The Late Cretaceous-Eocene geological evolution of northwest Turkey between the Black Sea and Bursa was studied through detailed biostratigraphic characterization of eleven stratigraphic sections. The Upper Cretaceous sequence in the region starts with a major marine transgression and lies unconformably on a basement of Palaeozoic and Triassic rocks in the north (Istanbul-type basement) and on metamorphic rocks and Jurassic sedimentary rocks in the south (Sakarya-type basement). Four megasequences have been differentiated in the Late Cretaceous-Eocene interval. The first one, of Turonian to Late Campanian age, is represented by volcanic and volcanoclastic rocks in the north along the Black Sea coast, and by siliciclastic turbidites and intercalated calcarenites in the south, corresponding to magmatic arc basin and fore-arc basin, respectively. A major ridge along the present southern margin of the Kocaeli Peninsula separated these two realms. In the Late Campanian, volcanism and clastic sedimentation gave way to the widespread deposition of the pelagic limestone and marl of the Akveren Formation; only in the extreme south near Bursa are the pelagic micrites of the Akveren Formation replaced by calciturbidites and siliciclastic turbidites. The age of the Akveren Formation ranges from Late Campanian to Late Palaeocene. The third megasequence is a thick flysch wedge of Early Eocene age, which extends from north of Bursa to the Black Sea coast. The base of the Lower Eocene flysch is marked by a major unconformity. The flysch wedge marks the collision between the Pontides and the Anatolide-Tauride Block. The fourth megasequence is a thick volcanic and volcaniclastic series of late Early to Middle Eocene age, which extends from north of Bursa to the northern margin of the Armutlu Peninsula. The coherent Upper Cretaceous-Eocene stratigraphy, the laterally traceable facies belts, absence of ophiolitic slices and high pressure metamorphic rocks in the Upper Cretaceous-Tertiary series in the region between the Black Sea and Bursa indicate pre-Santonian juxtaposition of the Istanbul and Sakarya zones

Lives and Times of Militancy: Terrorism Trials, State Violence and Kurdish Political Prisoners in Post-1980 Turkey

Militant politics is at once a promise for revolutionary national movements and a threat to national security of states. As the discourse of terrorism re-gained prevalence in the 1980s, the Turkish state subsequently defined Kurdish militant politics as “terrorism” and resituated its war in northern Kurdistan as a “war on terror.” This dissertation examines how incrimination of the space of the political by the “war on terror” is critically refracted by Kurdish prisoners and their families within the courts of law. Focusing on trials prosecuting Kurds on a daily basis, it explores how courts conjure the threat of terrorism on the one hand and, on the other, how the promise of militant politics is retained despite and within the space of law. This inquiry proceeds from the argument that law expands its area of jurisdiction as it grounds accusations of terrorism on ordinary events unfolding in northern Kurdistan. It asks what are the ways in which anti-terrorism laws invest ordinary life with the capacity to exert extraordinary violence on state sovereignty? Based on three years of archival and ethnographic research in anti-terrorism courts in Diyarbakır, this dissertation explores documentary, surveillance, and counterinsurgency technologies through which the reach of law multiplies and the threat of terrorism becomes ubiquitous. Hence, it provides a unique picture of “war on terror” revealing not only the spectacular moments of state repression and torture, but also the ordinary processes of adjudication in which Kurdish prisoners submit their defense, organize collective protests, and forge moral injunctions. Focusing on discursive, performative, and ethical practices of Kurdish prisoners, this dissertation thus shows how boundaries of the political are continuously reconstituted during Turkey’s protracted “war on terror” in northern Kurdistan. The hegemonic images pertinent to terrorism identify the Middle East with a deluge of spectacular violence and garner public support for draconian anti-terrorism measures. The critiques of the “war on terror,” on the other hand, fail to recognize that the globalized discourse of terrorism is not merely a Western artifact deployed to demonize Muslim communities. Its reach goes far beyond the criminalization of Islamist groups as nation-states like Turkey deploy it strategically to silence political opposition. Additionally, this dissertation demonstrates the necessity of concentrating on more minuscule mechanisms of power such as surveillance, procedural law, and courtroom talk, to parse out the ways in which anti-terrorism laws not only gains currency but also reconfigures how we understand the political

Persistent headache in a postpartum patient: the investigation and management

Postdural puncture headache (PDPH) is the most common complication of obstetric regional anaesthesia and the most likely cause of headache in a woman who underwent epidural anaesthesia during delivery. Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is an uncommon cause of postpartum headache. Anaesthesia in obstetrics may lead to long-lasting intracranial hypotension resulting in CVST. CVST is a serious pathology with high mortality if misdiagnosed, but its correct and rapid diagnosis offers the opportunity for early treatment. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important modality in the diagnosis of both CVST and intracranial hypotension. The latter condition may be treated either by an epidural blood patch or bed rest and hydration. We report a case of a 36-year-old woman who developed CVST and multiple venous infarcts after an attempted epidural procedure during delivery. She was treated conservatively with bed rest, hydration and low-molecular-weight heparin and the patient recovered completely. Copyright 2013 BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved

İlk yıl öğrencilerinin akademik performansına etki eden faktörlerin araştırılması ve bu faktörlere bağlı olarak başarılarının tahminine yönelik bir karar destek sistemi tasarımı

06.03.2018 tarihli ve 30352 sayılı Resmi Gazetede yayımlanan “Yükseköğretim Kanunu İle Bazı Kanun Ve Kanun Hükmünde Kararnamelerde Değişiklik Yapılması Hakkında Kanun” ile 18.06.2018 tarihli “Lisansüstü Tezlerin Elektronik Ortamda Toplanması, Düzenlenmesi ve Erişime Açılmasına İlişkin Yönerge” gereğince tam metin erişime açılmıştır.Öğretici merkezli" eğitim anlayışından "Öğrenci merkezli" eğitim anlayışına geçişin yaşandığı yükseköğretim çevrelerinde öğrencilerin kayıtlı oldukları lisans programlarında göstermiş oldukları akademik performans önem kazanmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, öğrencilerin yeni akademik ve sosyal ortama "hassas" bir geçiş süreci yaşadığı ilk yıl (Milem&Berger,1997), yükseköğretim sürecinde gösterilecek akademik performansa temel teşkil etmesi bakımından pek çok teorik (Tinto,1975; Astin, 1984) ve uygulamaya dönük çalışmaya (Delen,2010 ; Mishra vd., 2014) konu olmuştur. Konu ile ilgili yapılan literatür taramasında, öğrencilerin ilk yıl akademik performanslarına etki eden faktörleri belirleyen ve bu faktörlere bağlı olarak yılsonu akademik başarılarını tahminleyen herhangi bir yerli "bütüncül" çalışmaya rastlanmamıştır. Bu bağlamda; çalışmada karmaşık "yükseköğretimde ilk yıl" sürecine yönelik bir teorik model ortaya konması ve bu modele paralel olarak veri madenciliği süreci yaklaşımı kullanılarak akademik performansı önceden tahmin etmek ve etki eden faktörleri belirlemek suretiyle yöneticilere karar desteği sağlayacak genel bir sistem tasarlanması amaçlanmaktadır. Mevcut çalışmada; 2014-2015 akademik yılında Sakarya Üniversitesi-İşletme Fakültesi lisans programlarında ilk yıllarını geçiren öğrencilere "Yeni Gelen Öğrenci" anketi uygulanmıştır. Bu şekilde tahminleme çalışmasında kullanılmak üzere geleneksel (yaş, cinsiyet, lise not ortalaması vs.) ve geleneksel olmayan (genel özyeterlik, akademik özyeterlik, kurumsal entegrasyon) değişkenler elde edilmiştir. Yöntem olarak; pek çok farklı alanda veri madenciliği uygulama süreçlerine yönelik standart bir metodoloji sunan (Wirth&Hipp, 2000) CRISP-DM benimsenmiştir. Bu kapsamda, veri hazırlama aşamasından (seçme, temizleme, türetme vs.) sonra tahminleme için makine öğrenme teknikleri (Çok Katmanlı Algılayıcılar ve Rassal Orman yöntemi) ve geleneksel istatistiksel sınıflandırıcı teknikleri (Çokterimli Lojistik Regresyon) ile farklı verisetleri (korelasyon katsayılarına göre seçilen bağımsız değişkenlerden oluşan veriseti ve tüm bağımsız değişkenlerin dahil edildiği orijinal veriseti) kullanılarak modeller oluşturulmuştur. Mevcut durum ve farklı senaryolarda denenen bu modeller göstermiş oldukları performanslara göre değerlendirilmiş ve genel bir tasarımı sunulan karar destek sistemlerinde kullanılacak uygun modeller belirlenmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda, Rassal Ormanlar yöntemini kullanan Model5 en iyi performansı sergilemiştir. Öğrencilerin yılsonu performansı üzerinde etkisi en fazla olan faktör "İlk dönem not ortalaması" olarak bulunmuştur Anahtar Kelimeler: Akademik Performans, Eğitimde Veri Madenciliği, Çok Katmanlı Algılayıcı, Rassal Ormanlar, Çokterimli Lojistik RegresyonA transition has been existing in the approaches to education from "Tutorial-centered" to "Student-centered" in the higher education environment, so the concept of academic performance for undergraduate students is gaining importance. In this context, the first year in which students experience "sensitive" period of transtion to new academic and social environments (Milem&Berger, 1997), has been subject to many studies both practical (Delen, 2010; Mishra et al.., 2014) and theoretical (Tinto,1975; Astin, 1984) to be the basis of the academic performance shown in the higher education process. In the native literature research on the subject, there observed no "holistic" study determining the factors affecting the academic performance of the first year and predicts the year-end achievements based on these factors. In this context, it is intended to design a general system to provide decision support to managers in predicting the academic performance and determining factors by using a theoretical model demonstrated to the process of complex "the first year in the higher education" and data mining process parallel to this model. In the study, "Freshman Student" survey was conducted to the freshmens registered in 2014- 2015 academic year to undergraduate programs of the Business Faculty of Sakarya University. In this way, to be used in prediction study, traditional (age, gender,average point of high school grade, etc.) and non-traditional (general self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, instutional integration) variables were obtained. As the method of the study, CRISP- DM, which offers a standardized methodology for data mining application process in many different fields (Wirth&Hipp, 2000), is adopted. As a part of the process; following data preparation (selection, cleaning, construct etc.) stage, machine learning techniques (Multilayer Perceptron, Random Forests) and a traditional statistical classifier(Multinomial Logistic Regression) were employed in different datasets (original dataset and the one created with correlation-based feature selection) to build predictive models. The appropriate models which were examined in both current situation and different scenarios were evaluated in accordance with their performance and the ones which will be used in a decision support systems, roughly presented in the current study, are determined. As a conclusion, using the Random Forest method Model5 showed the best performance. It is found that " grade point average (GPA) of the first semester" factor is the most influential variable on the year-end performance. Keywords: Academic Performance, Educational Data Mining, Multilayer Perceptron, Random Forest, Multinomial Logistic Regressio