Examining e-Learners’ Preferences and Readiness Satisfaction: A Holistic Modelling Approach

Over the past several years, online learning has become an extremely popular research topic. Nevertheless, there continues to be a need for a holistic approach when examining online learning. To examine issues related to online learning as well as the effects caused to online learners; researchers in this study developed and tested a model that employed a holistic approach. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of participants’ learning preferences and readiness to participate in online learning had on their overall satisfaction. The researchers utilized structural equation modelling to determine the relationships that occurred between variables. It was revealed in the results that e-Learners preferences and readiness, which constituted the primary components of this research model, did predict their level of satisfaction with e-learning

Ergenler İçin Oyun Bağımlılığı Ölçeğinin Türkçeye Uyarlama Çalışması

The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents which originally developed by Lemmens, Valkenburg and Peter (2009). The original form of the scale consists of 21 items and 7 factors. Initially, scale was translated by subject and language experts and a Turkish form of scale was developed. To examine the reliability and validity of the scale, data were collected from 265 people. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted for the construct validity. The Cronbach’s Alpha internal consistency of the scale was 0.92. According to the analysis, validity and reliability tests of the scale’s Turkish form were finalizedBu çalışmanın amacı Lemmens, Valkenburg ve Peter (2009) tarafından geliştirilen Ergenler için Oyun Bağımlılığı Ölçeğini Türkçe’ye uyarlamaktır.  Ölçek orijinal halinde 21 madde ve 7 faktörden oluşmaktadır. Ölçeğin ilk olarak alan ve dil uzmanları tarafından çevirileri yapılmış ve Türkçe formu oluşturulmuştur. Geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışmalarına 265 kişi katılmıştır. Yapı geçerliliği için doğrulayıcı faktör analizi yapılmıştır. Birinci ve ikinci düzey doğrulayıcı faktör analizi sonucunda uyum indeksleri iyi değerler üretmiş ve ölçek orijinal yapısını koruyarak doğrulanmıştır. Ölçeğin güvenirliği için Cronbach Alfa iç tutarlık katsayıları hesaplanmıştır.  Ölçeğin iç tutarlık kat sayısı 0.92 olarak bulunmuştur. Yapılan analizler sonunda ölçeğin Türkçe formunun geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışmaları tamamlanmıştır

Bioaccumulation of trace metals and genotoxicity responses in Liza aurata as an indicator of industrial pollution

Heavy metal contamination in the coastal and marine ecosystems is becoming a serious risk to aquatic organisms and humans. This study reports the effects, including genetic damage, of accumulations of trace metals on Liza aurata, which is used as a bio-indicator species, in the Payas coast of Iskenderun Bay, north-eastern Mediterranean by COMET Assay. L. aurata were seasonally collected from a sampling site and a reference site for one year. Physicochemical parameters in water and trace metals in the tissues of fish collected from these sites were determined by electrochemical techniques. High DNA damage frequency in L. aurata was observed along the Payas coast of Iskenderun Bay compared to the reference site because of pollutants. The detected high levels of Cd, Pb, Fe and Cu accumulation in L. aurata exceed the maximum levels allowed by the national and international limit values. Significant positive correlations between Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr, Fe, Zn, and Cu accumulations and DNA damage parameters were observed in the present study. Additionally, we first reported the successful use of the electrochemical technique in the determination of trace metal concentrations in mullet. Moreover, L. aurata constitutes a key tool as a sentinel organism for biomonitoring of coastal ecosystems. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-022-02591-

Molecular investigation of mechanisms considered to cause preterm premature membrane rupture

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the mRNA expression level of p16, CDK4, CDK6, Cyclin D, RB1, and E2F genes in preterm premature rupture of membrane (PPROM) cases and their roles in etiopathogenesis of PPROM.Materials and Methods: Twenty-one pregnancies with PPROM before 34th gestational weeks (study group) were compared with twenty pregnancies with no complication, who gave birth after 37th gestational-week (control group). Both groups chorioamniotic membranes were compared for mRNA expression of p16, cyclin D, CDK4, CDK6, RB1 and E2F genes.Results: The mRNA expression levels of p16, cyclin D, CDK4, CDK6, RB1and E2F genes decreased in the PPROM group compared to control group at a statistically significant level.Conclusion: Our findings have shown that oxidative stress may not act on the p16 pathway in these cases. In order to understand the molecular mechanism of PPROM, biomarkers of oxidative stress and aging should be evaluated together with other pathways related to aging and oxidative stress in future studies.Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, preterm erken membran rüptürü (PEMR) vakalarında, p16 ile CDK4, CDK6, siklin D, RB1, E2F genlerinin mRNA ekspresyon seviyelerini ve bu genlerin etiyopatogenezdeki rollerini saptamaktır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmamızda 34. gebelik haftasından önce membran rüptürü olan 21 gebe (çalışma grubu) ile herhangi bir durumla komplike olmamış ve 37. gebelik haftasından sonra doğum yapmış 20 gebenin (kontrol) doğum sonu koryoamniyotik membranları incelendi ve bu iki grubun koryoamniyotik membran örnekleri p16, siklin D, CDK4, CDK6, RB1 ve E2F genlerinin mRNA ekspresyon seviyeleri açısından karşılaştırıldı. Bulgular: Çalışmamızda, kontrol grubu ile kıyaslandığında p16, siklin D, CDK4, CDK6, RB1 ve E2F genlerinin ekspresyon seviyelerinin PEMR grubunda anlamlı derecede azaldığı saptandı. Sonuç: Bulgularımız bu vakalarda oksidatif stresin p16 yolağı üzerinden etki etmeyebileceğini göstermiştir. PEMR’nin moleküler mekanizmasını anlamak için, gelecekteki çalışmalarda oksidatif stres ve yaşlanma biyobelirteçleri ile yaşlanma ve oksidatif streste görevli diğer yolaklar birlikte değerlendirilmelidir.Cukurova Universit

Flipping e-Learning for Teaching Medical Terminology: A Study of Learners’ Online Experiences and Perceptions

Since e-Learning has become popular in recent years, research studies have been conducted about which instructional methods are the most effective in online learning environments. The purpose of this study is to apply the flipped classroom model to a Medical Terminology Course that was provided fully online as part of a Medical Documentation and Secretarial associate degree program in a vocational college, and to analyze learners’ experiences associated with this application. Based on this method, as asynchronous activities, learners were required to study interactive multimedia content and applications. For synchronous activities, mainly learner-centered approaches, collaborative learning, problem solving and discussion, led the learning process. In the context of this study, learners’ usage of the system, submissions to the study process questionnaire, and academic achievement were collected as quantitative data; whereas, learners’ opinions towards the flipped classroom model were obtained as qualitative data. Hence, the study was designed as a mixed methods research. According to the results, it was found that learners’ academic achievement significantly related to their perceptions of deep learning and their time spent on learning activities. Moreover, learners indicated problematic aspects to the flipped classroom as time expectancies, insufficiency of instructional materials, and lack of advice received from the instructor

E-Öğrenme Ortamları İçin Sürdürülebilir Dikkat Düzeyi İle Bağlamsal İpucu Kullanımının Örtük Bellek Performansına Etkisi

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of sustained attention level and usage of different types of contextual cueing on implicit memory performance in e-learning environments. The study group consists of voluntarily 76 undergraduate students who were enrolled in class of 1., 2., 3. and 4. at Hacettepe University, CEIT Department. A computer based test, which was developed in Yale University according to the MOT Paradigm, was used for identifying the sustained attention level of the participants. Some of the participants (N= 15) attended to implementation with computers which have eye tracking device. In this research it isn t found that sustained attention level and usage of different contextual cueing types have a common interaction effect on implicit memory performance. In the analysis which were performed by ignoring the sustained attention levels; it was found that usage of contextual cueing have an effect on implicit memory performance.Bu çalışmanın temel amacı e-öğrenme ortamlarında farklı sunum türlerindeki bağlamsal ipucu kullanımının yine farklı sürdürülebilir dikkat düzeylerindeki bireylerin örtük bellek performanslarına olan etkisini araştırmaktır. Çalışma, Hacettepe Üniversitesi Bilgisayar ve Öğretim Eğitimi Teknolojileri bölümü 1., 2., 3. ve 4. sınıflarında öğrenim gören 76 öğrencinin gönüllü katılımı ile yürütülmüştür. Katılımcıların sürdürülebilir dikkat düzeylerini belirlemek amacıyla Yale Üniversitesi nde Çoklu Nesne Takibi Paradigmasına göre geliştirilmiş olan bilgisayar tabanlı bir test kullanılmıştır. Katılımcılardan 15 i de göz izleme cihazının bulunduğu bilgisayarda uygulamaya katılmışlardır. Araştırmada; bireylerin örtük bellek performansında sürdürülebilir dikkat ve bağlamsal ipucu kullanımının ortak bir etkisi bulunmamıştır. Sürdürülebilir dikkat düzeyi göz ardı edilerek yapılan analizlerde bağlamsal ipucu kullanımının örtük bellek performansı üzerinde etkili olduğu bulunmuştur

A Systematic Review of Online Learning Researches in the Context of Individual Differences

Online learning has been offering practical, efficient and effective solutions for reaching out big groups of learners in terms of learning and education. In these environments, where the participants have distinct properties, although the contents have been diversified, it has been represented with the assumption of ideal user. These environments consist many people who have very distinct properties from each other. Even if the presented content has been diversified, mostly it is designed for the ideal user. However, every person has some individual characteristics, which can be natal and acquired in time. These individual differences are important in order to provide effective learning experiences in learning environments. In this context when the e-learning studies analyzed it can be seen that there are several studies, which focused on individual differences. In these studies, the effects of the variables such as personal traits, cognitive characteristics, and prior learning experiences on individuals’ academic success, motivation, participation levels, and staying on system, and the relationships had been analyzed. The main objective of this study is conducting a systematic review with the aim of identifying which individual differences studied and their relationships with other variables between 2010-2017 years. In this context, researcher defined review criteria (keywords, selection criteria, method) and conducted review process. According to search results, 38 research articles have been included in this study. Prominent results show that cognitive differences have been worked less in comparison with the other variables in terms of individual differences perspective, while the most worked variables are demographic variables and personal traits.e-Öğrenme aynı anda büyük kitlelere ulaşmada, eğitim-öğretim faaliyetleri yürütmede etkili, hızlı ve verimli çözümler sunabilmektedir. Birbirinden farklı özelliklere sahip katılımcıların bulunduğu bu ortamlarda bireylere çeşitlendirilmiş olsa da ideal kullanıcı varsayımına göre içerik türleri sunulmaktadır. Oysaki her birey doğuştan getirdiği ve sonradan kazandığı bir takım özelliklere sahiptir. Bu bireysel farklılıklar da öğrenme ortamlarında etkili öğrenme deneyimleri sağlayabilmek adına önemlidir. Bu bağlamda alanyazın incelendiğinde de bireysel farklılıkları odağına alan birçok e-öğrenme çalışması olduğu görülmektedir. Kişilik özellikleri, bilişsel özellikler, geçmiş öğrenme deneyimleri gibi sıralanabilen bu değişkenlerin bireylerin akademik başarılarına, motivasyonlarına, katılım düzeylerine ve sistemde kalmalarına olan etkileri ve aralarındaki ilişkiler incelenmiştir. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı sistematik bir alanyazın taraması gerçekleştirilerek, 2010-2017 yılları arasında yayınlanan çalışmalara konu olan bireysel farklılıkların belirlenmesi ve bu farklılıkların hangi bağımlı değişkenlerle incelendiğinin ortaya konulmasıdır. Bu kapsamda belirlenen alanyazın tarama kriterlerine göre (anahtar kelimeler, seçim kriterleri, yöntem) ISI Web of Knowledge, Ebscohost, Scopus ve JSTOR veritabanlarında taramalar gerçekleştirilmiş olup 38 makale çalışmaya dahil edilmiştir. Öne çıkan bulgular bireysel farklılıklar bağlamında bilişsel özelliklerin diğer değişkenlere oranla daha az incelendiğini gösterirken en fazla incelenen değişkenlerin demografik değişkenler ve kişilik özellikleri oldukları bulunmuştur

A Snapshot of Online Learners: e-Readiness, e-Satisfaction and Expectations

The popularity of online programs that educational institutions offer is continuously increasing at varying degrees, with the major demand coming from adult learners who have no opportunity to access traditional education. These adult learners have to be sufficiently ready and competent for online learning, and have their own varied expectations from the online learning process. Hence, this mixed method study is conducted to explore the participants’ readiness and expectations at the beginning and their satisfaction levels at the end of an online learning experience. An e-readiness scale and an e-satisfaction scale was administered as quantitative measures, with open-ended questions gathering qualitative data. Participants of the research were registered to different e-learning programs at Ankara University Distance Education Center, Turkey, during the 2013-2014 academic year. Analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data revealed facts about online learners, which should prove useful to both e-instructors and e-program administrators

A Cross Cultural Perspective on Information Communication Technologies Learning Survey

WOS: 000218050900004Information behavior has been at the core of researchers' interest for a long time. According to researches attention in the field of information research has shifted over the years from a dominant interest in the use of channels and sources to an emphasis on the encountering and seeking of information and the interpretation of meaning from that information. However, measuring this disposition to seek and its related skills is a challenge. In this study, the Information Seeking Strategies Scale was adapted to the Turkish language. The results indicated that (a) the scale could be used in Turkish settings by removing two items, (b) ICT tools are employed for information seeking rather than information sharing by Turkish college students who participated in this study, and (c) no gender or grade differences were observed. Further recommendations are discussed

Genotoxicity assessment of impacted urban coast using chelon auratus (risso, 1810)

This study aimed at investigating the genetic damage and the accumulations of trace metals in Chelon auratus (Risso, 1810) by COMET Assay to test whether this species should represent a bioindicator species of the Arsuz coast of Iskenderun Bay, North-Eastern Mediterranean. Fish were seasonally collected at a contaminated sampling site and as a reference material in an aquacultural farm over one year. Physicochemical parameters in water and trace metals in the tissues of fish collected from these sites were obtained by electrochemical techniques. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied for significance assessments. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to define the most important parameters involved in DNA damage, and Pearson correlation test was also used to determine the relationship between trace metals and DNA damage. In the present study, Fe, Zn, Cr and Cu concentrations in the water column of sampling site were exceeded the values allowed by the TEG (2015) and EPA (1989) for all seasons. Trace metal concentrations in the liver tissues of C. auratus can be ranged as follows: Fe > Zn > Cu > Mn > Ni > Cr > Co > Pb > Cd > Hg for the sampling site. Fe and Pb accumulations in liver tissues of golden grey mullet exceeded the maximum limits allowed by the TFC (2011) and EU (2005) in Summer and Autumn. The highest levels of DNA damage were detected at the sampling site with 77.67 +/- 1.52% DF, 181.67 +/- 9.71 AU, and 1.81 +/- 0.09% GDI in the gill tissue in the Summer. A significant positive correlation between Fe, Zn, Cu, Hg, Cr and Co accumulations and DNA damage parameters were reported in the present study. Besides, we reported firstly, that the electrochemical technique can be used successfully in the determination of trace metal concentrations in C. auratus. Consequently, obtained ecotoxicological data indicate that C. auratus constitutes a useful tool as a sentinel organism for biomonitoring the coastal ecosystem