Dynamic Variables of Science Classroom Discourse in Relation to Teachers’ Instructional Beliefs

The current study examines if the occurence of dynamic variables namely, authentic questions, uptake, high-level evaluation and student questions in primary science classrooms vary by teachers’ instructional beliefs. Twelve 4th grade teachers from two different schools volunteered to participate in the study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to determine teachers’ instructional beliefs, classroom practices and dynamic variables of classroom discourse. Results showed that teachers were more teacher-centred in their classroom practices than their instructional beliefs. There were no differences among teachers with different instructional beliefs in terms of the frequency of dynamic variables. Implications for education and research were discussed

Preservice Teachers’ Constructivist Teaching Scores Based on Their Learning Styles

This study examined the relationship between pre-service teachers’ constructivist teaching and their learning styles based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory. The Learning Styles Inventory-3 was administered at the beginning of the semester to determine preferred learning style. The Constructivist Teaching Evaluation Form was filled out by pre-service teachers following the microteaching session. Bivariate correlation and ANOVA anayses were conducted to evaluate the learning style-teaching relationship. Results showed that students’ teaching evaluation scores were positively correlated with their active experimentation (AE) and negatively correlated with their reflective observation (RO) scores. ANOVA results showed that accommodating students had significantly higher self-evaluation scores than diverging and assimilating students. Moreover, converging students rated themselves higher than diverging students on constructivist teaching. These results imply that pre-service teachers who prefer constructivist learning strategies deliver better constructivist lessons based on their self reports

Pre-Service Teachers’ Use of Dynamic Discourse Variables During Classroom Teaching

The aim of this study is to examine the nature of questioning in primary classrooms taught by teacher candidates. The participants were 39 teacher candidates enrolled in the Department of Primary Education at a large university in Western Turkey as well as 3rd and 4th-grade students in four schools located in the area. Each teacher candidate has taught a course she or he selected from Mathematics, Science, Turkish or Social Sciences subjects for about 35-40 minutes and these courses have been recorded by a video camera. Classroom discourse has been transcribed into MS Word file. Questions of teachers and students and evaluation of student answers have been analyzed by the researcher using discourse analysis techniques. Descriptive statistics on number and types of questions and types and frequency of evaluation was determined using SPSS 18. It has been observed that while teacher candidates used numerous low-level questions in the classroom, they did not use high-level questions and task-related questions sufficiently. This may be due to not utilizing activities frequently or time management issues. It has been found that teacher candidates use significantly more lower-level evaluations in classrooms. Higher order teacher and student questions were observed in Science more compared to other subjects. This may stem from the fact that science classes cater to the curiosity of students and are directly related to their daily life. Findings indicate that teacher candidates are open to development in asking higher-level questions, high-level evaluation and promoting students to ask higher level questions. It is recommended to emphasize the importance of question and evaluation types, high-level questions and evaluations and student questions during teaching courses in education programs. Keywords: Question types, evaluation types, classroom discourse, IR

Examining question type and the timing of IRE pattern in elementary science classrooms

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations among types of teacher questions, student responses, and the timing regarding questioning within science classroom discourse. Thirty one teachers consented to the study and their classrooms were videotaped during a 40-minute science lesson. Classroom discussions that followed an Initiation-Response-Evaluation (IRE) pattern were coded. It was found that about 65% of all teacher questions were short answer questions. Teacher wait-time, student response, and teacher evaluation time were significantly higher in long answer questions compared to short answer questions. Finally, there were positive correlations among these three variables. Detailed analysis results for short and long answer question types were also examined as a part of this study

What role do language learning mindsets play in English Medium Instruction? A comparison of Engineering and Business Administration in Turkey.

This article explores the relationship between Turkish undergraduate students’ language learning mindsets, English language achievement, and English medium instruction (EMI) academic success. Student test score data on an EMI course and an English language course were collected from fourth year students studying mechatronics engineering (n = 68) and business administration (n = 75) at a public university. Students also responded to the Language Learning Mindsets Inventory (Lou & Noels, 2019). Regression analyses revealed that both incremental (positively) and entity (negatively) mindsets predicted academic success in engineering. Neither mindset was a statistically significant predictor of mechatronics engineering students’ English language achievement. Business administration students’ academic success and English language achievement were both statistically significantly predicted by both incremental (positively) and entity (negatively) mindsets. These results are discussed according to discipline-based differences in EMI courses and pedagogical implications are explored

Eosinophilic lymph node abscesses following a COVID-19 vaccination: A case report

In this paper, we reported a 37-year-old man who developed several lymphadenopathies after using the second dose of Pfizer-BioNtech vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. The excisional lymph node biopsy showed eosinophil-rich inflammation with micro-abscesses. Although eosinophilic dermatosis and eosinophilic myocarditis have been described previously following COVID-19 vaccinations, eosinophilic lymph node abscess was not reported in the literature. In our case, all lesions were completely recovered with steroid treatment. The patient has been doing well and no recurrence has been observed for six months

EARLY CHILDHOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION TRENDS IN TURKEY: WHERE FROM? WHERE TO?

The current study intends to review both all empirical and theoretical research for understanding and discussing the trend in early childhood science education in Turkey. A summative content analysis was conducted with a total of 136 studies including 69 graduate theses (master thesis and dissertations) and 67 journal articles published from 1999 (the beginning) to the mid-2017. Data were extracted from the full-text of articles and the theses by visiting the websites of the journals and the related databases. The search keywords mainly included the terms: early childhood, preschool, science. The studies were analyzed in terms of publication year, author collaboration, research topics, research methods, and target population. The results revealed that the number of graduate theses and articles in the field of early childhood science is continuously growing. It was identified that collaborative research efforts in early childhood science education was a leading design on the published work. Results determined that a vast majority of the papers used quantitative research methods, mainly conducting surveys and using experimental design. Children, early childhood teachers and prospective teachers were the most common study subjects in the selected papers. The research topics of environmental education, scientific process skills, teaching methods, attitudes and behaviour were received relatively more attention among researchers

The Effects of Growth Mindset and Resilience on Immigrant Students’ PISA Science Achievement: The Mediating Role of Attitudes Toward School

In recent years, self-theories such as growth mindset and resilience have gained interest as they have a sizable influence on achievement and school-related motivation. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between immigrant students’ growth mindset, resilience, and science achievement in PISA 2018 by considering the mediating effect of attitudes toward school. Using secondary data for Australia, the UK, and the USA obtained from PISA 2018, we conducted a series of Structural Equation Modeling analyses to unravel the relationship between self-theories and science achievement. The growth mindset had the strongest effect on science achievement for both immigrants and non-immigrants in all three countries; resilience was positively related to science achievement for immigrants in the US, and attitudes toward school were positively related to science achievement for immigrants in Australia. The mediating role of attitudes toward school between growth mindset, resilience and science achievement could not have been confirmed. We speculate that self-theories might be affecting immigrant groups differently in different countries. Implications regarding these findings are discussed

The effects of language learning and math mindsets on academic success in an engineering program

Background: Mindsets are based on two basic assumptions: some people think that their intellectual abilities can be developed through hard work and instruction (i.e., a growth mindset), whereas others believe that nothing can change their level of intellectual ability (i.e., a fixed mindset). The association between mindsets and academic achievement has been examined in different academic subjects, such as biology and math. However, no previous study has examined the effects of language learning mindsets (LLMs) and math mindsets (MMs) on academic success in an English medium instruction (EMI) setting in which English, rather than the first language of the students, is used for teaching content (e.g., mechatronics engineering). Purpose/Hypothesis: This study explores the relationship between Turkish mechatronics engineering undergraduate students' domain‐specific mindsets, LLMs and MMs, and their academic success. Design/Method: Student test scores for English medium and first‐language medium courses were collected from fourth‐year students studying mechatronics engineering (n = 68) at a public university in Turkey. Students also completed the LLM and MM inventories. Results: Regression analyses revealed that growth LLM and MM were positive predictors of EMI and Turkish medium of instruction (TMI) academic success, whereas fixed LLM and MM were negative predictors of EMI and TMI academic success. Conclusions: In both EMI and TMI courses, a growth mindset in math and language learning can profoundly predict students' academic achievement in a mechatronics engineering program. We argue that domain‐specific mindsets can effectively explain the self‐theories of intelligence and achievement