Conceptual Learning in Social Studies Classroom: An Analysis of Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Social Studies Questions with and without Concept

We are living in a conceptual world which we build through both informal and systematic interaction. Concepts enable us to simplify and organize our environment and communicate efficiently with others. The learning of concepts is represented by a general idea, usually expressed by a word, which represent a class or group of things or actions having certain characteristics in common, is a matter of central concern for designing effective instructional conditions in the school setting. Thus, concept attainment is a cornerstone of social studies to help students to make informed and reasonable decisions and therefore is a fundamental and challenging aspect of social studies content. Previous studies had not focused specifically on concept questions and nonconcept questions. The purpose of this study is to determine whether 8th, 10th, and 11th grade students perform better on social studies questions which were classified as concept questions compared to questions which were classified as nonconcept questions. This study also attempts to identify the relationship between correct answers on concept questions and students' demographics. This study used a non-experimental descriptive, correlational, and causal-comparative research designs. This study used secondary data analysis, which involves a re-analysis of data collected for another study or purpose. The data for this study was gathered from Texas Education Agency, for all students who took the Spring 2006 and Spring 2009 version of the Grade 8, Grade 10, and Grade 11 Social Studies TAKS Tests. A statistical significant difference was found between the percentage of correct concept question and nonconcept questions. Students had higher achievement on nonconcept questions than concept questions. The researcher compared students' correct answers for concept questions between years, the result indicated that students scored higher on concept questions in 2009 than 2006. Also, there was a significant difference between male students and female students. Male students had a higher mean of concept questions than female students. In addition, Grade 11 had a higher mean on concept questions than Grade 10 and Grade 8. The researcher found significant differences among ethnicity. Asian students and White students scored better on concept question than other ethnic groups. The researcher also examined the correlation between concept questions and nonconcept questions. The result indicated that there was a significant positive high correlation between choosing correct answers for concept question and nonconcept questions. Last, native speaker students had a higher achievement on concept questions than ESL students

Teachers' Attitudes Toward the Use of Technology in Social Studies Teaching

Technology integration in education is one of the most popular topics in the last decades. Many countries have invested millions of dollars to equip classrooms with technological devices. As well as developed countries, Turkey has conducted several projects to provide technological devices and educational materials to classrooms. Technology has the potential to increase the quality of learning and teaching process. However, having technological devices in classroom alone will not cause the increase of the quality of education. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine teachers' attitudes toward the use of technology in social studies teaching. Understanding social studies teachers' attitudes is essential because it is a way to figure out how they integrate technology and define barriers. The authors applied quantitative survey method and used cluster sampling to choose participants. The sample of the study consisted of 155 social studies teachers who are currently teaching at middle schools. The use of technology in social studies teaching attitude scale was used to collect data. The findings revealed that teachers have positive beliefs and attitudes toward the use of technology. Also, the findings showed that teachers who are working at private schools have significantly high attitudes than others who are teaching at public schools. Moreover, teachers who took educational technology and teaching material course and attended in-service training have more positive attitudes than others

The Association Between College Students` Participation Behavior and Social Media Use

This paper examines college students` participation behaviors and the use of social media tools.  The descriptive survey model was applied to investigate university students` participation behaviors. The data was collected through a “Participation Questionnaire” from 284 college students in Kazakhstan. The result showed that students who spend less time on social media are positively related to participatory citizenship. Moreover, students with fewer social media accounts are more likely to engage in political, volunteer, and social events than students with fewer social media accounts

Systematic Observations of the Availability and Use of Instructional Technology in Urban Middle School Classrooms

The present study uses systematic observations to investigate the availability and use of instructional technology in 64 middle school classrooms serving predominantly minority students from economically disadvantaged families. The T3 Overall Classroom Observation Measure, a high-inference walk-through instrument, was developed to examine: (a) types and use of technology present in the classroom, (b) teachers’ technology usage, (c) students’ technology usage, (d) teachers’ general instructional behaviors, and (e) students’ general behaviors. The results revealed that instructional technology was widely available in the classrooms, but most teachers and students were only using it to “some extent.

Review of Modernising school governance: Corporate planning and expert handling in state education

Wilkins, A. (2016). Modernising school governance: Corporate planning and expert handling in state education. New York, NY: Routledge. 172 pp., ISBN-9781138787476. Modernising School Governance: Corporate Planning and Expert Handling in State Education is a part of Routledge Research in Education Policy and Politics series which aims to enhance readers understanding of key challenges and facilitate on-going academic debate within the influential and growing field of education policy and politics by Routledge. Andrew Wilkings, the author, is a senior lecturer in Education Studies at the University of East London. Modernising School Governance is a product of a three-year project conducted between 2012-2015 and supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in England

Investigating Pre-service Social Studies Teachers’ Global Social Responsibility Level

The purpose of this research is to investigate pre-service social studies teachers’ global social responsibility levels from national, action-oriented, altruistic, and ecological aspects by considering gender, course year, academic success level, membership of a non-governmental organization, and where they lived before attending university. The author applied the descriptive survey model for this study in order to investigate pre-service social studies teachers’ global social responsibility level. Participants of the study were selected through cluster random sampling from public universities in the Marmara, Aegean, and Central Anatolia regions of Turkey. The sample of the study consisted of 463 pre-service social studies teachers enrolled at either Afyon Kocatepe University, Usak University, Anadolu University, or Istanbul University. In order to analyze the data, one-way variance analysis (ANOVA), multiple comparison test (Post-Hoc) and independent samples t-test were used. The results indicated that there was no significant difference on participants’ global social responsibility level by considering gender and course year. However, the results showed that pre-service social studies teachers who are members of any non-profit organization have higher levels of action-oriented responsibility, ecologic responsibility, and altruistic responsibility, than those who are not. Moreover, pre-service social studies teachers who lived in middle-sized city prior to attending university have more global social responsibility than those who lived in a village

Reconceptualizing Global Citizenship in Turkish Social Studies Textbooks With a Focus on Social Justice

This study examines the integration of global perspectives in the social studies textbooks used in Grades 4 to 7 in Turkey using content analysis as a methodology. The analysis focuses on seven mandatory textbooks distributed across the country and the big ideas and themes reinforced as official knowledge promoted by the state. The findings reveal both strengths and weaknesses in the textbooks’ content and approach to teaching about global connections. While the textbooks aim to promote global citizenship, cultural understanding, and economic relationships, they also perpetuate nationalistic perspectives, stereotypes, and biased coverage of various forms of inequality and social injustice. Failure to critically analyze diverse cultures, perpetuation of biased views, negative portrayal of Western culture, and a lack of comprehensive coverage of inequality are some of the arising issues and emerging themes identified. Additionally, the textbooks neglect explicit discussions about equity and social justice and connections to the civic engagement of citizens. These findings promote passive citizenship and underscore the need for greater attention to inclusivity, cultural understanding, and comprehensive coverage of global issues and social justice in social studies education in Turkey and beyond as it relates to international relations.Cette étude examine l’intégration des perspectives mondiales dans les manuels d’études sociales utilisés de la quatrième à la septième année en Turquie, en utilisant la méthodologie de l’analyse de contenu. Cette analyse se concentre sur sept manuels obligatoires distribués dans tout le pays ainsi que sur les grandes idées et les thèmes renforcés en tant que connaissances officielles promues par l’État. Les résultats révèlent à la fois des forces et des faiblesses dans le contenu des manuels et dans l’approche de l’enseignement de la connectivité mondiale. Alors que les manuels visent à promouvoir la citoyenneté mondiale, la compréhension culturelle et les relations économiques, ils perpétuent aussi des perspectives nationalistes, des stéréotypes et une couverture biaisée de diverses formes d’inégalité et d’injustice sociale. L’incapacité à analyser de manière critique diverses cultures, la perpétuation de points de vue biaisés, la représentation négative de toute culture occidentale et le manque de couverture globale des inégalités sont quelques-uns des problèmes et des thèmes émergents qui ont été identifiés. En outre, les manuels négligent les discussions explicites sur l’équité et la justice sociale et les liens avec l’engagement civique des citoyens. Ces constatations encouragent la citoyenneté passive et soulignent la nécessité d’accorder une plus grande attention à l’inclusion, à la compréhension culturelle et à une couverture complète des questions mondiales et de la justice sociale dans l’enseignement des sciences sociales en Turquie et au-delà, en ce qui concerne les relations internationales

Prognostic effects of SuPAR and Neopterin Levels on Patients with Lung Cancer

karahan, irfan/0000-0003-4669-1751WOS:000547384800001Background: Two unique biomarkers, soluble form of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) and neopterin, play a crucial role in inflammatory processes. This study aimed to reveal whether it is possible to utilize these biomarkers in predicting tumor prognosis in patients with lung cancers. Methods: The present study was designed as a single center, prospective, and controlled research. The study was conducted with forty patients with lung cancer (case group) and 41 healthy individuals (control group) in Kirikkale University, Faculty of Medicine between 2016-2020. The case group was also divided into two of the early and advanced stages. The blood samples were drawn to evaluate suPAR and neopterin levels, and these parameters were compared between the case and control groups. Also, the prognostic effects of age, stage of the tumor, and the levels of mentioned parameters were investigated with the survival analysis. Results: The median duration of the follow-up was 32 (4-75) months. suPAR and neopterin levels were found to be higher in the case group than in the control group. Cox regression showed that the high levels of neopterin and suPAR increased mortality risk [1)=0.002, HR: 1.25 (1.081.45 95%CI) and p=0.023, HR:1.07 (1.01-1.13), respectively]. Finally, age and stage of the tumor were found to have no relationship with survival. Conclusion: suPAR and neopterin as members of the inflammatory pathway were found to be higher in cancer cases. Furthermore, both suPAR and neopterin levels were found to be predictive for the mortality of patients with lung cancers; therefore, they are thought to be used for the management of cancer

Effects of SARS-CoV-2 infections in patients with cancer on mortality, ICU admission and incidence: a systematic review with meta-analysis involving 709,908 participants and 31,732 cancer patients

Background Cancer patients constitute one of the highest-risk patient groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, it was aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine both the incidence and ICU (Intensive Care Unit) admission rates and mortality in SARS-CoV-2 infected cancer patients. Methods The PRISMA guidelines were closely followed during the design, analysis, and reporting of this systematic review and meta-analysis. A comprehensive literature search was performed for the published papers in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, medRxiv, Embase, and Web of Science (WoS) databases. SARS-CoV-2 infection pooled incidence in the cancer populations and the risk ratio (RR) of ICU admission rates/mortality in cancer and non-cancer groups, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were calculated using the random-effects model. Results A total of 58 studies, involving 709,908 participants and 31,732 cancer patients, were included in this study. The incidence in cancer patients was calculated as 8% (95% CI: 8-9%). Analysis results showed that mortality and ICU admission rate was significantly higher in patients with cancer (RR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.94-2.62, P < 0.001; RR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.28-1.64, p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion As a result, cancer was an important comorbidity and risk factor for all SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. This infection could result in severe and even fatal events in cancer patients. Cancer is associated with a poor prognosis in the COVID-19 pandemic. Cancer patients should be assessed more sensitively in the COVID-19 outbreak