Revitalizing the HERO within Teachers: An Analysis of the Effects of the PsyCap Development Training

The purpose of the study was to investigate middle school teachers’ perceptions of the effects of a teacher-targeted intervention, that is, Psychological Capital Development Training Intervention (PCDTI), aiming at enhancing positive psychological capacities of teachers. The PCDTI was prepared and implemented by the researchers at a state university in a large city in Turkey during the academic year of 2014-2015. The implementation of the PCDTI lasted for 2 months, once in a week, and after completing the training intervention, interviews were conducted with twelve teachers who were the participants in the experimental group. Data were gathered through one-on-one interviews and were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The participants stated that the PCDTI had some positive effects in terms of their personal and professional awareness and development. Raising awareness about some key issues in teachers’ lives, experiencing positive emotions, cognitions, and attitudes, and experiencing changes in their attitudes towards students and teaching profession were the perceived effects of the training intervention. The participants also made suggestions to enhance the effectiveness of the intervention. Some implications are offered for the benefits of enhancing teachers’ psychological capital in schools

A Preliminary Assessment of the Change Recipients' Perceptions of the "4+4+4 Reform Initiative": Has Anything Changed?

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to assess change recipients' perceptions of 4+4+4 reform initiative put in effect in Turkish education system and to explore if anything has changed within the one-year interval. This research is a qualitative longitudinal case study conducted in 2013 and 2014 in a large city in Southeastern Turkey. Pragmatist paradigm has been the guiding research philosophy. The study group consisted of 106 teachers, 64 school administrators, and 4 educational supervisors. The study group was chosen via purposive sampling technique. Data were gathered through structured interview protocol consisting of four open-ended questions. Findings indicated that the favorable and unfavorable aspects of the reform regarded as positive were mostly remained unchanged in the one-year interval. Some of the problems remained the same. Finally, it was revealed that the participants' expectations about the future of the system varied in terms of potential effects of the reform initiative. Based on the findings, suggestions for the implementers and policy makers were offered

A Mixed Methods Study on Developing Teachers’ Psychological Capital

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of the Psychological Capital Development Training Intervention (PCDTI) on middle school teachers’ psychological capital. In the first phase of the study, an 8-week training intervention was designed, and the training intervention was administered to middle school teachers included in the experimental group. In the second phase of the study, teachers’ views about the PCDTI were gathered. Meanwhile, all of the sessions of the PCDTI were recorded using a camera. Embedded mixed methods research design was used in the study. The sample of the research consisted of middle school teachers working at schools located in Şahinbey and Şehitkâmil districts of Gaziantep province in the academic year of 2014-2015. A total of 44 teachers were assigned to the experimental (N=22) and control groups (N=22). In order to examine the effectiveness of the PCDTI, Psychological Capital Questionnaire, which was developed by Luthans, Avolio, Avey and Norman (2007), was used as a data collection tool. The participants’ views about the PCDTI were gathered using a 20-item evaluation form developed by the researcher. Videos recorded during the sessions were analyzed to observe the participants’ attitudes and reveal their perceptions regarding the intervention. The findings of the research indicated that the PCDTI was effective in developing teachers’ psychological capital. In the control group, however, no statistically significant differences were detected in terms of psychological capital post-test scores. It was revealed that the participants were satisfied with “Purpose”, “Content”, “Methods-Techniques-Materials” and “Evaluation” dimensions of the PCDTI at high levels. Video analysis results demonstrated that the participants had positive attitudes and perceptions regarding the PCDTI. The study concludes by offering some implications based on the finding

Problems Encountered in Multi-Grade Classes and Teachers’ Suggestions for Possible Solutions (A Case Study in Kilis Province)

The objective of this study is to determine the problems of the teachers who take part in multigrade-classes programme currently maintained in the village primary schools and to elicit their views and solutions related to the multigrade classes education programme. 12 multigrade-classes teachers teaching in the nearby villages of Kilis province participated in the study and they were selected by the easilyaccessible case sampling method. Subjects’ opinion were gathered thorough a semiconstructed interview form. The data derived from the interview were reduced through qualitative data analysis method, and figurative-interpretive analysis method was used by quoting from the reduced data. The subjects involved in the study generally complained from the difficulty in carrying out educational goals and objectives and managing classes of diverse needs, from time shortage, from the pupils’ low readiness and competence level; from managing multiple classes in the same place simultaneously, from biases of the families, from the funding problems and physical insufficiency. Based on the findings, It’s suggested that the number of the schools that have students transported daily from the multigrade-classes village schools should be increased in order for the multigrade classes to decrease in number and an original curriculum should be launched for these schools according to instruction techniques and classroom management procedures specific to these school

Principal Assignments in Limbo: A Qualitative Study on the Processes and Potential Outcomes of the Recent Principal Assignment Initiative in Turkey

This study aimed at investigating school principals’ and teachers’ perceptions of the processes pursued in principal assignments and the potential outcomes of the recently enacted initiative concerning the assignments in Turkish public schools. The intrinsic case study was used as the research design. The data were collected through one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions. It was concluded that the processes, practices, and procedures followed in the recent initiative were not considered procedurally just and ethical by principals and teachers, and that deservingness had nearly no role in the principal assignments. The participants’ thoughts and perceptions overall implied that the principal assignments were entrenched in a quagmire of personal contacts and politics. More important, outcome favorability did not seem to have affected the perceptions of most of the principals. However, there were no significantly divergent views amongst the principals and teachers in terms of justifying and evaluating the initiative