Understanding Teacher Evaluation in Finland: A Professional Development Framework

This study explores the characteristics of the teacher evaluation model in Finland. Highlighting the unique qualities of the Finnish case, we also compare these teacher evaluation practices with the increasingly applied value-added model (VAM) for teacher evaluation across the globe. Our analysis revealed that the Finnish Model prioritises teacher empowerment and professional development by carrying out bottom-up evaluation practices. With a clear focus on teacher empowerment and professional development, this framework substantially differs from accountability measures such as VAM, which emphasize rigid data collection procedures and the use of standardized test scores to hold teachers accountable based on their students’ academic performance. This study also revealed that professional development endeavours of teachers are highlighted as the key elements in Finnish teacher evaluation. Ongoing needs analyses for professional development also form the basis for assessing teachers in Finland

İngilizce öğrencilerinin sosyal kimlik değişimleri: bir vaka çalışması.

This case study has been conducted in order to explore social identity change among a group of language learners studying in the English language preparatory program at a private university in Turkey. The relationship between the students’ self-system types and their academic performance was also investigated. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews with eleven students and the instructors who taught them during an academic year and the assessment and performance reports each instructor prepared twice a semester. As determined by the proficiency exam administered in the beginning of the first semester, all students were in the same level of proficiency, but as a consequence of the administration’s policy of grouping students in classes by their academic performance, six participants started the second semester in the class composed of students with highest grade point average while five of them started in the class composed of students with lowest grade point average. The findings of the study indicated that the all high achievers experienced productive change and the majority of them experienced additive change and an increase in their self-confidence whereas no low achievers experienced productive change and only few experienced additive and self-confidence change. Also, the results also showed that while the transition from high achievers’ actual self into their possible self was harmonious, that of low achievers were submissive. The findings suggested that the identities of learners should be taken more seriously and that an investigation of their language learning experience and future goals related to the target language is necessary.M.S. - Master of Scienc

Public Perceptions of ‘the Other’s’ Heritage: Ottoman Heritage in Greece and Byzantine Heritage in Turkey

The relationship between cultural heritage and identity has long been acknowledged. Due to this relevance, utilizing past and its material remains for political purposes has been a common practice for the states; a phenomenon that has its roots in antiquity and is still actively used. Modern states have been active agents in this process by defining what constitutes their ‘national identity’ and ‘national heritage’. This selection brings together the exclusion of the pasts and their remains that are ’dissonant’ with the national historiography, thus resulting in the deliberate and non-deliberate destruction of ‘the Other’s’ heritage. Due to their attachment to public memory, historical monuments are the most affected subjects of this process. This study investigates the historical and contemporary effects of ‘exclusion’ of cultural heritage from the national narratives by focusing on the Ottoman heritage in Greece and the Byzantine heritage in Turkey. The research focuses on the two particular aspects of ‘public’: the state and the people. It critically analyses cultural heritage laws in Greece and Turkey and the states’ contemporary cultural policies with regards to ‘the Other’s’ heritage. People’s perceptions of heritage are investigated through public opinion surveys conducted in two case studies from the two countries. The research deals with a topical subject, ‘heritage and identity’, which is of high relevance to contemporary societies and the heritage literature. Its originality lies in its scope, ‘the Other’s’ heritages in Greece and Turkey, and the novel results it produces. In summary, the research shows that people’s and states' perceptions of ‘the Other’s’ heritage are interrelated and mostly governed by the states’ policies. The inclusion of the Ottoman heritage in the cultural heritage management in Greece has positively influenced the people’s perceptions. In Turkey, the ‘otherness’ of the Byzantine heritage is still felt by the people, but the potential benefits of their utilization enhance their protection by the public

Identity in early higher education A review of research trends on learner identities

Studies investigating the relationship between the learning process and identity has gained a considerable amount of popularity in recent years. This paper presents a review of the literature pertaining to recent studies exploring identities of learners in their first year at a higher education institution with a particular focus on the changes learners go through during adolescence and transition to university. Our review of scholarly articles and reports showed that studies on this issue draws attention to (a) the dynamic, complex, and unpredictable nature of identity, (b) late-adolescence as a period of intense physical, biological, cognitive, and emotional change, and (c) the role of universities in supporting the well-being of learners and preparing them for future transition to working life. The majority of studies reviewed argue that identities are socially constructed and they have various dimensions that can be presented differently over time and space, possibly coexisting in contradictory ways in a single individual. In addition, another consistent finding within our review was that identity processes reach their most complex peak during late adolescence which oftentimes coincide with the period when most learners start their first year at university. We concluded that a deeper understanding of the relationship between the nature of learner identities and transition to higher education will be of paramount importance for both faculty members and administrative boards of universities

Influence of the Presence of Muscularis Propria on Recurrence and the Quality of Transurethral Resection in Low-Grade, Stage pTa Bladder Tumors

Objective Transurethral resection (TUR) of the bladder and intravesical chemotherapy is the standard treatment option for non-muscle-invasive bladder tumors. Inadequate tumor resection results in early recurrence and staging inaccuracies, which all will change the course of the disease. High-quality TUR treatment is therefore an important factor in the treatment of non-muscle-invasive bladder tumors. In this study, we investigated the significance of detecting the presence of muscularis propria (MP) in pathology specimens of low-grade, stage pTa tumors in patients who were treated with TUR due to primary bladder tumors, with regard to recurrence, time to recurrence and progression. Materials and Methods Initially, 841 patients who were treated with TUR due to primary bladder tumors were enrolled in the study. A total of 597 patients were excluded from the study because they failed to meet the study criteria. Group 1 consisted of patients with MP detected in the pathology specimens; whereas group 2 consisted of patients whose TUR specimens did not include MP. The patients were evaluated with regard to gender, tumor number, presence or absence of MP, and recurrence status. Results MP was observed in only 14 (15.2%) of 92 patients with recurrence, but not in the remaining 78 (84.8%) (p=0.004). Progression occurred in 4 (14.2%) patients of group 1 and 28 (29%) patients of group 2 (p=0.159). In univariate analysis, tumor multiplicity (p=0.003) and the absence of MP (p=0.004) were found to have effects on recurrence. In multivariate analysis, these two parameters were also found to be have effects on recurrence (p=0.004). Conclusion In this study, it was pointed out that MP presence in the pathology specimens of low-grade stage pTa tumors is an indicator of a high quality TUR and, a well-done TUR is important for the prevention of recurrence

Bir Askeri Üniversite Hastanesi Psikiyatri Servisinde Yatarak Tedavi Gören Hastaların Yatış Süreleri ve Klinik Özellikleri: Bir Yıllık İnceleme

Psikiyatri kliniklerinde yatan hastaların ortalama yatış süreleri ve maliyet durumları ile ilgili çok az sayıda araştırma vardır. Gülhane Askeri Tıp Akademisi (GATA) ve asker hastanelerindeki durum ise bilinmemektedir. Bu çalışmada GATA psikiyatri kliniğinde yatan hastaların tanı gruplarına göre ortalama yatış sürelerinin ve ortalama yatış sayılarının belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Temmuz 2004-Temmuz 2005 tarihleri arasındaki bir yıllık sürede GATA psikiyatri kliniğine yatan bütün hastalar ileriye dönük şekilde çalışmaya alınmıştır. Toplam 1311 kayıt incelenmiştir. Olguların ortalama yatış süresi 23.8±5.7 gün, ortalama yatış sıklığı 1.5±0.5’dir. Kayıtların %3.6’sı istemsiz, %22.1’i adli gözlem amaçlı ve %69.5’i ilk yatıştır. Olguların %47.5’i ilaçsız olarak taburcu edilmiş, %15.3’ünde çoklu ilaç kullanımı saptanmıştır. Adli gözlem amacıyla yatırılanların ortalama yatış süresi 12.5±4.2 gündür. Küçük bir döner kapı grubu sık ve uzun süreli yatışlar yapmaktadır. Sağlık kurulu işlemleri için geçen süre çok uzundur. Bu iki durum kaynak savurganlığına neden olmaktadır. Psikiyatri kliniklerinde yatan bir hastanın ortalama gideri ve ülke ekonomisine yükünün gerçekci şekilde saptanması ile kaynaklar daha verimli kullanılabilecek ve sağlık hizmeti daha kaliteli sunulabilecektir

Embodied ideologies: Hagia Sophia contended status between mosque and museum/Ideologie incarnate: Hagia Sophia contesa tra moschea e museo

This research aims to analyze how cultural heritage gets involved in the political discourse and to what extent it affects the status and functions of a specific cultural asset by taking Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, as a case study. As a symbolically charged monument with a multifaceted history, it was transformed into a museum in 1935. Nevertheless, the contemporary usage of Hagia Sophia has become a contested matter in the last 65 years, with the emergence of a public demand to use the monument as a mosque. Such a public demand has also been backed at the political level and resulted in tangible outcomes within the last two decades. Consequently, the monument was transformed into a mosque in July 2020. The study demonstrates that Hagia Sophia has always been involved in political discourse(s) since its construction due to its multiple symbolic values. The contemporary shift in the discourse had both the tangible and intangible dimensions of the monument. Questa ricerca analizza i modi e i contesti in cui il patrimonio culturale entra nel discorso politico e gli effetti di tale coinvolgimento sullo status e sulle funzioni del patrimonio culturale stesso. L'approccio è quello dello studio di caso e il bene culturale analizzato è il monumento di Hagia Sophia a Istanbul. Si tratta di un monumento ad alta densità di significati, dal punto di vista sia propriamente architettonico e storico artistico sia simbolico sia religioso sia storico. Haghia Sophia diviene museo nel 1935. Tuttavia, l'uso contemporaneo di Hagia Sophia è stata una questione controversa nel corso degli ultimi 65 anni, con l'emergere di una richiesta pubblica di usare il monumento come moschea. Tale richiesta pubblica è stata sostenuta anche al livello politico e ha raggiunto un picco significativo negli ultimi due decenni. La conseguenza più tangibile di tale richiesta pubblica è che il monumento è stato trasformato in moschea nel luglio 2020. Questo studio dimostra che i molteplici valori simbolici legati ad Hagia Sophia hanno dato a questo monumento, fin dalla sua costruzione, un ruolo di primissimo piano, di cardine potremmo dire, all'interno di discorsi specificamente politici.  Il cambiamento contemporaneo dell'orientamento e della narrazione di ambito politico hanno riguardato la dimensione sia tangibile sia intangibile del monumento

Temiz kömür teknolojilerinden akışkan yatakta yakma teknolojisi ile türk linyitlerinden temiz ve verimli enerji eldesi

TÜBİTAK MİSAG01.09.2002Bu çalışmada ODTÜ Kimya Mühendisliği Bölümü'nde kurulu olan 0.3 MW ısıl güçteki kabarcıklı akışkan yataklı yakıcı üzerinde tipik bir Türk linyitini temsil eden kül, uçucu madde ve kükürt içeriği kaliteli kömürlere göre yüksek olan Beypazarı linyiti geri döngüsüz/döngülü ve kireçtaşı katkısız/katkılı işletme koşullarında yakılarak yakıcı boyunca ve baca gazında $O_2$,$CO_2$,CO,$SO_2$ ve $NO_x$ konsantrasyonları, sıcaklık dağılımları ve serbest bölgede ışınım ısı akısı ölçümlerle belirlenmiştir. Kireçtaşı katkısız deney koşulları yanma verimiaçısından incelendiğinde, Beypazarı linyitinin tek geçişte %98 verimle yandığını ve bu nedenle geri döngünün yanma verimi üzerine önemli bir etkisi olmadığını göstermiştir.kireçtaşı katkılı deneylerde ise geri döngü kükürt tutma veriminde %22 artışa neden olmuştur. Ayrıca kireçtaşı katkısız/katkılı deneylerde geri döngünün NOx emisyonlarını düşürdüğü gözlenmiştir. Geri döngünün yatak sıcaklığını azalttığı, serbest bölge sıcaklığını ise artırdığı tesbit edilmiştir. Duvarlardaki ışınım ısı akısı ölçümlerinin ise serbest blgedeki parçacık yükünden ziyade sıcaklık dağılımından etkilendiği görülmüştür. Daha önce akışkan yataklı yakıcı iin geliştirilmiş olan yakıcı ve ışınım ısı transfer modelleri deney koşullarına uygulanmış ve model sonuçlarının ölçümlerle uyum içinde olduğu görülmüştür