Improved Presentation and Facade Layer Operations for Software Engineering Projects

Nowadays, one of the most challenging situations for software developers is the presence of a mismatch between relational database systems and programming codes. In the literature, this problem is defined as "impedance mismatch". This study is to develop a framework built on innovations based on the existing Object Relational Mapping technique to solve these problems. In the study, users can perform operations for three different database systems such as MsSQL, MySql and Oracle. In addition, these operations can be done within the framework of C# and Java programming languages. In this framework, while the developers can define database tables in the interface automatically, they can create relations between tables by defining a foreign key. When the system performs these operations, it creates tables, views, and stored procedures automatically. In addition, entity classes in C# and Java for tables and views, and operation classes for stored procedures are created automatically. The summary of the transactions can be taken as pdf file by the framework. In addition, the project can automatically create Windows Communication Foundation classes to facilitate the handling of database elements created and the interfacing operations, as well. This framework, which supports distributed systems, can be downloaded at this link

Effect of metacognitive awareness on achievement in foreign language learning

This study aimed to determine the relationship between general metacognitive awareness and academic achievement in foreign language learning. To this end, the study first tried to investigate whether there were any correlations between the construct of metacognitive awareness and its sub-dimensionsknowledge management, planning, monitoring, evaluation- and the academic achievement in foreign language. The study then went on to search whether metacognition with its sub-dimensions were effective in foreign language achievement. The sample of the study consisted 683 university students studying English as a foreign language. The data collection was conducted with the use the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory; and the students’ grades were also used. As a result, it was observed that there were no correlations between the metacognitive awareness and its sub-dimensions and the achiemevent in foreign language. Moreover, the only variable that predicted the academic achievement was monitoring skill

Relationships among foreign language anxiety, academic self-efficacy beliefs and metacognitive awareness: A structural equation modelling

The present research attempted to investigae the relationships among foreign language classroom anxiety, academic self-efficacy beliefs and metacognitive awareness of Turkish university students studying English. The population included the students at the University of Fırat who were already registered to study at different engineering departments, and had compulsory English prep-class education. The sample consisted of 271 students who wanted to take part in the study. For data collection, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Questionnaire developed by Horwitz et al (1986), the Academic Self-efficacy Questionnaire developed by Owen and Froman (1988) and the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory developed by Schraw and Dennison (1994) were used. The analyses of the study were carried out by using structural equation modelling. As a result, it was found that academic self-efficacy predicted foreign language classroom anxiety significantly in a positive way; academic self-efficacy predicted metacognitive awareness significantly in a negative way, and foreign language classroom anxiety predicted metacognitive awareness significantly in a positive way

Examination of foreign language classroom anxiety and achievement in foreign language in Turkish University students in terms of various variables

This correlational survey study aimed to investigate whether the Turkish prep-class students’ foreign language classroom anxiety levels and foreign language achievement significantly differ in terms of such variables as their gender, their experience abroad, perceived level of income and any third language (other than Turkish and English) they knew. Moreover, the study also tried to identify whether the sub-dimensions of the foreign language classroom anxiety scalespeaking anxiety in language class, interest towards language class and anxiety of talking with native speakersignificantly differ in terms of the independent variables afore-mentioned. And the last aim of the study was to understand whether there is any significant correlation between the foreign language classroom anxiety and foreign language achievement. The participants of the study was consisted of 683 students who, having been registered to study at various engineering departments of Fırat University, were receiving compulsory English preparatory education at the School of Foreign Languages during the academic year of 2013-2014. In order to measure the students’ foreign language classroom anxiety, the scale developed by Horwitz, Horwitz& Cope (1986) and adapted into Turkish by Gürsu (2011) was used. The grades of the students were taken from the School of Foreign Languages. For data analysis, such statistical tests as percentage, frequency, t-test, ANOVA, eta-squared and Pearson’s Correlation were employed. As a result, it was understood that there is a negative correlation between foreign language classroom anxiety and foreign language achievement

The relationship between prep-class students’ foreign language anxiety and academic self-efficacy

Bu çalışma öğrencilerin yabancı dil dersi kaygısıyla akademik öz-yeterlik algıları arasında nasıl bir ilişki olduğunu ortaya çıkarmak için yürütülmüştür. Bu kapsamda hazırlık sınıfı öğrencilerinin yabancı dil dersine ve akademik öz-yeterliklerine ilişkin görüşlerinin cinsiyet, öğrenim görmeye hak kazanılan yükseköğretim programı ve mezun olunan okul türü açısından anlamlı fark gösterip göstermediği araştırılmıştır. Ayrıca yabancı dil kaygısı ile akademik öz-yeterlik arasındaki nasıl bir ilişki olduğu belirlenmeye çalışılmıştır. Araştırma betimsel tarama modeline göre yürütülmüştür. Ayrıca korelasyonel desene de başvurulmuştur. Araştırma Fırat Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi programlarını kazanan ve yabancı dil hazırlık eğitimi alan 271 öğrenci üzerinde yürütülmüştür. Yabancı dil ders kaygısı ve akademik öz-yeterlik ölçekleri ile elde edilen görüşler karşılaştırılırken ikili karşılaştırmalarda bağımsız gruplar t testi, üç ve daha fazla gruplu karşılaştırmalarda ise tek yönlü varyans analizinden yararlanılmıştır. Dağılımın homojen olmadığı durumlarda ise Mann Whitney U ve Kruskall Wallis H testlerine başvurulmuştur. Yabancı dil hazırlık sınıfı öğrencilerinin veri toplama araçlarına yönelik görüşleri cinsiyet değişkeni açısından karşılaştırıldığında; yabancı dil ders kaygısı ölçeğinde öğrencilerinin dil dersine yönelik ilgi faktöründe kız öğrenciler lehine, akademik öz-yeterlik ölçeğinin bilişsel uygulamalar faktöründe ve ölçeğin tamamı açısından kız öğrenciler lehine anlamlı fark bulunmuştur. Öğrenci görüşleri kazandıkları bölüm açısından karşılaştırıldığında, akademik öz-yeterlik ölçeğinin bilişsel uygulamalar faktöründe İnşaat mühendisliği programını kazanan öğrencileri ile çevre, kimya, makine ve mekatronik mühendisliğini kazan öğrenciler arasında, ölçeğin tamamı açısından yapılan karşılaştırmada ise inşaat mühendisliği programını kazanan öğrenciler ile çevre ve makine mühendisliği programlarını kazanan öğrenciler arasında anlamlı görüş farkı gözlenmiştir. Öğrencilerin mezun oldukları lise türü dikkate alındığında ise akademik öz-yeterlik ölçeğinin sosyal statü faktöründe ve teknik beceriler faktöründe Fen, Anadolu ve Süper liselerden mezun olan öğrenciler ile düz liselerden mezun olan öğrenciler arasında anlamlı görüş farkı belirlenmiştir.This study was conducted to identify the relationship between the students’ level of foreign language classroom anxiety and their academic self-efficacy beliefs. Within this context, we tried to understand whether the prep-class students’ levels of foreign language classroom anxiety and beliefs of academic self-efficacy show significance in terms of their gender, department of study and the kind of highschool they graduated from. In addition, we tried to determine the relationship between foreign language anxiety and academic self-efficacy. The study was basically carried out in the descriptive survey model. The correlational design was also used. The study was conducted upon 271 students of various engineering departments at Fırat University who were attending the English Prep Class. The analyses of the data were done with Independent Samples t test, ANOVA, Mann Whitney U and Kruskall Wallis H tests. Some of the findings of the study are as follow: No significant difference was found between students’ views on the Speaking Anxiety in Language Class factor, the Anxiety of Talking with Native Speakers factor of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale, and on the whole scale. In the Interest towards Language Class factor in which the distribution was not homogenous, a significant difference was identified on behalf of female students. In terms of the department of study of the students, there was no significant difference between students’ views on the social status and technical skills factors of the academic self-efficacy scale, whereas in terms of the cognitive applications factor of the scale, a significant difference was found between the civil engineering department and the departments of environmental, chemistry, machinery and mecatronical engineering. In addition, in the comparison done in terms of the whole scale, a significant difference was identified between the civil engineering department and the departments of environmental and machinery engineering

Üst-bilişsel farkındalık, özyeterlik algısı ve yabancı dilde akademik başarı arasındaki ilişkiler

Bu ilişkisel tarama araştırması, genel üst-bilişsel farkındalık, akademik öz-yeterlik algısı ve yabancı dil akademik başarısı arasındaki ilişkileri belirlemek için yürütülmüştür. Bu doğrultuda, araştırmada öncelikle üst-bilişsel farkındalık, akademik öz-yeterlik algısı ve yabancı dilde akademik başarı değişkenleri arasındaki korelasyona bakılmıştır. Araştırmada ayrıca üst-bilişsel farkındalık ve yabancı dilde akademik başarı arasında akademik öz-yeterliğin aracı etkisinin olup olmadığı incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın çalışma evreni 2013-2014 akademik yılında Fırat Üniversitesinin çeşitli mühendislik bölümlerini kazanmış, ancak zorunlu İngilizce hazırlık eğitimi almakta olan 683 öğrenciden oluşmuştur. Araştırma verileri, Bilişüstü Farkındalık Envanteri, Akademik Öz-yeterlik Ölçeği ve öğrencilerin yabancı dil başarı notlarından oluşmaktadır. Verilerin analizinde, korelasyon, basıklık, çarpıklık ve yapısal eşitlik modeli gibi istatistiksel yöntemlerden yararlanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda, akademik öz-yeterlik ile yabancı dil akademik başarısı arasında ve akademik öz-yeterlik ile üst-bilişsel farkındalık arasında anlamlı bir ilişki olduğu anlaşılmıştır. Ayrıca, üst-bilişsel farkındalık ile yabancı dilde akademik başarı arasında akademik öz-yeterliğin aracı etkisi bulunmaktadır.This correlational survey study was conducted to identify the relations among general metacognitive awareness, academic self-efficacy and achievement in foreign language learning. To this end, the study first investigated whether there are any correlations between metacognitive awareness, academic self-efficacy and foreign language achievement. The study further investigated whether academic self-efficacy has a mediating effect on the relation between metacognitive awareness and foreign language achievement. The population of the study was consis ted of 683 university engineering students of various departments who were attending compulsory English preparation classes during the academic year of 2013-2014 at Fırat University. The data of the study included the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, the Academic Self-efficacy Scale and the student grades. In order to analyze the data, such statistical techniques as correlation, skewness, curtosis and structural equation modelling were employed. As a result, it was identified that there are significant correlations between academic self-efficacy and foreign language achievement; and between academic self-efficacy and metacognitive awareness. Also, academic self-efficacy has a mediating effect on the relation between metacognitive awareness and foreign language achievement

Effect of foreign language classroom anxiety on Turkish University students’ academic achievement in foreign language learning

This study was carried out in order to identify to what extent the Turkish students’ English classroom anxiety affects their academic achievement in English language. In this quantitative descriptive study, a correlational survey model was employed, and the convenience sampling was done. In order to collect data, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale developed by Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986) was used. The latest validity-reliability of this scale was conducted by Gürsu (2011), in which the three-factor structure of the scale was confirmed. The test-retest correlation of the scale was found as .85. This study was conducted with 271 university engineering students receiving compulsory prep-class education at Fırat University during the academic year of 2012-2013. The data of the study were analyzed with the logistic regression analysis. According to the findings, the foreign language anxiety at the beginning of the prep-class education was not effective as the predictor of the academic achievement. On the other hand, it was observed that the students’ anxiety, at the end of the education, accounted for the academic failure with its speaking anxiety in language class dimension, and predicted academic achievement with its interest towards language class dimension. This study revealed that the students’ anxiety evolving and ever-increasing during their English prep-education powerfully predicted their academic performance. Whatever its source may be, anxiety in learning environments is mostly an unwanted situation. Therefore, it has always been underlined in the literature that in order to facilitate learners’ language learning process, the effect of anxiety should be minimized

Effect of different land use on soil respiration in winter

The effect of different land uses on soil respiration was investigated in winter 2009 in black locust, grassland, apple orchard (apple trees and grass) and walnut areas in Seyitler Village, Artvin, Turkey. Soil respiration was measured in December by the soda-lime (NaOH, KOH) technique. Mean daily soil respiration ranged from 0.29 to 1.26 g C m-2 d-1 . Mean daily soil respiration in black locust was greater than the other areas. Soil respiration was different in the investigated four vegetation types. Established difference was non significant and correlations were negative among soil respiration, soil moisture and soil temperature. These results show that black locust has higher soil biological activity compared to the other areas in this season

Some fixed point results for a new three steps iteration process in banach spaces

In this paper, we introduce a three step iteration method and show that this method can be used to approximate fixed point of weak contraction mappings. Furthermore, we prove that this iteration method is equivalent to Mann iterative scheme and converges faster than Picard-S iterative scheme for the class of weak contraction mappings. We also present tables and three graphics to support this result. Finally, we prove a data dependence result for weak contraction mappings using this three step iterative scheme

Existence of Tripled Fixed Points for a Class of Condensing Operators in Banach Spaces

We give some results concerning the existence of tripled fixed points for a class of condensing operators in Banach spaces. Further, as an application, we study the existence of solutions for a general system of nonlinear integral equations