Fen bilimleri öğretmenleri ve öğretmen adaylarına yönelik akıl yürütme becerileri testi’nin geliştirilmesi

The aim of this study is to develop a multiple choice test for determining inservice and preservice science teachers’ scientific reasoning skill levels which are frequently used in science lessons. This study is in survey model which is one of quantitative research methods. During test development process, existing multiple choice tests about scientific reasoning skills and sample questions were examined. Content validity of prepared pilot question form which consisted of 37 items at the beginning was provided via expert opinions. After completing the revisions, pilot form was implemented to 481 preservice science teachers studying at three different state universities and 48 in service science teachers working at various middle schools. After that, obtained data were subjected to item analysis and tetrachoric correlation based on exploratory factor analysis for construct validity respectively. Ten questions which have lower discrimination indexes than .30 were removed from the test at the end of item analysis. The final form of the test which is moderately difficult (p=0,523) and has high level of dicrimination (r jx =0,480) consisted of 27 items. KR-20 reliability coefficient of the test was found as .812. As a result of construct validity, it was determined that all items whose factor loadings change between .24 and .77 are under one factor. The findings of test development process showed that developed Scientific Reasoning Skills Test can be used as a valid and reliable measurement tool. © 2018, Ankara University. All rights reserved

Primary School Second Grade English Language Teaching Program: Insiders’ Views on its Strengths and Weaknesses

The advents in technology, science and globalization have increased the need to communicate in a foreign language. In order to keep abreast of these demands of the global world and the local needs of individuals, curricula and teaching programs change constantly in formal education settings. In Turkey, English language teaching programs went through three major changes taking place in 1997, 2006 and 2013, the last of which was a major change known as 4+4+4 education system. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the 2013 2nd grade English Language Teaching Program (ELTP) from teachers' perspectives with a focus on its general characteristics, aims, outcomes, and content. To address this research objective, the data were collected qualitatively by employing in-depth interviews with 14 teachers who were implementing the 2nd grade ELTP in state primary schools in the city center of Denizli province. Inductive content analysis revealed that teachers mostly have positive opinions regarding the different components of the ELTP. The motivational quality of it,  its emphasis on communicative competence with practical language use are considered as the best aspects of it while some concerns regarding the number of the outcomes, limited practice opportunities stemming from insufficient class hours, and the order of the content are reported. Keywords: 2nd Grade ELTP, evaluation, program, 4+4+4 education system, primary schoo

Comparison of language skills of students with and without reading difficulties

The aim of this study was to examine the language skills of students with and without reading difficulties (RD) comparatively. For this purpose, a comparative descriptive research methodology was utilised with a participant group comprised of 52 elementary school 3rd grade students with and without RD. The results of this study revealed that students with difficulties in reading fluency were less successful in phonological processing than their peers with no difficulty in reading fluency. Also, students who had difficulties in reading comprehension were less successful than their peers with no difficulties in oral language assessments. In summary, it was recognised that students who experienced difficulties in reading also possessed difficulties in language skills. As a result, the assessment of both reading skills and language skills is critical for the identification of RD as well as for conducting appropriate intervention programs to address these difficulties.The aim of this study was to examine the language skills of students with and without reading difficulties (RD) comparatively. For this purpose, a comparative descriptive research methodology was utilised with a participant group comprised of 52 elementary school 3rd grade students with and without RD. The results of this study revealed that students with difficulties in reading fluency were less successful in phonological processing than their peers with no difficulty in reading fluency. Also, students who had difficulties in reading comprehension were less successful than their peers with no difficulties in oral language assessments. In summary, it was recognised that students who experienced difficulties in reading also possessed difficulties in language skills. As a result, the assessment of both reading skills and language skills is critical for the identification of RD as well as for conducting appropriate intervention programs to address these difficulties

Coaching teachers to integrate technology: The effects of technology integration on student performance and critical thinking

This article presents the results of a mixed-methods study that investigated effects of technology integration practices of teachers in a 5th grade students’ scores and critical thinking in a public school, and introduced coaching for technology integration as a strategy to train in-service teachers for technology integration. The purpose of the research was to analyse how technology integration in science course effects on student's performance and critical thinking. The participants were 132 students and four teachers in elementary public school. The study used an experimental research design by having a control and research group (68 were in the two teachers’ classrooms that were using technology without coaching intervention and 64 were in the other two teachers’ classrooms, coached by the researchers to integrate available technologies). The data were collected through pre-test and post-test, classroom observation and semi-structured interview with teachers. The results showed that coached teachers integrated technology more frequently, purposefully and diversely. Additionally, the results indicated that technology integration positively affected student performance and student critical thinking behaviours in the 5th grade science unit

Individual and parental factors associated with preschool children’s foreign language anxiety in an EFL Setting

The present study aims to examine individual and parental factors that affect young children’s foreign language anxiety (FLA) in an EFL setting. Subjects include 453 mothers of young children aged 3 to 5 years old and of these participants, 217children attended regular kindergarten and 236 children attended English immersion institution. Both individual (child’s age, gender, temperament) and parental (parent’s educational attainment, household income, mother’s beliefs about early English education) factors were collected with mother’s self-report questionnaire. Children’s foreign language anxiety, however, was measured with both mother’s and teacher’s assessment. Results reveal that children’s age and temperament had significant effects on their level of foreign language anxiety. Older children were more prone to having a higher level of foreign language anxiety and children with a higher tendency for impulsiveness and harm avoidance were also more likely to show a higher level of foreign language anxiety. As for the parental factors, children of mothers with more concerns for early English education and stronger beliefs in cognitive benefits of early English education were more likely to show a higher level of foreign language anxiety. Future directions and implications will be discussed

An Ethnomathematics Study of the days on the Javanese Calendar for Learning Mathematics in Elementary School

Ethnomathematics is mathematical value that presents in a culture. Calendar as a system of time periods is ethnomathematics. The calendar has days, dates, and months. Likewise, the Javanese calendar has days, dates, months, years, and also pasaran. The use of certain days in Javanese society has several essential activities. The activities are spiritual, traditional market, social gathering, and village meeting activities. This study aims to reveal the ethnomathematics values on certain days of Javanese Calendar. It uses qualitative methods that follow the ethnomathematics study framework. Data collection techniques use interviews with traditional elders, and document analysis of Javanese Primbon (the special of Javanese Book). We propose ethnomathematics value of remainder and modulo associated with days in the Javanese Calendar. This ethnomathematics values can be used in elementary school mathematics clas

The relationship between learning strategies and achievement goal orientations of high school students

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the learning strategies and achievement goal orientations of high school students. The sample of the study consists of 642 students selected by cluster sampling method. The data were collected with “Learning Strategies Scale“ and “Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scale (PALS)”. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. As a result, it was determined that the learning strategies that students used most were affective strategies and rehearsal strategies, and the least used strategies were organizational strategies. While examining students' goal orientations it is concluded that they are more mastery goal oriented than performance goal orientation. In addition, a moderately significant relationship was found between mastery goal orientation and learning strategies, while a low level significant relationship was found between performance goal orientation and learning strategies.The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the learning strategies and achievement goal orientations of high school students. The sample of the study consists of 642 students selected by cluster sampling method. The data were collected with “Learning Strategies Scale“ and “Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scale (PALS)”. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. As a result, it was determined that the learning strategies that students used most were affective strategies and rehearsal strategies, and the least used strategies were organizational strategies. While examining students' goal orientations it is concluded that they are more mastery goal oriented than performance goal orientation. In addition, a moderately significant relationship was found between mastery goal orientation and learning strategies, while a low level significant relationship was found between performance goal orientation and learning strategies

Examining the effect of flipped learning model in flute education on motivation and performance of students

In this research, it is aimed to test the effectiveness of the flute lessons conducted with the “Flipped Learning Model” compared to the traditional teaching. In the study, the quasi-experimental design –pre-test, post-test with control group- was used. The study group (n=30) consisted of the flute education students who were studying in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades of Karadeniz Technical University Music Teaching Program in the spring semester of 2016-2017 academic year. "Performance Observation Form" and "Motivation Scale for Individual Instrument Instruction" were used to collect the data. Nonparametric Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks tests were applied in the analyses. As a result, it was observed that there was a significant increase in the performance success and motivation of the experimental group students compared to the control group students, and that the program based on the activities of the flipped learning model was more effective and formative than the traditional teaching

Development of an attitude scale towards asking questions for elementary education students

Abstract. In this study, an instrument assessing elementary education students’ attitudes towards asking questions in the classroom was developed. Items were determined based on interviews with students and teachers and scaled according to five-point Likert scale, “Never”, Rarely”, “Sometimes”, “Usually”, “Always”. Validity and reliability analyses of the instrument were conducted with two different study groups. Firstly, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were done with Study Groups 1 (203 fourth-grade students). Then, CFA was repeated with data obtained from Study Group 2 (334 fourth-grade students). According to EFA results, two constructs were determined and these constructs including 24 items were named as Openness towards asking question and Anxiety towards asking question. CFA goodness of fit indices obtained from both groups showed that the scale with two constructs was acceptable. Cronbach’s α reliability coefficients for each construct were respectively .78 and .80 for Study Group 1 and .76 and .77 for Study Group 2. As a result of analyses, reliability and validity of the developed instrument was ensured

Analysing studies conducted on responsibility education in Turkey: A Meta-synthesis study

The aim of this study was to analyse studies conducted on the topic of responsibility education in Turkey up to the present. The research method was structured in two stages. In the first stage, the trends in all studies conducted with regard to responsibility education were determined with descriptive content analysis, and in the second stage, the findings in the studies were synthesised by reinterpretation with meta-synthesis. Criteria for inclusion of studies in the research were that: (1) research related to responsibility education was carried out, (2) the method used was clearly stated, (3) they were articles published in refereed scientific journals or masters/doctoral theses, and (4) the research sample was within the borders of Turkey. Review was carried out with the keyword “sorumluluk” (“responsibility”) on the DergiPark, Google Scholar and Higher Education Council Thesis databases. These studies were analysed using a “Research Information Form” prepared by the researchers. As a result of the analysis, the findings can be summarised as follows: the great majority of the conducted studies are scientific articles and recent studies. They vary in terms of methods used. A large majority are studies in which teachers’ opinions are examined. The studies were grouped into four categories depending on their aims in relation to responsibility education, namely, “studies examining opinions”, “studies in which activities and practices are used in lessons”, “studies on curriculum development”, and “studies examining course books”.The aim of this study was to analyse studies conducted on the topic of responsibility education in Turkey up to the present. The research method was structured in two stages. In the first stage, the trends in all studies conducted with regard to responsibility education were determined with descriptive content analysis, and in the second stage, the findings in the studies were synthesised by reinterpretation with meta-synthesis. Criteria for inclusion of studies in the research were that: (1) research related to responsibility education was carried out, (2) the method used was clearly stated, (3) they were articles published in refereed scientific journals or masters/doctoral theses, and (4) the research sample was within the borders of Turkey. Review was carried out with the keyword “sorumluluk” (“responsibility”) on the DergiPark, Google Scholar and Higher Education Council Thesis databases. These studies were analysed using a “Research Information Form” prepared by the researchers. As a result of the analysis, the findings can be summarised as follows: the great majority of the conducted studies are scientific articles and recent studies. They vary in terms of methods used. A large majority are studies in which teachers’ opinions are examined. The studies were grouped into four categories depending on their aims in relation to responsibility education, namely, “studies examining opinions”, “studies in which activities and practices are used in lessons”, “studies on curriculum development”, and “studies examining course books”