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Background: In order for computational thinking (CT) to be successfully implemented in educational environments, teachers' CT teaching self-efficacy beliefs should be developed. The existing research on this topic is generally focused on training in-service teachers on CT to develop their self-efficacy. Conversely, the current study aims to contribute to the development of early childhood pre-service teachers' CT teaching self-efficacy beliefs through CT-integrated STEM education. Purpose: In the current study, the effect of CT-integrated STEM education on CT teaching self-efficacy beliefs of early childhood pre-service teachers was explored. Sample: The study group was composed of 68 second-year early childhood pre-service teachers. All were attending a state university in the city of Istanbul during the 2020-2021 academic year. Design and Methods: The study employed a quasi-experimental design, i.e. the control group was given only STEM education, while the experimental group was given CT-integrated STEM education. The data collection tool used in the current study was 'the scale of self-efficacy beliefs towards teaching computational thinking'. For analysis, an independent samples t-test and a paired samples t-test were used. Results: The findings have revealed that there is a significant difference in the post-test scores on the 'scale of self-efficacy beliefs towards CT teaching' in favor of the experimental group. The effect size calculated for the difference between the mean pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group students was found to be large. These results show that CT-integrated STEM education contributed to the development of the pre-service teachers' CT teaching self-efficacy beliefs. Conclusion: The current study contributes to the literature by showing that CT-integrated STEM education fosters pre-service teachers' professional development and their self-efficacy beliefs about CT teaching.

The aim of this study is to adapt the scale of the factors affecting argumentation instruction into Turkish. A total of 143 preservice science teachers studying in two different universities located in the east and west of Turkey participated in this study. In the process of adaptation firstly, structure, method and item biases were eliminated. After that the construct validity of the scale was determined by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The results of the analysis confirmed that the 21-item scale had a three-factor-structure. Then, the cronbach's alpha value was measured for the whole scale and its sub-dimensions, and these values were found to be within satisfactory limits. It is thought that this study provides a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used in the process of determining the factors affecting the argumentation instruction of teachers and preservice teachers. Thus, it can be stated that the data obtained with the adapted scale will contribute to the further use of argumentation in science classes. [This study was presented at the X. International Congress of Educational Research, April, Nevsehir, Turkey.]

The aim of the present research is to examine the opinions and experiences of 7th grade students towards design thinking. In this context, activities for design thinking about energy transformations included in the science curriculum were conducted for four weeks. Phenomenology method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study carried out with thirty-six 7th grade students. The students' opinions about design thinking were obtained through open-ended questions and their experiences through diaries. Content analysis method was used to analyse the data collected from the open-ended questionnaire and the student diaries. In line with the students' views on design thinking, 7 themes emerged: Contributions of design thinking, difficulties encountered in the implementation of design thinking, difficulty level of design thinking stages, getting support during the implementation of design thinking, degree of appreciation of design thinking stages, spending time for design thinking activities in the future and participating in design thinking activities outside of school. As a result of the analysis of the diaries, three themes emerged: learning, satisfaction and criticism. It is thought that the opinions and experiences of middle school students towards design thinking will contribute to the design of learning environments in a more qualified way.

This paper aims to explore the challenges that pre-service early childhood teachers (PECTs) face in the processes of planning and implementing STEM education-based activities and their solutions about these challenges. A total of 39 third-year pre-service teachers in Istanbul, Turkey, participated in the study, which lasted 14 weeks. The data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire and focus group interviews. The data were analyzed via qualitative approaches and codes and themes were determined. As a result of the analysis, five themes related to the planning of STEM education-based activities emerged: identifying the problem, group works conducted by the pre-service teachers, children's development level, material selection, and STEM integration. Regarding the challenges the PECTs faced during the implementation process of STEM education-based activities, six themes emerged: expressing the problem, group works conducted by the pre-service teachers, targeted instruction and implementations, children's development level, time management, and classroom management. The analysis revealed 8 themes regarding the pre-service teachers' solutions about successful planning and implementation of STEM education-based activities: materials to be used, group works conducted by the pre-service teachers, classroom arrangement and management, time management, appropriateness to children's level, identifying and expressing the problem, activity planning and implementation, and implementing STEM education. This study is important because it will contribute to the implementation of STEM-based activities more in early childhood classes, as it identifies the challenges faced in the process of designing and implementing STEM-based activities as well as providing suggestions for the solution of these problems.

Background: STEM education integrates the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Relevant research emphasizes a strong relationship among characteristics of STEM education and the early childhood period, such as investigation, exploration and observation, communication and playing. To support children in discovering STEM fields and concepts in this early childhood period of rapid learning and development, early childhood educators should prioritize the integration of STEM education into the early childhood curriculum. Purpose: This research aims to explore pre-service early childhood teachers' views on STEM education and their STEM teaching practices. Sample: The research group consisted of 91 pre-service early childhood teachers studying at two universities in Istanbul, Turkey. Design and methods: An open-ended questionnaire and STEM integrated lesson plans were used as data collection tools. Data were analyzed through content analysis and descriptive analysis. Results: As a result, the themes of 'Contributions of STEM Education', 'Why STEM Education is Suitable for Early Childhood Education' and 'How to Bring STEM Education into Early Childhood Education' were obtained based on pre-service early childhood teachers' views. The categories related to these themes are provided in detail in the 'Results' section. In addition, it was concluded that a majority of the pre-service early childhood teachers prepared and implemented STEM integrated lesson plans successfully. Conclusion: The present research contributes to the literature related to STEM education in early childhood education, particularly regarding professional development of pre-service early childhood teachers.

The authors investigated how work-family balance mediated the relationship between personality traits, gender roles, social support, and psychosocial adjustment. Data were collected from 243 married international graduate students (MIGSs) studying in the United States. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that personality traits influence the psychosocial adjustment process. In addition, being extraverted, agreeable, and conscientious contributed to balancing academic and family life, whereas having neurotic tendencies such as experiencing depression and anxiety diminished work-family balance. Work-family balance did not mediate the relationship between personality traits, gender roles, social support, and psychosocial adjustment. The authors discussed the findings by considering clinical implications and making suggestions for future research.

The authors investigated marital satisfaction and academic self-efficacy in relation to psychological adaptation (i.e., psychological well-being, life satisfaction) in a sample of 198 married international students. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that marital satisfaction and academic self-efficacy accounted for 45.9% of variance in psychological well-being and 25.8% of variance in life satisfaction scores. Based on the results, the differences between cognitive and emotion oriented processes during psychological adaptation were explained. The authors discuss implications for programs with international students and mental health professionals working in university campuses.

The study examined the association between microaggressions and sexual risk behaviors, the mediating role of anxiety, and the moderation of this mediation by bicultural self-efficacy. One hundred twenty-six Black college women (mean age = 20.63) completed a survey. A moderated mediation analysis showed that anxiety partially mediated the relationship between microaggressions and sexual risk behaviors and that bicultural self-efficacy did not significantly moderate the indirect relationship. Findings indicate the importance of microaggressions in psychological and physical health.

The authors tested whether coping styles and fear of pain mediate the relationship between positive affect and negative affect on one hand and pain-related distress (PD) on the other. Among African American and Caucasian female college students, negative affect, fear of pain, and emotion-oriented coping together accounted for 34% of the variance in PD among African American women and 40% of the variance in PD among Caucasian women. Emotion-oriented coping and fear of pain fully mediated the relationship between negative affect and PD among Caucasian women and partly mediated the relationship between negative affect and PD among African American women. Results suggest that reducing college women's reliance on emotion-oriented coping and their fears of pain may help reduce PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]