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Digital technologies have been used for measurement purposes and whether the test medium influences the user is an important issue. The aim of this study is to investigate students' performances and duration differences between online and paper-pencil tests. An online testing tool was developed and administered in order to determine the differences between the traditional paper-pencil tests and online tests concerning students' performances and the duration on tests. This tool enables to add questions that utilize an online database and which are in the form of multiple choice (with 5 or 4 options), true-false, matching, filling in the blanks, with multiple answers, with short answers, with long answers, and it also enables to prepare tests and to turn them into paper-pencil test mode. Performance test was applied with both online and paper-pencil modes on junior students at one of the universities in Turkey. Besides, the online testing tool developed within the context of the study was evaluated by instructors with respect to usability, relevance to the purpose and design. Instructor and student questionnaires are developed to determine the opinions on the online testing tool and online tests. Results showed that there was no significant differences between the performances on online and paper-pencil tests. On the other hand, the time they spent on the online test has been longer than the time they spent on paper-pencil test. Students found the online testing tool easy to use and stated that online test medium is more comfortable than paper-pencil tests. However, they complained about external noises, tiredness, and focusing problems regarding the online examination mediums. Generally, instructors have also appreciated the online testing tool's design and they agree on the fact that it serves for its purposes.

Content analysis of the studies of both Turkish and foreign authors on PBL in science education in national and international journals was made considering such variables as the research subject, method, sample, diversity of data collection tools and the data analysis methods. To this end, content analysis of 104 papers - 42 by Turkish authors and 62 by foreign authors - which were carried out between the years 1986-2012, was made. All these papers were accessed in full text. It was identified that in 40.4% of the studies whose content analysis was made, the focus was on the effect of PBL on learning, while in 35.6% the focus was on concept analysis. It is seen that while Turkish authors worked on teaching studies in 59.5% of their studies, foreign authors focused on concept analysis in 41.9% of their studies. Also while Turkish authors mostly preferred quantitative research methods (61.9%) in their studies, foreign authors preferred qualitative research methods (66.1%). The commonly used data collection tools for Turkish authors were questionnaire and achievement test, while foreign authors preferred interview and alternative data collection tools. In terms of choosing a sample group, it is seen that studies with undergraduate and secondary school students (9-12) were referred more often. The findings of the study reveal that studies on PBL were not very common in our country until 2005; that they reached the highest number between the years 2005-2009, and that foreign authors published the highest number of papers in 2006. While the foreign authors had a superiority over Turkish authors in terms of their papers on PBL in science education until 2005, it is seen that as of 2005, except the year 2006, the number of papers of Turkish authors has been equal to/higher than the number of papers by foreign authors until 2012. Besides, it is also identified that most of these studies were mixed and in the field of chemistry education. It is believed that this study is significant in terms of providing an opinion to young researchers working in the field of PBL and to those who are planning to work in the field.

The purpose of this study was to examine how prospective middle school science teachers understood and identified types of scientific knowledge in a presented vignette. Also, their definitions and views of the relationships between types of scientific knowledge (i.e. scientific facts, concepts, generalizations, theories, and scientific laws) were investigated through open-ended questions. Additionally, participants were given the Nature of Scientific Knowledge Scale (NSKS) after they responded to the open-ended questions. Therefore both qualitative and quantitative data were obtained about their understandings and views about scientific knowledge. Thirty-six participants responded the questionnaires at the end of the spring semester 2005. During this semester participants were in their junior year and enrolled in a "history and nature of science" course in which 16th and 17th century scientific revolution and the historical background leading to those developments were discussed. Participants received no specific instruction about the definitions of types of scientific knowledge like theories and laws. Analysis of the quantitative data obtained via NSKS show that participants hold a view favoring the tentativeness of scientific knowledge and mostly appreciate the developmental nature of science. While, on the other hand, analysis of the qualitative data obtained through the open-ended questions illustrate that participants hold a stepwise development view in science assigning the tentativeness in science to theories and lower steps. Overwhelmingly they emphasize that scientific laws reflect proven truth and in a sense absolute. These findings show the usefulness of utilizing appropriate vignettes for probing views. The results are discussed in the light of existing literature and implications are provided.

This research examines the impact of teachers' positive psychological capital (PPC) on their job satisfaction (JS) levels. In the study, the relational survey model was used by conducting hierarchical regression analysis. The sample of the study consists of randomly selected 376 teachers in Batman, Turkey. The data were collected with the "Positive Psychological Capital Scale" and "Minnesota Job Satisfaction Scale (MSQ-Short form)". According to the results, the PPC levels (total scores and dimensions) of the teachers are at a very high level; only the optimism dimension of the PPC scale and JS were found to be at a high level. In the regression analysis, the model (Model 6) that measures the effect of all dimensions of PPC on JS is significant. This finding implies that PPC is a significant predictor on JS and approximately 22% of the total variance in job satisfaction is explained PPC. The results of the study imply that self-efficacy and optimism components of PPC can be used to increase JS of teachers even the economic needs are not adequately met. [This paper was presented as an oral presentation at the 4th Global Conference on Education and Research (GLOCER, 2021) on June 8-10, 2021.]

Latent Class and Latent Profile Models are widely used in psychological assessment settings, especially when individual differences are suspected to be related to unobserved class memberships, such as different personality types. This paper provides an easy-to-follow introduction and application of the methodology to the data collected as part of more extensive educational research investigating social-emotional competency profiles of preservice teachers (n=184) who responded to an Emotional Awareness Questionnaire. Suspected that there would be two or more latent emotional awareness sub-groups in the sample, a series of latent profile models was estimated. The results suggested three distinct emotional awareness profiles; namely, introverted, extroverted, and less sensitive to others' emotions, with proportions of 9%, 56%, and 35%, respectively. Subsequent analyses showed that preservice teachers with higher levels of emotionality, sociability, and well-being were more likely to be in the extroverted profile. The findings suggest that nearly half of the teachers in the sample could be expected to possess the most professionally desirable teacher profile. Nonetheless, it was noted that if timely diagnostic and tailored training or intervention programs were available, at least some of the preservice teachers in the less sensitive to others' profiles, and most of the preservice teachers in the introverted profile could be helped to self-observe the way which they tend to identify and regulate their emotions.

The aim of this paper is to investigate teachers' personal characteristics and metaphorical perceptions to multicultural education. In this paper both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. "Multicultural Personality Questionnaire" was applied to the teachers (72 females, 47 males) working at Kirklareli in the 2016-2017 academic year to collect the quantitative data. The qualitative data of this research were collected by a space filled question (multiculturalism is similar to...; because...). The results show that teachers have high scores of "Multicultural Personality Questionnaire". The metaphorical images that teachers produce for the concept of multiculturalism are examined in terms of frequency. The results listed as rainbow, ashura, mosaic, rug, greenery, spice, garden, crayons, treasure, cake, music, forest, salad, table and meal. Also reasons for analogy of the metaphors that teachers use about the concept of multiculturalism arranged as; the union of differences (n = 81), which benefit (n = 22), value-added (n = 8), the parser (n = 3) and unknown (n = 2).

Gucciardi et al. (2009) suggest that mental toughness is more a function of environment than domains, and as such, mental toughness is potentially important in any environment that requires performance setting, challenges, and adversities. Due to vital importance of mental toughness in sports and particularly in soccer, this paper focused on the comparison of sport mental toughness levels of soccer officials with their age group, education level, refereeing category and sports experience years. Mental toughness was checked by Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ). The SMTQ was applied to soccer officials (159 licensed referees) who all were registered to the Turkish Football Federation (TFF). The sample consisted of 146 male subjects, mean age was 29.10 years (SD = 7.54, range = 19-54) and 13 female subjects mean age was 22.82 years (SD = 4.71, range = 19-27). To determine the difference of Sport Mental Toughness level among soccer referees One-Way ANOVA was used for normal distribution and Scheffé Test was used for determining the differences across groups with through SPSS Package 21.0 and the significant level was set at 0.05. The findings of this research paper showed that there were significant differences between soccer officials' three sub-factors (confidence--constancy--control) of mental toughness and their officiating experience years. This could be attributed to the fact that 15 and above years experienced officials were mentally tougher than those with 0-5 years' experience and those with 6-10 years' experience. There were not any significant differences between other variables (refereeing categories, education levels and age groups) of soccer officials and their mental toughness levels.

Purpose: The affective skills in teacher education should pay attention and look for ways to include feelings, attitudes and beliefs of teachers in the discussion of effective teachers' competencies. This paper aims to reveal the perspectives of instructors about the teacher characteristics that prospective teachers will gain after taking the teacher education, and to uncover how these characteristics are related to the affective domain. Research Methods: A survey design was employed in this paper. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to analyze the range of data collected. In the quantification of data from survey questionnaires, frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations provided some general patterns in the data. The qualitative data gathered by open ended questions were analyzed by content analysis. Findings: Results showed that there are numerous affective competencies that are essential for prospective teachers to develop such as having positive attitudes towards the teaching profession, developing empathy, sensitivity, love, self-esteem and self-concept are vital for prospective teachers. However, none of the teacher education programs fully addressed all the affective needs of prospective teachers. Implications for Research and Practice: It is expected that the findings of this paper help the instructors and education policy makers to identify effect of affective domain in teacher education programs.

This study aimed to establish the possible relationships between reading comprehension competence, reading attitude and the vividness of mental imagery among Turkish fourth-grade students. Participants were fourth grade students, selected using convenience sampling from two different public schools (n=103) in Bartin, Turkey. The research was designed as a correlational study to describe the degree to which two or more quantitative variables are related; this was achieved by using a correlation coefficient. The data gathering tools used in this study were (1): the Reading Comprehension Test (RCT), which was developed by the researcher and which includes both factual and inferential questions; (2) the Vividness of Imagery Questionnaire (VIQ), developed by Sheveland (1992); (3) the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS), developed by McKenna and Kear (1990). Multiple linear regressions were used for data analysis. The analysis revealed that reading attitude and vividness of mental imagery were significant predictors for students' reading comprehension competencies. In addition, the results indicated that approximately 14% of the variance in reading comprehension competence could be explained by reading attitude and vividness of mental imagery [R=0.369, R[superscript 2]=0.136, F[subscript (2-96)]=7.578, p<0.01]. [This paper was originally presented at the International Conference on New Horizons in Education (INTE). Barcelona, Spain, 10-12 June, 2015.]

The purpose of this study is to determine the technology-utilization level of Fine Arts High School string instrument teachers. A pattern based on descriptive method has been used to conduct the researchers. Research data has been collected via literature review and questionnaire developed and prepared by the researcher. SPSS program has been utilized for processing the data. As a result of the analysis carried out in the research, this paper concludes that string instrument teachers make use of computers at the intermediate level and have adequate knowledge on its area of utilization in the Internet and music, and benefit from the Internet in instrument courses as well. The paper also concludes that in the classes the technology-utilization level of viola teachers is the highest; cello and contrabass teachers rather make their students watch videos while viola teachers mostly make use of tuning programs. Moreover, string instrument teachers commented that video camera recording can be used for beginner level instrument courses but that there were not adequate resources to teach viola as the technological advancement in Turkish Music is not enough. One of the string instrument teachers also stated that technology-utilization is not necessary for instrument training. Taking these findings into account, the paper offers some views and suggestions in order to respond to today's requirements and to guide instrument training course in this direction.

The aim of this paper is to determine prospective teachers' personal characteristics to multicultural education. It is also aimed to reveal whether there are meaningful differences in prospective teachers' personal characteristics to multicultural education according to their genders, age and number of siblings. The descriptive model was chosen to analyze in this paper. Likewise quantitative data was collected. The participants of the paper are 308 (220 female and 88 male) prospective teachers studying at Kirklareli University pedagogical formation certificate training program in the 2015-2016 academic year. The data collected by using the Turkish version of "Multicultural Personality Questionnaire". The data of this research were analyzed by SPSS 17. During the analysis of data arithmetic mean, standard deviation, t-test, the analysis of one way variance (ANOVA) and LSD test were used. According to these results prospective teachers' scores of "Multicultural Personality Questionnaire" has been found to be high. "Multicultural Personality Questionnaire" sub-dimensions were examined. Prospective teachers' multicultural personality has been highest in "cultural empathy" sub-dimensions and prospective teachers' multicultural personality has been lowest in "flexibility" sub-dimensions. Meaningful differences were found in favor of female prospective teachers toward "cultural empathy" and "emotional balance" sub-dimensions of the questionnaire. Meaningful differences was found in "Multicultural Personality Questionnaire" according to prospective teachers' ages but no meaningful differences was found in "Multicultural Personality Questionnaire" according to prospective teachers' number of siblings.

Problem Statement: Being a virtuous citizen, developing communication skills, and becoming a life-long learner are directly proportionate to the individuals' perspectives on life. Provided that an education system is able to positively change the individuals' perspectives on life, it may allow individuals to acquire terminal behaviors easier. This is due to the fact that an individual's perspective on life is a significant factor that has an effect on his or her habits and behaviors. Determination of the main characteristics of this perspective on life, referred as lifestyles will definitely make a significant contribution to the understanding of which factors play a role in the behaviors and habits of the individuals. Purpose of the Study: The objective of this paper is to determine whether there is a correlation between the lifestyles adopted by individuals in their social lives and the self-regulated learning skills they use during the learning process. Method: In this paper, correlation research design was used and the data was gathered from a total of 726 student teachers between the ages of 20 and 35, who were still in their final year studying in various departments in the faculty of education or those who receive pedagogical formation (teacher certificate program). Lifestyle Inventory was used to determine the lifestyles of the student teachers and Self-Regulated Learning Strategies Scale was used to determine the self-regulated skills of the students in the study. Correlation analysis was carried out to determine whether there was a correlation between the lifestyles of the student teachers and their self-regulated learning strategies and regression analysis was performed to determine which types of lifestyles were the predictors of self-regulated learning strategies. Findings: The results of the study indicated that there was a positive correlation between self-regulated learning strategies and perfection, appreciation, expectation, control, and self-respect-oriented lifestyles of the students. Perfection-oriented lifestyle had the highest level of positive correlation whereas control-oriented lifestyle had the lowest level of positive correlation with self-regulated learning strategies. The results of the multiple linear regression analysis carried out to determine which lifestyles as a dependent variable had significant contribution to self-regulated learning strategies showed that the variables that made topmost contribution to the model were perfection, appreciation, and expectation-oriented lifestyles, respectively. Conclusion and Recommendations: The results of the study indicate that lifestyles are associated with the learning strategies of the individuals. A review of literature shows that families and teachers have a significant role in shaping the lifestyles adopted by students. Consequently, it is considered important that parents and teachers should be knowledgeable about the factors influential in shaping the lifestyles of the students, and they should be informed about their responsibilities in this respect. The role of lifestyles should be emphasized to parents with regards to the process of raising children, and it should also be included in curriculum for teacher education. If expectation lifestyles students are educated at the school, they might use their self regulated learning strategies more effectively. In this case, teaching and learning process which includes many activities might be designed to improve student academic achievement expectations. This study investigated the relationship between lifestyles and self-regulated learning strategies. On the other hand, the investigation for the effects of the variables likes lifestyles and motivation, well being, and self conception self-regulated learning strategies will contribute its nature.

This paper aimed to examine whistleblowing in point of individual level. Three sets of hypotheses were developed concerning the relationships between (1) religiosity and ethical ideology, (2) ethical ideology and intentions to different modes of whistleblowing, and (3) religiosity and intentions to different modes of whistleblowing. Descriptive statistics, Correlation matrix, and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The sample includes 323 teachers in Turkey. The results confirmed that religiosity was negatively associated with relativism, and positively associated with idealism while they rejected any relation between the ethical ideology and intention to whistleblowing modes. The results confirmed only the positive relationship between religiosity and internal whistleblowing, while rejecting the other hypotheses. Few studies have investigated the relationship between whistleblowing modes and ethical ideology. Therefore, examining religiosity, ethical ideology, and whistleblowing in an education context in Turkey, this paper believed to contribute the literature with regard to Islamic perspective.

Problem Statement: In educational institutions, the effectiveness of communication between teachers and parents, in terms of student achievement and attendance, has a great importance. Parent-teacher communication provides multi-faceted benefits to teachers, the school, and parents as well. However, various obstacles hinder the realization of effective parent-teacher communication in school settings. Purpose of Study: The main purpose of this study is to determine the communication barriers between parents and teachers, based on the views of primary school teachers. This study is seen as important since it addresses the barriers in communication, which is seen as vital for achieving educational aims effectively. Effective communication provides achievement and improvement by providing support to parents, students, teachers, and schools and promoting appropriate environments. Method: This research is a survey type descriptive study. Due to the stratified and random type sample formation, 850 teachers were considered to be taken into the research sample; however, 514 of the distributed questionnaires were found valid. The data collection tool used was a four-dimensioned scale developed by the researchers themselves. In the analysis of the data, parametric and non-parametric tests were used. Findings: The findings revealed that teachers experienced "individual" barriers at a "general" level, but other "socio-cultural," "accessibility," and "field and status" related barriers at were experienced at the "very rare" level without any significant differences considering the gender and branches of the teachers. However, novice teachers (5 years and less work experience) stated significantly the most individual barriers and the most barriers related to the other dimensions as well. Results and Suggestions: The results obtained in this study show the same major communication preventive issues between teachers and parents documented in the literature. Thus, results such as physical distance, socio-cultural differences (language, dress, values), meeting with parents only when money is required, parents' lack of trust in teachers and their unwillingness for cooperation, parents' financial problems and lack of interest about informing parents of school-related issues, inappropriate schedule of school activities, teachers' misbehaviors, parents' education level, parents' mistrust in teachers and managers, and the like also confirm the situation represented in previous research. It was recommended that school managers and teachers adopt an open-door policy for parents; and the schools should take the initiative of realizing collaborative efforts among the school staff, parents, and other relevant institutions in order to eliminate communication barriers. The training of the school administrators, teachers, and families about gaining effective communication skills that will contribute to student achievement should be emphasized. [This paper was presented at the 1st Eurasian Educational Research Congress.]

On definitional and conceptual basis, strong correspondences exist between leadership and the teaching profession yet leadership is nonetheless occasionally studied in the classroom context. This study investigated in-class teacher leadership based on the Full Range Leadership (FRL) model in tertiary-level English language teaching context in Turkey, with the aim of eventually identifying the effective/ineffective classroom leader characteristics. This paper reports the results of a study designed with a mixed methods approach, using a questionnaire survey, which included Classroom Leadership Instrument, a modified version of Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire administered to the students and face-to-face interviews with both instructors and students. One particular subject course was determined in two English language-related departments in a Turkish state university and the instructors teaching and the students taking this course were selected as the subject group of the study. 305 students took part in the survey while among these students, 18 were further interviewed besides the four instructors teaching the course. Quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive tests while interviews and observations were content-analyzed. Both quantitative and qualitative results, in broad terms, showed that language instructors displayed all three leadership styles of FRL, namely, transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership, with changing extents for each style. The results indicated that instructors with higher tendencies for transformational and active components of transactional styles were rather more organized, enthusiastic and committed and they were attributed with more positive and effective characteristics by their students while those with higher passive transactional and laissez-faire leadership scores were accordingly less effective in both teaching activities and their relationships with the students. Lastly, it is concluded that transformational and active transactional leadership characteristics contribute to effective leadership inside the classroom and an integration of these characteristics into teaching practices and teacher-student interaction promises potential positive outcomes.

The aim of this study is to reveal the perceptions of fourth-grade primary students about "mathematics lesson" through metaphors and to investigate whether main categories identified regarding the common characteristics of the metaphors differed by gender. A qualitative research design was employed in the study. The study was carried out in the spring term of the 2018-2019 academic year with the participation of 116 fourth-grade students from three public primary schools in a province which is in the western Black Sea Region. The primary data source of the study is "Mathematics Lesson Metaphors Questionnaire ". The data of the study was obtained by completing the blanks in the sentence 'Mathematics lesson is like ………………. Because ………………………….'. The students were asked to write down a metaphor about the mathematics lesson in the first blank and to explain the reasons why they wrote this metaphor in the second blank. The data were analyzed by content analysis method in this study. As a result of the study it is found that the fourth-grade students developed 64 different metaphors about mathematics. These metaphors are gathered in 13 subcategories under the main categories of mathematical knowledge, principles of mathematics teaching, mathematical skills, affective characteristic towards mathematics. At most metaphors are developed in the category of affective characteristic towards mathematics. [This study was presented as an oral presentation at ERPA International Congresses on Education, 10-12 April 2020.]

Few studies have been conducted at the tertiary level on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The current study aims to gather and share preliminary data concerning CLIL in higher education at several universities in different countries. A questionnaire and brief description of the project and its objectives were emailed to all teachers at a Spanish university listed as having taught content courses in English in the last academic year, and to all the Language Center directors within the network with instructions to pass the questionnaire along to the CLIL teachers at their respective universities. The questionnaire was answered by 168 teachers, with 79% of responses (n = 133) coming from four universities in Spain, Malaysia, People's Republic (P.R.) of China, and Turkey. The questionnaire results were exported to Excel and analyzed using statistical software. This preliminary phase of the research project, in which quantitative data has been analyzed, shows that CLIL teachers are intrinsically-motivated, language proficient, and aware of the need to adapt material to the bilingual classroom. In the next, qualitative phase of the project, issues regarding English language assessment, use of L1 in the classroom and scaffolding will need to be analyzed in depth in order to propose guidelines for future good practices and bilingual teacher training. [This paper was presented at the "Jornadas Internacionales de Innovación Universitaria" ("JIIU") (International Conference on Innovation in Higher Education) (10th, Villaviciosa de Odón Campus, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain, July 11-12, 2013).]

This study examines the structural relationship among motivation, deep learning approach, and academic achievement of middle school students in Turkey. Participants were 746 seventh grade and eighth grade students enrolled in public middle schools in Sinop and Ankara, Turkey. Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) and GPA scores of participants were used in the study. Data were analyzed by Structural Equation Modeling. The results of the study revealed that motivational variables are related with the use of deep learning approach which is related with higher GPA. Path analyses demonstrated that deep learning approach fully mediated the relationship between students' motivational variables and academic achievement. Self-efficacy, task value, and intrinsic goal orientation as the indirect effects through deep learning approach on academic achievement were strong predictors in the model. [This study was presented at the International Congress of Eurasian Educational Researches held in Ankara on June 19-22, 2019.]

Cigarette smoking is the leading global preventable health risk, and it is associated with well-known health risks such as morbidity, mortality, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and nicotine addiction. When analyzed by age group, cigarette smoking in Turkey is the most prevalent among younger adult populations. The college years appear to be a time of increased risk for smoking initiation and movement into regular patterns of use, although college smokers are more likely to be non-daily smokers, meaning that they smoke more in social situations. This paper aims to identify the demographic factors related to cigarette smoking of undergraduate students in Erzurum, Atatürk University; to interpret these factors, and to assist in informing alternatives for taking more effective action than the typical cessation campaigns. Using logistic regression analysis with cross-sectional data obtained using the questionnaire; the factors affecting cigarette smoking in this context were identified. There were significant effects for the demographic factors including gender, geographical region, parents' residence, father's profession, family members, occupation status, and general satisfaction, p < 0.05; faculty and present residence, p < 0.10. The survey and logistic regression results of this paper also showed marked similarities with recent studies in the reviewed literature and recent policies.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to share the initial experiences on a European Union (EU) Lifelong Learning Programme Leonardo Da Vinci Transfer of Innovation Project related to the use of simulation-based learning with nursing students from Turkey. The project started at the end of the 2010 involving 7 partners from 3 different countries including Turkey, England, and Italy. Methods: This project is divided into 7 work packages (WP). In this paper, experiences from the first three WPs (WP1: Preparation and dissemination of the project. WP2: Regulation of the project management. WP3: Development of the evaluation tools used to evaluate the impact of the innovative practice within the coordinating partner's institution) are shared. Results: In the WP1 and WP2: the kick-off meeting was organized in Turkey, the coordinating partner's country. During the meeting project-related events were planned and the steering committee of the project was formed. A strong team spirit within the partnership was established. For the dissemination of the project, a poster and flier of the project were prepared and placed on corporate boards visible to students and teaching staff and put on the partners' institutional websites. Regular bulletins of the project were also prepared and posted on the project website. In the WP3, student data sheet, items for students' satisfaction questionnaire and confidence scale were created based on the literature. Trauma patient scenarios (abdominal trauma, thoracic trauma, pelvic fracture and traumatic amputation) were created to test the target group's knowledge. Ethical approval was obtained from the coordinating partner institution. A pilot study to test the cases was conducted. Following the pilot study, the final version of the student data sheet and scenario cases was created. The second meeting was organized in Italy. In this meeting, the results of the pilot study, the scenario cases, and the Patient Intervention Self Confidence/Competence Scale were evaluated. Conclusion: The work on this EU project is still in progress. Considering that learning from experience is an important part of nursing education, sharing experiences on such a project related to using simulation as an innovative teaching strategy in nursing education in Turkey should provide an example to others who want to develop other EU projects in nursing education.

Solving problems in different ways is strongly advised for mathematics learning and teaching. There is, however, little data available on the examination of teachers' openness to and evaluation of different solutions to the problems. In this paper, the author examines classroom teachers' openness to different solutions (or to what extent they value different solutions) to problems and how they evaluate (grade) these solutions. For this purpose, two questionnaires including items on students' different solutions are applied to about 500 classroom teachers. In this paper, only two items related to the focus of the study are analysed. The findings show that teachers do not value different solutions and have difficulties in grading students' different solutions. The issues that these findings raise are discussed in detail. (Contains 4 tables and 4 footnotes.)

Metaphors are figures of speech in which a word or phrase that denotes a certain object or idea is applied to another word or phrase to imply some similarity between them. Due to their ability to make speaking and writing more lively and interesting, metaphors have always been popular among students. While metaphors provide significant enhancement of contexts and build upon the sense of community, they can limit the boundaries of the communication between students and teachers. In order to carry out student oriented courses, teachers ought to consider the metaphors students use. In an effort to understand and fill in this communication gap, the authors of this paper have initiated a study that aimed to drive out the e-education students' metaphors in order to suggest a vision for future e-courses. The authors have designed the "E-Education Metaphor Analysis Survey" that comprised 35 items and captured data about e-education students' metaphors. The questionnaire was posted on Surveymonkey.com and was distributed to e-education students in two countries: Turkey and Cyprus. 352 students filled the questionnaire. The answers revealed that the metaphors students use are influenced by their way of life, their personal characteristics, their educational background and their feelings. Internet was the most common metaphor used for e-education. A very interesting fact was that 47% of the students considered E-Student to be equivalent to "rich students' education" and that the term recalled them the metaphor "richness". Although there were many research studies on common metaphors and their impact on e-education, there were no studies in the literature about eLearning metaphors. This paper presents an innovative approach that focuses on 7 key research questions and represents a first step of a more detailed future project undertaken by the authors. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

As one of the renowned learning and innovation skills of 21st century, critical thinking (hereafter CT) has been studied in various fields of education. Contrary to expectations, the emphasis on the mutual link between CT and language learning in tertiary education is newly flourishing. That being the case, the awareness of English as a Foreign Language (hereafter EFL) learners regarding this close connection and how it affects their perceived language learning potential should be inquired and increased. Drawing on such need, this paper reports on the investigation of an action research implementation and its effects on the perceptions of EFL learners over a ten week period of CT integrated practice. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data collected through two CT tasks, open-ended questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews based on learners' logs revealed an unequivocal influence on the perspectives of EFL learners towards CT and language learning. The implementation also helped the learners improve their thinking and language skills.

The purpose of this paper was to analyze the stress levels of the female wrestlers studying in higher education. The trial group of the research consisted of 52 volunteer female wrestlers studying in higher education in the province Batman. The research data were collected with "Work Stress Scale" developed by House and Rizzo (1972) adapted into Turkish by Yalçin (2009). In the analysis of data, the Mann Whitney-U and Kruskall Wallis-H tests were benefited from as well as the descriptive statistical techniques. As a result of the research, the female wrestlers were considered to experience stress occasionally. While there were not any differences in the female wrestlers' stress levels in accordance with the variables of bachelor year, persons who they live and income status, there were some differences in their stress levels about whether family members were keen on sport or not.

The purpose of this research was to examine the extent to which sport moral decision-making attitudes were applied by the athletes, and the factors that caused it. The research was based on the causal comparative research model. The research group consisted of a total of 475 athletes, of which 195 were basketball athletes randomly selected from seven geographical regions and 280 were wrestling athletes. Lee, Whitehead, and Ntoumanis used data collection tools to measure the moral decision-making attitudes of athletes (Attitude Moral Decision Making in Youth Sport Questionnaire--AMDYSQ). Gürpinar has adapted the "Moral Decision Making Attitudes Scale in Infrastructure Sports" to Turkish culture. Mann Whitney-U test was used in binary comparisons because data were not normally distributed. As a result of the research, significant differences were found according to subscales of moral decision-making attitudes in infrastructure sports, such as wrestling and basketball, according to the subscale of adopting competition affinity, cheating, and winning fairness. In individual and team sports, it can be said that the athletic experiences are firstly influenced by the educational level of the parents after the athletes gain moral behaviors. The results of the research were supported by the literature. [This study was presented in the ERPA International Congress on Education, p.87, held in June, 02-04, 2016, Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina.]

This paper reports on a study of prospective English language teachers' perceptions concerning teaching behaviors and attitudes that contribute to effective foreign language teaching and learning. It was designed to identify teacher effectiveness factors according to the perceptions of prospective English language teachers at a university in Izmir, Turkey in the 2016-2017 academic terms. In this descriptive study, the data were collected by means of a questionnaire to which 165 male and female prospective English language teachers responded. Based on current research on foreign language teaching, various teaching behaviors and attitudes of effective foreign language teachers were identified for inclusion on the questionnaire. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight prospective teachers to find out what they think or how they feel specifically about the items which were marked as the least important by them. The results indicate an emerging professional consensus regarding a number of teacher behaviors and attitudes related to foreign language teaching. Various characteristics associated with ELT were identified, such as giving examples related with the real life situations, being prepared for the lesson and developing themselves continually. The more we know about ELT characteristics, the more likely we are to develop language teacher preparation models that incorporate aspects of relevant language teaching.

The paper investigates the role of English language teaching materials in the creation of a classroom atmosphere conducive to foreign language education. In this study, teachers and students were given a questionnaire and later interviewed to elicit their ideas about the materials. The data was analyzed and the responses of teachers and students were compared by using one-way ANOVA, post-hoc Scheffe test, and t-test statistics. The results indicated that, except for the regular state high school teachers and students, both teachers and students had serious problems with the ELT materials prepared by international publishers.

The correlation between distance education motivation levels of students and their online experiences and satisfaction is studied in this paper; and the reasons of their satisfaction and dissatisfaction according to their motivation levels are described. In this study, 183 students, who were taking English and Turkish courses at Ankara University between 2013-2014 academic year through distance education participated. The study which was designed in the form of sequential mixed method research design, "Motivation and Learning Strategies Inventory" and "Online Student Satisfaction Scale" were utilized to collect data and structured interview forms that were developed by the researchers and they were also used to determine students' online learning experiences and their satisfaction levels about distance education. Three motivation levels as low-medium-high-level were identified by clustering analysis. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate motivation levels and satisfaction data and content analysis was applied to evaluate the reasons behind their satisfaction. A significant correlation was found between the students' motivation levels and their online learning experiences and satisfaction. When it comes to the reasons of their satisfaction and dissatisfaction, the students who have low and medium-level motivation levels said that their dissatisfaction was due to lack of interaction and negative perceptions and their dependence on conventional education. On the other hand, the students who have high motivation stated that their satisfaction was because it is free from time and space, suitable for reviews, provides effective learning and meets the requirements of this age. The students who were not satisfied in three different motivation levels mentioned the problems of internet access and lack of synchronization between the picture and the sound in the videos.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the validity of extended technology acceptance model (TAM) in explaining pre-service teachers' Edmodo acceptance and the variation of variables related to TAM among pre-service teachers having different cognitive styles. Design/methodology/approach: Structural equation modeling approach was used to analyze an extended TAM that represents the relationship between the eight constructs and cognitive style. Group Embedded Figures Test and technology acceptance measure were used as data collection tools. The study was conducted with 129 pre-service teachers. Findings: The results indicate that perceived ease of use (PEU) influences behavioral intention (BI) to use Edmodo indirectly through attitude toward Edmodo use and perceived usefulness (PU). Technological complexity and facilitating conditions influence BI to use indirectly through PU and PEU, respectively. Thus, the extended TAM is a parsimonious model explaining 75, 72, and 82 percent of the endogenous variable (BI) for the whole sample, for the field dependent sample, and for the field independent sample, respectively. Originality/value: This paper addresses to determine the BI of pre-service teachers regarding Edmodo, which is an innovative tool, based on cognitive styles.

This paper reports a mixed methods study which aimed to improve Turkish pre-service English language teachers' competences and qualifications during their teaching practice experience (the practicum). The analysis of qualitative and quantitative data was framed by a sociocultural perspective focused around individual, cultural, and social factors in pre-service teacher (PST) education. Findings indicate that PSTs improved their competences with regard to their professional knowledge and understanding of the cultural, socioeconomic, and educational factors at a national level; practices particularly in teaching English to young learners; and attitudes toward their profession. The paper discusses some advantages of the qualitative data tools used and provides implications for facilitating reflective PST education during the teaching practicum.

In 2016, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed that approximately 44.4% of students in Turkey obtained very low grades when their scientific knowledge was evaluated. In addition, the vast majority of students were shown to have no knowledge of basic scientific terms or concepts. Science teachers play a significant role in facilitating students' understanding of science, conceptions of scientific inquiry (SI) and the nature of science (NOS), and the transfer of those conceptions into classroom practice. Therefore, in this paper, I present my experiences of blending problem-based learning (PBL) and the history of science (HOS) with technological approaches. The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of this innovative approach in improving pre-service science teachers' SI views. The Views about Scientific Inquiry (VASI) questionnaire was used as a data collection tool (Lederman et al., 2014). The findings showed that most of the views of pre-service science teachers improved for all SI items except "Consistent with data collected." The results also indicated that the teachers that used these approaches were able to overcome initial barriers in preparing lesson plans for teaching science and SI.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a "valid and reliable laboratory safety questionnaire" which could be used to identify science teachers' understanding about laboratory safety issues during their science laboratory activities. The questionnaire was developed from a literature review and prior instruments developed on laboratory safety issues. To address content validity, the questionnaire was examined by experts from the field of science education. The questionnaire consists of 36 Likert-type items related to chemicals, usage of glassware equipment, fire and electrical control, personal protection, biological hazards, and emergency. The study was carried out with 127 teachers who have experience in science laboratories and work in middle schools in Turkey. The instrument was found to be internally consistent with high reliability scores. Significance value shows that the data come from a multivariate normal distribution and are suitable for factor analysis. The factor analysis indicates that the items in the questionnaire accumulate around a single dimension named as safety issues. The results provide evidence that the instrument is valid for further implementation on a wider scale and in larger samples. The results of this study showed that the questionnaire has an appropriate scale to determine the middle school science teachers' understanding toward laboratory safety issues.

Human beings do not usually recognize plants although they exist widely in their environment. This condition has been described as plant blindness in literature. The main purpose of this study is to examine pre-service elementary teachers' awareness of plants. Moreover, the study examined from which sources student-teachers gained knowledge about plants. This study was designed as a survey model. The data of the study were obtained from the questionnaire consisting of two open-ended questions. The study group of this research consisted of 308 student-teachers. The participants receive teacher training at a state university located in Turkey's Aegean coast. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for the data analysis. The results of this study revealed that pre-service elementary teachers have got symptoms of plant blindness. The source of knowledge for plants is not usually formal science education. In addition to this, the results of this study suggest that student-teachers have a tendency to form aliveness concept with animistic and anthropocentric perspectives. In the light of these results, it is highlighted that there is a need to support pre-service elementary teachers' awareness of plants to prevent young children's plant blindness. [This study was presented at the 15th International Primary Teacher Education Symposuim in Mugla Sitki Koçman University, Turkey between 11-14 May, 2016.]

This study investigated effect of student- and school-level variables on mathematics achievement of fourth- and eighth-grade students using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 data of Turkey. The common variables addressed in student and school questionnaires were compared. Due to nested structure of the TIMSS data, hierarchical linear modeling analysis was performed. According to findings of the study, for both grade levels, of all teacher-related variables, only school emphasis on academic success were discovered to have statistically significant impact on schools' mean mathematics achievements. Moreover, concerning student-level variables, being bullied at school, confidence in mathematics, being engaged in mathematics and parental involvement had statistically significant effect on students' mathematics achievement for both grade levels. It is considered that students that hold more positive perceptions of their school and have teachers that are willing to improve themselves in their career tend to have higher performance in TIMSS. [This study was presented at the 10th International Test Commission (ITC) Conference in 1-4 July 2016 in Vancouver, Canada.]

Although writing is considered one of the most essential foreign language skills, to nurture and develop writing skills among students is challenging. To overcome this, teachers have recently considered benefiting from digital technology. Self-monitoring and self-evaluation, as sub-skills of metacognition, in addition to scaffolding, might be beneficial in accordance with the Zone of Proximal Development; hence both peer feedback and self-monitoring could be integrated with digital platforms in language classrooms. This quasi-experimental research study aimed to investigate the impact of exchanging self and anonymous peer feedback on writing assignments in a digital environment among Turkish EFL high school learners. Data were collected both quantitatively and qualitatively by means of open-ended questions and writing task scores using an analytic scoring rubric. Forty-six students in two intact classes exchanged both self and anonymous peer feedback through four writing assignments submitted via Edmodo as the digital environment. Participants were categorized as good, moderate and weak in each group and each student exchanged self and peer feedback on four written assignments in reverse order. Findings revealed that both self and peer feedback contribute positively to the revision of papers by student authors as they scored significantly better in the revised versions. Their writing scores indicated improvement in five major components: organization, content, grammar, vocabulary, and format. The participants also reported improvements related to content, grammar and format and indicated a positive attitude towards digital self and peer feedback. Since both digital self and peer feedback were found to be beneficial, EFL teachers should be encouraged to implement them in their writing classes.

This paper primarily aims to explore how the notion of "Good English" and its sister terms, such as good writing/writers and good speaking/speakers, are perceived by ELT students and secondly attempts to determine the language ideologies that lie behind their perceptions. A phenomenological research approach was adopted making use of open-ended email questionnaires with 42 students studying at a Turkish university to become English language teachers. The data analysed through a mixture of quantitative and qualitative content analysis revealed that most students' perceptions of "Good English" are normative and accord with the traditional view of the notion in which it is equated with "correct English" and "native-like English." It was also observed that most students' perceptions of "Good English" guided their perceptions of good English speakers and writers and the way they perceive themselves as good or bad speakers and writers. The results indicated that particular ideologies, such as standard English, native-speakerism and authenticity, impact upon many students' normative perceptions of Good English and that such ideologies are passed on to students through various mechanisms. Not submitting themselves to these ideologies, a small group of students offered a different conceptualisation of "Good English" by underlining the importance of adjusting their language use to their interlocutors in different communication situations and prioritizing intelligibility over grammatical accuracy and native-like pronunciation/accent. Drawing on the results, the study makes some suggestions regarding the potential constituents of "Good English" and the key attributes of "Good English" users.

In today's world, in order to obtain the information in education, various approaches, methods and devices have been developed. Like many developing countries, e-learning and distance learning (internet based learning) are used today in many areas of education in Turkey. This research aims to contribute to education systems and develop a "Cihat Askin and Little Friends" e-learning model in order to improve the project. "Cihat Askin and Little Friends" is an education system project by worldwide by Turkish violin virtuoso Cihat Askin. The aim of this system is to encourage people to play violin and disseminate playing violin as an instrument. In this project, individuals are accepted into the "Cihat Askin and Little Friends" program regardless of their age and talent. In 2001, Cihat Askin's project has started in Bursa and today it proceeds in twelve different cities of Turkey. Thanks to this education system of "Cihat Askin and Little Friends", hundreds of children without musical foreknowledge have started to play violin in Turkey. This paper aims to evaluate teachers' thoughts and opinions about e-learning technology use for "Cihat Askin and Little Friends" Project. Survey method was used and educators' attitude towards "Cihat Askin and Little Friends" e-learning model was analyzed. The results reveal that teachers in the project have positive feelings and opinions about the e-learning model. It is believed that by teachers of the project, e-learning technology use will improve in violin education thanks to the project to a great extent.

This paper following a mixed-method research design investigates the role of L1 use in L2 teaching from the perspectives of Turkish prospective English teachers. Data were collected from 374 Turkish prospective teachers in ELT department of four state universities in Turkey through a questionnaire. It was aimed to obtain a general view about whether Turkish should be used in teaching English; and if used, to what extent it should be used in the situations specified in the questionnaire, and for what purposes Turkish should be used in these situations. According to the results of the study, some of the participants proposed that L1 use should have no place in language learning/teaching since it exists as a barrier to the process of language learning and hinders the exposure to L2 and the chance to practice it whereas a great majority of them (N = 243) considered L1 use as a contributing factor to ease the process of language learning and comprehension of learners.

According to recent modifications in Turkish educational system, English language teaching starts in the second grade. Young learners studying in this grade were in the focus in this study. This paper reported on the findings of a mixed method study conducted in three different primary schools in the west of Turkey. The main aim was to represent the views of the second graders regarding their motivation and attitudes toward learning English and their perceptions concerning English language learning and instruction. While quantitative data were gathered via two questionnaires from 192 participants; three personal semi-structured interviews and a focus-group interview were conducted for qualitative data gathering. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Following data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification phases, qualitative data were analyzed through interpretive-descriptive analysis technique. The findings indicated that parents, teachers, and favorable learning conditions and activities were important factors in determining young learners' attitudes and motivation to learn English. Students' attitudes were mostly positive toward learning English. Singing songs and playing games were their favorite activities and they had an intrinsic motivation to learn English.

The present study aimed to investigate perceptions of EFL teachers working at state primary schools on core language skills, assessment types and question types used in assessing student's foreign language development and proficiency during an academic year. Data were gathered from 56 EFL teachers working at 42 primary state schools in Turkey through a questionnaire comprising a variety of items to elicit their perceptions and applications of language assessment in the classes of 4th to 6th graders. Results obtained from frequency analyses indicated that the pen-and-paper tests, performance tasks, and in-class observation are the mostly used assessment tools, and that the selected response items are mostly employed question types in the tests, and that performance-based and communication-based assessment types are preferred more frequently than the traditional types in evaluating students' success in learning EFL.

The objective of this paper is to examine competencies in classroom management of teacher candidates. Research design was determined as pre-experimental research design. Research was conducted with 388 teacher candidates. In this research, these were found; Attitudes of students about competencies in classroom management differ according to gender. Male students have higher competencies of classroom management scores than female students before application; but, male students have lower competencies of classroom management scores than female students after application. Attitudes of students about competencies in classroom management differ according to class significanly. Fourth class students have higher competencies of classroom management scores than third class students before application And, Fourth class students have higher competencies of classroom management scores than third class students after application. Attitudes of students about competencies in classroom management differ according to education type significanly. Daytime education students have lower competencies of classroom management scores than evening education students before application. And, daytime education students have lower competencies of classroom management scores than evening education students after application. Attitudes of students about competencies in classroom management differ according to field of study significantly. There are differences between classes of primary school tecaher education with Turkish teacher education, social sciences teacher education, science and technology teacher education.

Since Gardner introduced the importance of motivation on Language 2 learning, the concept has been accompanied with three more relevant concepts; amotivation, demotivation and remotivation. This paper mainly focused on high school students' de-motivation and remotivation in English. De-motivation is a set of factors which decreases the motivation level of the learners and re-motivation is an attempt to overcome those de-motivating factors. English learning-teaching process has been a problematic issue for a long time in Turkey. While there are researches focusing on the de-motivating factors in many countries, such a research for Turkish high school students has not been found. This research aimed to fill this research gap and to determine the English demotivation level of the students and the demotivating factors for them and to put forth suggestions to re-motivate the learners. An explanatory design was used as a mixed method research design. The sample was constituted of 579 students. Research results revealed that demotivation level of high school students in English is quite high, their motivation decreases most in high school period. Lack of interest in English, attitude of course teacher, classroom environment and course materials are among demotivating factors. In addition, the students request that, for remotivation, courses should be entertaining, technological tools should be utilized more and frequency of speaking activities should be increased.

This paper explains students' ideas about food as a scientific concept that a questionnaire was administered to 40 secondary level students. The findings have been shown that in students' mind food was essential for living, growth and supplying energy. Also students could accept the idea of food could be in liquid form. Students' understanding of the biological concept of food was anthropocentric and not applied across living organisms in heterotrophs (animals) or autotrophs (plants) as a whole. Many students confused water food or not. Mostly water not accepted as a food because of it does not yield energy for organisms. It looks a vital point that to emphasizing food as any substance (in solid or liquid state), can obtainable energy during respiration during alive activity.