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The purpose of this research is to examine the prospective elementary school teachers' perceptions on socioscientific issues. The research was conducted on prospective elementary school teachers studying at a university located in western Turkey. The researcher first taught the subjects of global warming and nuclear power plants from a perspective of socioscientific issues in the science and technology education course and then conducted the research. Concurrent parallel design, one of the mixed-method research approaches, was used to conduct the research. In this context, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight teachers in the qualitative strand of the study to explore the phenomenon. The data obtained from the interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. During the quantitative strand of the research, 113 prospective teachers were administered a questionnaire form. The results of the study revealed that none of the participating prospective teachers mentioned about the religious and cultural characteristics of socioscientific issues, and they need training about how to use socioscientific issues in teaching.

Introduction: In our current century, technology continues to exist in almost all domains of human life. In this day and age, technological changes and developments make a great contribution to the rapid production of information and easy access to it. As a result of rapidly developing and changing needs, it is considered essential to organize education in line with these needs and to incorporate technology within the education system. In the present study, it was aimed to identify the use of technology supported educational tools in general music education and their contribution to the process of music education. Methods: The convergent parallel design, which is one of the mixed research methods, was used in this study. Based on this particular point in mind, it was attempted in this study to establish the opinions of music teachers about the level of use of technology-supported educational tools in general music education through both closed-ended and open-ended questions. In this study, homogeneous sampling was used and it was attempted to reach out the teachers who taught general music knowledge in Turkey. The study group of the research was formed with 59 music teachers teaching at different institutions who agreed to participate in the study on a voluntary basis. Results: In line with the data obtained, it was concluded that teachers found themselves partially sufficient and willing to improve themselves in terms of using the technology-supported educational materials more effectively and efficiently in the process. Discussion: From the results of the research, it is seen that technology-supported applications are used especially in the listening and expression stages of the teacher, and it is preferred in the sampling, song teaching and showing and telling stages. In addition, it was determined that these applications were used by only 1 participant during the evaluation phase. It has been determined that technology-supported applications contribute positively to learning speed, permanent learning and the realization of more effective lessons. Throughout the music education process, which includes abstract concepts, the students' acquisition of the knowledge and making sense of this knowledge will contribute positively to their academic success. It is believed that it is essential to draw students' attention and include them effectively within the education process by getting them to gain new experiences. In this sense, it is crucially significant that teachers have the competence to use different applications in today's age of technology. Limitations: The research was limited to 59 music teachers who voluntarily agreed to work during the data collection process. The research was carried out in the spring term of the 2020-2021 academic year. Conclusions: In accordance with the findings obtained from the study, it was found that the participants utilized the technology-supported teaching tools especially in listening and lecturing, and they did not use these tools throughout the process. It was revealed that these tools had positive effects such as increasing students' attention and contributing to their permanent learning, as well as negative effects such as the tendency (to expect everything to be handed to one on a silver plate) and reducing the teacher's remedial role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to raise the awareness of public employees in sports administration through various types of training to measure the awareness of public employees working in sports administration regarding sports, as well as to reveal the problems facing sports in Turkey from the perspective of those working in sports administration. The research was carried out with a mixed methods convergent parallel design of the questionnaire variant. The study population consists of employees working in the central and provincial organizations of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the sample consists of 581 people working under different titles determined by the convenience sampling method. SPSS 24 and NVIVO 10 package programs were used for data analysis. The findings show that the awareness of those working in sports management is higher among men than women, that for those who have just started their professional life, it is higher than for others, and that those who have been working in sports management for a long time increase their awareness over time. The most critical problems of Turkish sports are stated as lack of infrastructure, lack of merit, lack of sustainable sports policy, discontinuity of studies, insufficient sports awareness education, and insufficient awareness of directing children to sports at an early age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Higher Education / Yüksekögretim Dergisi is the property of Deomed Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: This study compared the effects of leukocyte platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) and advanced platelet-rich fibrin (A-PRF) on patients' quality of life and the healing of palatal wounds after free gingival graft harvesting. Method and materials: After free gingival graft harvesting, palatal donor sites of 36 patients were assigned to one of three groups: L-PRF group, A-PRF group, or palatal stent + periodontal pack group (control group). Wound healing was evaluated by H2O2 test. Pain was evaluated by visual analog scale and number of analgesics consumed. For patient quality of life, the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire was utilized. Results: Complete epithelialization was higher in the control group on day 7 than in the test groups (P < .05). Complete epithelialization was achieved in all groups 14 days postoperatively. Visual analog scale scores for pain and the number of analgesic tablets consumed were similar in all groups (P > .05). OHIP-14 total scores were similar in all study groups at 7 days postoperatively (P > .05). OHIP-14 total and physical pain score was lower in the L-PRF group than the A-PRF group at 14 days postoperatively (P < .05). Conclusion: Aside from the slight superiority of L-PRF over A-PRF, it can be concluded that both PRF procedures have similar effects on palatal wound healing and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Academic Research in Nursing (JAREN) is the property of Hemsirelikte Egitim ve Arastirma Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study aimed to investigate how awareness of pre-service teachers is reflected in the process when making oral and written arguments, the effect of using modal representations on the quality of the argument, what modal representations students use when making arguments, and what modal representations they consider important (especially when defending their claims). The method of the research is the convergent parallel design, one of the mixed research methods. The sample of the study consists of 2nd grade pre-service teachers (N=83) studying at a state university in the north east of Turkey, selected by convenience sampling method. In the quantitative dimension of the study, Argumentation-based inquiry (ABI) reports evaluation form was used, while in the qualitative dimension, video recordings, semi-structured interviews and photographs (presentation board pictures) and ABI reports were used as data collection tools. Analysis shows pre-service teachers need an education or an activity to raise awareness. The pre-service teachers who gained this awareness use different types of representation in a larger number and variety and do this in order to serve a purpose (such as defending their claims). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research, which aims to determine the regulatory role of mindfulness in the relationship between creative thinking and reflective thinking, is a mixed method research in which quantitative and qualitative research methods are used together. The research was designed in a mixed-method convergent parallel design. The quantitative part was conducted with a descriptive survey model and the qualitative part was conducted with a case study design. The quantitative sample of the research was selected by cluster and simple random sampling method from classroom teachers working in the central districts of Konya province. The qualitative sample was selected from teachers who had at least one study on creative, reflective thinking, and mindfulness; had completed postgraduate education, and had ten years or more of professional seniority with the criterion sampling method from the teachers in the quantitative sample. In the quantitative part of the study, "creative thinking, reflective thinking, and mindfulness" measurement tools were used after obtaining the necessary permissions. Confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis were performed separately for these measurement tools. In the qualitative part of the study, interviews were conducted with a semi-structured interview form. When the quantitative and qualitative findings of the study were evaluated together, it was concluded that mindfulness has a regulatory role in the relationship between creative thinking and reflective thinking.

The current study investigates the academic adaptation levels of international students and their motivations for pursuing higher education in Turkey. The study also aimed to compare the adaptation of international students in higher education in terms of various variables such as gender, age, duration in Turkey, education level, and university. A mixed-methods design was employed, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The study involved 222 international students from four universities in Konya who completed an online questionnaire. Data collection used the "international students' adaptation to higher education" scale. The quantitative data in this study were subjected to statistical analyses, using non-parametric tests such as the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis H test, while the qualitative data were analyzed using the content analysis technique. Because of the analysis, it was noted that international students demonstrated heightened levels of adaptation in the realms of academic processes, academic principles, and socio-cultural dimensions of university life. However, a moderate level of adaptation was identified in the domain of academic experiences, shedding light on some challenges encountered by students in this aspect. Additionally, the results showed no significant differences in academic adaptation levels among international students based on study variables. Concerning the motivations of international students to pursue higher education in Turkey, prominent factors encompass the quality and diversity of higher education opportunities, historical and cultural heritage, ease of living, affordability, and religious and ethnic ties. This underscores the importance of universities and policymakers in Turkey to recognize challenges and promote the strengths of the country as an international study destination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to examine the studies on peer bullying in the preschool period completed between 2000 and 2020 in Turkey. The sample of the research consists of 32 studies, including 18 theses and 14 articles. According to the findings, it was determined that master's theses were more than doctoral theses. In the distribution by years, it is seen that the most theses were prepared in 2017 and 2019, and the most articles were prepared in 2019 and 2020. While the quantitative research approach is preferred the most in theses and articles; qualitative approach was not found in doctoral theses, and the mixed approach was not found in master's theses and articles. Descriptive and correlational survey model were used the most in theses, correlational survey model was used most in articles. The most common sample group in theses and articles is "preschool children". In theses and articles, three measurement tools are used the most frequently; and the data collection tool is the most frequently used scale. The cross-sectional method was used in all theses and most of the articles. It has been determined that the most preferred topic in theses and articles is demographic variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low participation rates among ethnic minorities in preventive healthcare services are worrisome and not well understood. The objective of this study was to explore how adults of Turkish and Moroccan origin living in the Netherlands, aged 45 years and older, can be reached to participate in health checks for cardio-metabolic diseases and follow-up (lifestyle) advice. Methods: This mixed-methods study used a convergent parallel design, to combine data of one quantitative study and three qualitative studies. Questionnaire data were included of 310 respondents, and interview data from 22 focus groups and four individual interviews. Participants were recruited via a research database, general practitioners and key figures. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively and qualitative data were analysed using a thematic approach. Results: Regarding health checks, 50 % (95 % G 41;59) of the Turkish questionnaire respondents and 66 % (95 % G 57;76) of the Moroccan questionnaire respondents preferred an invitation from their general practitioner. The preferred location to fill out the health check questionnaire was for both ethnic groups the general practitioner's office or at home, on paper. Regarding advice, both groups preferred to receive advice at individual level rather than in a group, via either a physician or a specialised healthcare professional. It was emphasised that the person who gives lifestyle advice should be familiar with the (eating) habits of the targeted individual. Sixty-one percent (95 % G 53;69) of the Turkish respondents preferred to receive information in their native language compared to 37 % (95 % G 29;45) of the Moroccan respondents. Several participants mentioned a low proficiency in the local language as an explanation for their preference to fill out the health check questionnaire at home, to receive advice from an ethnic-matched professional, and to receive information in their native language. Conclusions: The general practitioner is considered as a promising contact to reach adults of Turkish and Moroccan origin for health checks or (lifestyle) advice. It might be necessary to provide information in individuals' native language to overcome language barriers. In addition, (lifestyle) advice must be tailored. The obtained insight into preferences of Turkish and Moroccan adults regarding reach for preventive healthcare services could help professionals to successfully target these groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify the training needs of teacher candidates in social-emotional competencies. The study has a convergent parallel design in which qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed during the same phase, and the two sets of results were subsequently merged into an overall interpretation. The qualitative data were obtained through unstructured interviews with 15 academicians selected using convenient sampling, and these data were analyzed through descriptive analysis. The quantitative data were analyzed using the mean scores of the responses to the scenario-based questionnaire administered to 161 teacher candidates selected using convenient sampling. According to the qualitative data analysis, the academicians stated that the social-emotional competencies teacher candidates should own are communication, empathy, self-awareness, and problem-solving competencies, followed by self-management, taking responsibility, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, cooperation, and decision-making competencies. Quantitative data on the mean scores obtained from the answers of the teacher candidates to the scenarios showed low self-knowledge and responsible decision-making competencies and high relationship skills, self-management, and social awareness competencies. When the qualitative data from the interviews and the quantitative data from the scenario-based questionnaire results were interpreted together, it was found that the social-emotional competencies identified by the academics were similar to the needs of teacher candidates in terms of social-emotional competencies. It is recommended that social-emotional competencies be supported by integrating lessons on these competencies in teacher training programs, extra-curricular activities, or curriculum development studies. [This article includes an extended summary in Turkish.]

The purpose of this study was to reveal middle school students' digital literacy levels and their opinions about digital literacy. Convergent parallel design, one of the mixed-method designs, was used in the study. Quantitative part involved survey while qualitative part included casestudy model. Digital literacy scale and semi-structured interview form were used to collect the data. The participants in the quantitative part involved 367 students studying at a state middle school in Kirsehir while 12 students took part in the qualitative part. The data analysis was conducted separately, and general conclusions were drawn and combined during interpretation. Although students had high scores from the digital literacy scale, the in-depth qualitative analyses showed that they did not have adequate information about the concept of digital literacy. Moreover, the quantitative results showed that students, who used digital technologies for research purposes, had higher scores from the security dimension of digital literacy scale than the students who used digital technologies for studying. However, the qualitative results revealed that students used digital technologies most commonly for entertainment. It was found that students' digital literacy was significantly differed by their gender, grade level, book-reading duration, and internet-use duration while it did not significantly differ by their purpose of using digital technologies. Additionally, based on the qualitative results, students agreed that social studies course contributed to their digital literacy.

This research aims to compare the awareness, efficacy and attitudes, and opinions of science teachers (STs) and prospective science teachers (PSTs) toward STEM. In this study, convergent parallel design from mixed methods was used. The study group consists of 45 STs and 177 PSTs. In the quantitative dimension of the study, "Teacher Efficacy and Attitudes Towards STEM Survey" and "STEM Awareness Scale " were applied to the study group, which was formed by sampling criteria and maximum diversity from purposeful sampling. In the qualitative dimension of the research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 STs and 25 PSTs selected through maximum diversity sampling from purposeful sampling. As a result of the research, it was observed that although the STEM awareness, efficacy, and attitudes of STs and PSTs were similar, they had positive attitudes. However, most of the participants in both groups considered themselves inadequate in STEM, expressed their opinions about the adverse effects of STEM applications as well as their positive effects, and that STEM applications were effective in career selection and country development.

The attitudes of secondary school students towards physical education and sports lessons and their teachers were tried to be determined through metaphors in this study. In the study, in which the mixed research method was used, the convergent parallel design was adopted. In the research, "physical education teacher evaluation scale based on student opinions", "physical education attitude scale for secondary education students" and the metaphor sentence created by the researchers were used as data collection tools. The study group consisted of 185 secondary school students. The obtained quantitative data were analyzed in the Jamovi 2.0.0 statistical software program. Independent sample t-test and Pearson correlation test were used in pairwise comparisons. When the data obtained were examined, significant differences were determined according to the physical education teacher (PEL) attitude, gender, sports background, PEL, and teacher love. In the mean scores of physical education teacher evaluation, there were differences according to gender, PEL, and teacher love. The findings of the qualitative data were analyzed with the content analysis method, and categories and themes were created. The metaphors for physical education and sports lessons were grouped under two categories, while the metaphors for the physical education and sports teacher were grouped under three categories.

This study aims to obtain and compare the opinions of exam question writers and teachers on skill-based exam questions. 24 science teachers and 11 context-based exam question writers participated in the study, which was carried out according to the convergent parallel design. Opinions of both parties on the skill-based exam questions were collected and compared with the qualitative and quantitative data. Semi-structured interview forms prepared by the researchers were used as a data collection tool, and the collected answers were analysed by content analysis. In addition, the teacher opinion questionnaire on skill-based exam questions was applied to both parties and a significant relationship was sought. Although there was a significant difference between the opinions of the exam question writers and the teachers on life-based questions, their opinions on the positive and negative aspects of life-based questions show parallelism. Teachers think that the new generation questions are unnecessarily long and time-consuming and that the quality of the questions in the market should be increased. It is recommended that more detailed studies on skill-based exam questions and the foundations on which they are based be carried out. Also, providing teachers with more in-service training on skill-based exam question writing and studying students' views would contribute to the field.

The aim of this study is to explore the correlation between the intrinsic motivation of fourth-grade primary school students in mathematics and their academic performance in mathematics while considering the factor of their favorite subject. The goal is to determine whether there is a difference in intrinsic motivation and achievement in terms of their favorite subject. A convergent parallel design was used in the study. The sample of the research consisted of 142 students who participated in face-to-face research in the city center and districts of Çanakkale in the 2019/2020 academic year, as well as 109 students who participated in online research in the 2020/2021 academic year. The study group was comprised of 10 students, for whom the data were collected in face-to-face sessions, and 12 students who participated in the research online. The data for this study were collected using the "Mathematics Lesson Motivation Scale" developed by Balantekin and Oksal (2014), as well as the "Mathematics Lesson Achievement Test", "Demographic Form", and "Semi-Structured Interview Form" developed by the researchers. When examining the results of the research related to intrinsic motivation, significant differences were observed in both online and face-to-face data collection, with respect to the obtained data. According to the qualitative data obtained from this study, those students with intrinsic motivation were expected to perform well in the course. However, it was observed that regardless of their academic performance, all students were motivated towards the course. As a contrasting result, it was determined that the most successful student in the school did not possess intrinsic motivation towards the course.

Copyright of Inonu University Journal of the Faculty of Education (INUJFE) is the property of Inonu University Journal of the Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study aimed to investigate the perspectives of pre-service EFL teachers on effective EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher characteristics and explore their opinions regarding effective teacher characteristics in the post-COVID period. Following this aim, 80 participants who were 3rd and 4th-grade prospective teachers at the English Language Teaching (ELT) department of a public university participated in the study. For data collection, a questionnaire and interview protocols were used. The quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, while a thematic analysis was done in order to explore the qualitative data. The findings from both analyses revealed that the participants considered being creative, effective communication with the students, using authentic activities and materials, being fluent, having sufficient content knowledge, and being good at classroom management as the most important and necessary characteristics of an effective EFL teacher. Considering the post-COVID pandemic period, the necessity of the EFL teachers' ability to use the technological tools and platforms and the continuation of this use during the post-COVID period were found to be important. In line with these findings, the study offers several suggestions for EFL teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study was conducted to determine the effect of mother's voice and music sound on pain and physiological parameters during aspiration procedure in children with mechanical ventilation support in the pediatric intensive care unit. Design and Methods: This study was a randomized controlled type experimental study. According to the power analysis result of the sample of the study, 84 children who were treated in the pediatric intensive care unit of two university hospitals in Istanbul were formed. Introductory Information Form, Ramsey Sedation Scale, Physiological Parameter Form and Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) Pain Scale were used to collect data. Results: When the pain results of the children were evaluated, the mean FLACC Pain Scale value of the children in the control group was found to be significantly higher than children in the mother's voice and music voice group (p < 0.05). It was determined that the lowest FLACC Pain Scale value was in the mother's voice group (p < 0.05). When the physical parameter results were evaluated, it was determined that the physiological measurement values of the children in the experimental group were positively affected (p < 0.05), there was a significant difference between the control group (p < 0.05) and the most effective result was in the mother's voice group (p < 0.05). Practice Implications: Allowing children to listen mother's voice and music during aspiration procedure reduces pain of the children, positively affects their physical parameter values and enhances quality of nursing care. The results of this study create a scientific basis for nursing practices in the clinical settings and contribute to the clinical practices by shedding a light on future evidence‐based studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of STEM applications realized with 4th-grade elementary school students on their problem-solving skills. The study was conducted within the convergent parallel design framework, a mixed research method. The research was carried out with 42 4th-grade primary school students, 21 in the experimental group and 21 in the control group, studying in a public school in Turkey. In the study, which lasted for ten weeks, STEM applications were carried out with the students in the experimental group. The control group applied the current science curriculum without performing STEM applications. The research data consists of the Developing Problem Solving Inventory for Children at the Level of Primary Education (PSIC) and the semi-structured interview conducted with the students in the experimental group. Quantitative data were analyzed using an independent sample t-test, while qualitative data were analyzed with content analysis. When the PSIC post-test scores of the 4th-grade primary school students in the experimental and control groups were examined, a statistically significant difference was found in favor of the experimental group. According to the qualitative data analysis of the study, it was determined that the students encountered various problems in the process and developed solutions for them. The students stated that using STEM activities in the classes is fun, so they learn more permanently and easily, and they want the classes to be delivered in this way from now on.

The Individuals' experiences and memories about people with special needs affect their attitudes, behaviours and perceptions towards these individuals in the following years. This study aims to discover pre-school teacher candidates' early memories about people with special needs and understand the effect of these early memories on teacher candidates' attitudes towards people with special needs. The convergent parallel design of mixed-method research is used in this study. The researchers used extreme or deviant case sampling of purposeful sampling. 110 teacher candidates at pre-school teaching department of Akdeniz University answered the survey and open-response questions. The survey included the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS) scale developed by Findler et al. (2007) and adopted into Turkish by Yelpaze and Türküm (2018). The quantitative data were imported into the SPSS program to calculate descriptive and inferential statistics. To analyse the attitudes of teacher candidates, mean and standard deviation were conducted. For the qualitative analysis, 10 teacher candidates in the highest and in the lowest (5 participants from each group) on Turkish version of MAS were selected. The data were coded by using NVIVO 10. According to the analysis of qualitative data, pre-school teacher candidates' memories included positive and negative aspects together; like sadness, fear, astonishment, and helplessness. On the other hand, according to the analysis of quantitative data, teacher candidates' attitude towards people with special needs were mostly close to negative in affection and behaviour. Therefore, it can be thought that the memories of teacher candidates towards individuals with special needs do not affect their attitudes.

Context: Ankle proprioception is one of the crucial components contributing to postural control. Although the effects of Mulligan's mobilization with movement (MWM) on postural control, ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (DFROM), and muscle strength in people with ankle disorders have previously been investigated, it is still unclear whether ankle MWM had ability to change postural control, DFROM, and muscle strength. Objectives: To reveal pure effects of MWM on postural control, ankle DFROM, and muscle strength in healthy individuals. Design: A prospective, randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled study. Setting: Musculoskeletal laboratory, Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey. Participants: Forty students in good health recruited from a local university. Interventions: Mulligan's MWM or sham application over ankle joint. Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was postural control and measured using limits of stability (LOS) test. The secondary outcomes were tibialis anterior muscle strength and ankle DFROM, which were measured using handheld dynamometer and weight-bearing lunge test, respectively. All outcomes were assessed before and immediately after intervention. Results: Left and right ankle DFROM and LOS overall score showed a statistically significant improvement compared with first measurement in both groups (P <.05). However, LOS time was significantly improved only in the MWM group (P <.05). Statistical analyses of between-group mean differences showed that Mulligan's MWM provided significant improvement in the LOS in forward–right direction compared with sham application (P =.03). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the application of Mulligan's MWM on ankle joint might be beneficial to improve postural control in forward right direction in individuals with healthy ankles. On the other hand, both MWM and sham application were able to increase overall postural control and DFROM, and MWM had no superiority over sham application for increasing these 2 variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Harran University Medical Faculty / Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Harran University Medical Faculty and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The literature on the barriers encountered in the use of technology in education indicates that the internal barriers have a deterministic effect within this process. Therefore, it is important to determine the way teachers use technology as well as their opinions and attitudes towards technology in order to ensure effective use of technology in mathematics education. This study aims to determine the opinions and attitudes of secondary school mathematics teachers towards using technology in mathematics education. The convergent parallel design of a mixed methods study was used. The study included the participation of 57 teachers, who were determined on a voluntary basis using the convenience sampling method, from 22 different high schools in Turkey. A written opinion form and The Scale of Attitudes Towards Technology were used as data collection tools. The qualitative data obtained were analysed using descriptive and content analysis methods; quantitative data were analysed using multivariate analysis of variance. It was understood that the participants often used only smartboards in their lessons and they preferred teacher-centred classroom applications, which did not involve the hardware and software that allowed student interaction. It was found that the attitudes of mathematics teachers towards technology were "positive" which had a positive effect on using technology in lessons. It was observed that the attitudes of teachers towards technology did not change according to the training they received on using technology in lessons. It was concluded that the attitudes of teachers differed significantly across the scale or in various factors according to their age, the frequency of technology use in their lessons, the variety of hardware and software they use, and their opinions about the use of technology by the students. It can be argued that the positive attitudes of teachers towards technology had a positive effect on using technology in lessons.

The purpose of the research is to reveal the effect of digital materials on the listening comprehension levels of second grade elementary school students. The study sample consisted of 50 second grade students in a elementary school located in Eskisehir. During the 8-weeks intervention period, Turkish lessons were performed with digital materials in the experimental group. In the control group, Turkish lessons were conducted without using digital materials. In the research, parallel design is used. Quantitative datas were obtained by Listening Comprehension Test developed by the researcher. Qualitative datas were obtained by the diaries of students and researcher, the semi-structured interviews of students and teacher. In this study, it was concluded that digital materials positively affect students' understanding of what they listened to, and increased their attention and motivation. In this context, it was determined that using digital materials can have positive contributions for developing listening skills.

This research aimed to determine and develop 8th grade students' views on the demarcation between science and pseudoscience. In this context, the study was designed with convergent parallel design which is a mixed research method. The study group for the quantitative dimension was composed of 32 8th graders in a secondary school in Akdeniz district of Mersin province. The study group for the qualitative dimension consisted of six students selected from among these 32 students by purposeful sampling method. As data collection tools, Pseudoscience Belief Scale which consisted of 21 questions and a semi-structured interview form composed of nine questions were used. During the data analysis, statistical calculations were done by using the SPSS package program for the quantitative dimension. Content analysis method was used to categorize qualitative as codes and themes. Based on the study results, it was observed that the pseudoscientific beliefs were not based on gender and it was found that students' pseudoscientific beliefs decreased with the implementation in which the argumentation method was used.

The main purpose of the research is the evaluation of the pre-school education program according to CIPP (context, input, process, and product) model belongs to Stufflebeam. Parallel design form mixed research methods was used in the research. Quantitative data of the research were collected from 122 preschool teachers working in public or private schools in 2019-2020 academic years. Qualitative data were collected from 10 pre-school teachers via an online interview with the help of a semi-structured interview form. In the research, 'Preschool Education Program Evaluation Scale' and 'semi-structured interview forms' prepared by the researchers were used as data collection tools. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the teachers stated the most negative opinions in the context dimension. Teachers stated that there is not enough equipment to organize learning centers in this dimension, and the physical characteristics of schools are not sufficient for pre-school education. Although generally positive opinions were expressed in the input dimension, it was revealed that the individual differences of the children and the family factor were not taken into account in the program. Finally, when we look at the product dimension, it was stated by the teachers that preschool education facilitates the school orientation of children and is effective in preparing children for primary school, but pre-school education is not effective in solving the problems arising from the family.

The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide has caused education to be carried out through distance learning. Due to this situation, flute instructors faced many difficulties in instrument training, which had to be done remotely in professional music education institutions. A research was conducted to determine the training and examination processes of the instructors for flute education, their experiences, readiness for online education, negativities, and solutions during the pandemic process. Convergent parallel design, one of the mixed research methods, was used in the study. The study group consists of 22 flute instructors who work in different professional music education institutions in Turkey. An open- and close-ended questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. It was revealed that flute instructors conducted classes in different ways during the pandemic, they had to make their evaluations mostly individually, and they had many difficulties due to the internet and the applications used. As a result of the research in order for online flute training to be more effective, it was recommended that both instructor communication be more active and trainers receive training that will contribute to their professional development in online education.

While the World Health Organization claimed a pandemic in March 2020, different online platforms started to be used all over the world, including Turkey. The increasing workload with distance education and the health concerns affected the psychological health of teachers. Even though enhancing well-being support to increase the quality of work and physical health gains importance, the psychological perspective is ignored during the covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this study is to understand the effects of COVID-19 on teachers' well-being. Emotional changes, personal experiences, and the situation of their work were analyzed to understand the teachers' perspectives on their wellbeing. The mixed-method research design was used to understand the nature of the existing state. Quantitative results were analyzed by using a t-test. As a result of the content analysis of the semistructured interviews, there are four main themes emerged, coping mechanisms, positive emotion, interaction with school components, and areas that need to be improved. This study demonstrated that the psychological needs of teachers should be taken into consideration during the outbreak. Well-being programs should be developed for teachers in the scope of their in-service training to support teachers and meet their psychological needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to investigate the self-perceived competency levels of EFL teachers in the Turkish MONE (Ministry of National Education) context and if these perceptions vary according to multiple variables as a mixed-methods study. Another subject of the study was to identify the areas where teachers see themselves as less competent and need professional development. In doing so, the English Teachers Field-Specific Competencies Assessment Scale was applied to 267 English teachers by snowball sampling via an online survey. Simultaneously, 27 English teachers filled out written interview forms prepared by the researchers to obtain in-depth knowledge. Then, the data were analyzed with the convergent parallel design method, and the qualitative and quantitative data thus complemented each other. The main results indicated that participants were uncertain about their professional skills in teaching English to students with special needs. It was also revealed that teachers had similar views on improving students' English-speaking abilities. Another finding was that education level, professional experience, and participation in previous in-service teacher training programs statistically affect teachers' self-perceived competency levels. In brief, it was understood that developing language skills, specifically speaking skills, was the most common need, followed by the demand to develop EFL teachers' digital skills.

The aim of this paper is to introduce Kodu Game Lab to pre-service science teachers through a method course based on MAGDAIRE framework and prepare them to design their own digital games. In accordance with this purpose, key factors towards using digital games in classroom are also observed. Convergent parallel design that is a type of mix method research design was used in this study. This study is performed with a total of 18 pre-service teachers (PSTs) who were senior students in a teacher education program of a public university in Turkey. PSTs voluntarily formed six groups and designed their own digital games collaboratively based on DGBL-ID Model. Technical Proficiency of Kodu Skills Test (TPKS-T), rubrics for group and personal assessment and observation form were used to collect data. According to analyses of data collected with TPKS-T, post-test mean of PSTs is significantly higher than their pre-test means. Findings of rubrics showed that PSTs' determined performance levels are directly proportionate to practices. Also, findings obtained with observation form are promoted this result. It can be suggested that knowledge and skills, pedagogical beliefs and culture have an effect on integrating digital games into learning process.

The present study aims to determine the views of primary school teachers and Turkish language teachers on teacher guidebooks in Turkey. The mixed research method and "convergent parallel design" were used in the study. The quantitative study group of the study included 163 primary school teachers (1st-4th grades) and 163 Turkish language teachers (5th-8th grades) in Turkey, while the qualitative study group included 6 primary school teachers (1st-4th grades) and 6 Turkish language teachers (5th-8th grades). The study population included primary school and Turkish language teachers in Turkey. The 23-item survey included the measures of main trands (such as mode, median, average), while the qualitative data were based on the transcripts of teacher feedback audio recordings. Determination Validity Ratio was calculated based on the validity and reliability tests conducted on the survey tool. During the analysis, the SPSS 21.0 software was used. The qualitative data were analyzed with content analysis. Furthermore, averages, percentages, and frequencies were calculated for a section of qualitative data. In the validity and reliability tests for the qualitative data, the views expressed in audio recordings were analyzed several times by 3 field experts using content analysis, and they were categorized as sub-topics.

Working outside can be harder than inside; one may be physically more active, regularly battling against the elements and often more alert -- watchful for potential dangers. Overall education out of doors is physically and mentally taxing. We have to be convinced all the effort is for a good reason (Bilton, 2010, p. 12). The researchers applied the mixed method with covergent parallel design (Creswell, 2016). The results showed that 1) The initial description of prosocial behaviour of young children in "Joy Kids" Kindergarten, "Mangasa" Subdistrict, "Tamalate" Makassar District, showed that teachers paid attention to improve and look for activities in the form of play so that things that were worse towards prosocial behaviour of children could be avoided. 2) The traditional game-based outdoor learning module produced has been accepted from the results of an assessment of the utility, feasibility and accuracy, carried out by two experts in the field of education and an education practitioner. 3) The traditional game-based outdoor learning module that is produced affects the development of prosocial behaviour of young children. Based on the validator's evaluation, it is declared valid to be used, its practical value is feasible to be used in the field without the need for revision, and all the devices previously presented can be declared valid for use.

Copyright of Ondokuz Mayis University Journal of Education is the property of Ondokuz Mayis University Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this research is to examine the postgraduate studies conducted in the field of mathematics education with individuals diagnosed as gifted and talented students in Türkiye. For this purpose, master's and doctoral studies in the database of the National Thesis Center of the Council of Higher Education [CHE] of Türkiye were examined. The first graduate thesis carried out in the field of mathematics education with gifted and talented students was carried out in 2009. In this context, the research includes 55 master's and doctoral studies from 2009 to 2020. In this study, in which the qualitative research approach was preferred, thematic content analysis (meta-synthesis) one of the content analysis types was used. The theses included in the scope of the study were examined under different headings such as year, type, subject, approach, research design, sample, data collection tool, and data analysis techniques. This research is important in terms of giving a general idea about the studies carried out in the field of gifted students and mathematics education, providing information pertaining to the relevant literature for the studies to be carried out, helping expand the field with studies with more different content by determining the subjects and scopes that have not been researched in the field, and giving inspiration related to different research ideas that will contribute to the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 21st century, skills and knowledge of teachers are expected to meet the needs of the 21st century citizens. Therefore, Hacettepe University English Language Teaching (ELT) Department has also decided to redesign its curriculum by taking into account the issues CoHE (2020) has declared. For this purpose, this study aims to examine the opinions of the internal and external stakeholders to determine their needs regarding the new curriculum. In the study, mixed methods research design was adopted based on both qualitative and quantitative data. The participants were composed of internal and external stakeholders of Hacettepe University ELT Department. A total of 284 people, from different stakeholder groups (faculty members, students, alumni, in-service teachers, and employers) participated in the study. Data were obtained from six different data collection tools consisting of various adapted questionnaires and interview forms. Collected data were analyzed separately appropriate to their types. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were analyzed with content analysis. Findings indicate a consistency in the expectations of the stakeholders as they all demand a more practice-oriented curriculum with extensive content knowledge-based course content, along with a more effective practicum. Even though these findings may reflect the needs of many ELT departments' stakeholders in Turkiye, these should not be interpreted as the total and only needs of every ELT department across Turkiye. Therefore, similar studies should be replicated by institutions as each institution's stakeholders may have context-specific needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies focus on the importance of developing decision-making skills, which are among thinking skills, at early ages and highlight that these skills, if not developed at early ages, lead to some problems at the later stages of individuals' lives. Curricula on the level of primary school in Turkey, based on their visions, aim to train individuals with decision-making skills. In reaching this objective, it is important to determine what type of problems are experienced in the process, to what extent objectives can be reached and what the factors that affect the process are. With this mixed method study, it was aimed to examine the problems experienced in and the existing situation of development of decision-making skills. The design of the study was adopted as the convergent parallel design. The participants of the study consisted of 9 teachers who served as 4th grade teachers and 543 4th grade students from different socioeconomic levels. As the data collection instruments, the study utilized a "Student Personal Information Form", the "Decision-Making Skills Scale", "Decision Rules Implementation Test", "Choices and Outcomes Activity" and semi-structured interviews developed by the researcher. The results of the study showed that the teachers needed information and guidance in terms of teaching decision-making, they experienced problems related to the curricula and families in the process, and approximately half of the students had difficulties in terms of defining-expressing decision-related problems. Additionally, in teaching decision-making, problems based on the teacher, the curricula and the families were experienced, and these problems had negative effects on the development of the decision-making skills of the students.

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a scientific research methods course delivered through flipped learning on teacher candidates' attitudes towards scientific research and the course, and examine the teacher candidates' and instructors' experience in the process. The convergent parallel design was adopted in the study, and the participants were 102 elementary education teacher candidates taking the scientific research methods course at a Turkish university. Throughout the 12-week course, the students were presented the theoretical knowledge, materials and presentations related to the course by means of a distance learning platform, while discussions and activities were held in the classroom environment. All the activities performed and the problems that emerged were discussed among the researchers, and the necessary corrections and modifications were reflected to the classroom and online environments. In the data-gathering process, observations, interviews, reflective diaries and quantitative instruments were employed. The results showed that there were some problems in the implementation of flipped learning, the students developed negative attitudes towards scientific research and the scientific research methods course, and the existing learning culture was an important factor in the effectiveness of flipped-learning practices.

In this research the effects of STEM applications, which are aimed to support the integrated teaching knowledge of pre-service science teachers on the problem solving skills of pre-service science teachers were examined. The research was carried out in scope of the mixed method design of convergent parallel design. The research was conducted with pre-service science teachers of experimental group (n=31) and control group (n=31) who were studying at Firat University. STEM applications including Algodoo were carried out with the pre-service teachers in the experimental group for one term. The data of the research were collected through the problem solving inventory test (PSIT), prospects diaries during the process of the pre-service science teachers in the experiment group. Quantitative data were analyzed using unpaired samples t-test. Statistically significant differences were found in favor of the experimental group when the PSIT post-test scores of the pre-service teachers in the experimental and control groups were analyzed. They said that STEM education is necessary and important for them, much better products arise as a result of gathering different disciplines, but integration of four disciplines is not easy.

The aim of this study is to determine the needs of prospective teachers for multicultural education. Convergent parallel design, which is of the mixed research methods, has been employed in the study. The sample of the study has been selected by simple sampling method and constitutes of 165 prospective teachers who are studying at Afyon Kocatepe University Faculty of Education during 2016-2017 academic year. The quantitative data of the study have been collected by 'Perception on Multicultural Education and Democracy Scale', the qualitative data have been collected open ended questions created by the researchers. In the analysis of the quantitative data, descriptive statistics, Mann Whtney-U and Kruskall Wallis have been employed and the content analysis method has been used for the analysis of qualitative data. It has been concluded that the prospective teachers explain the multicultural education only on its cultural dimension and that they have inadequate knowledge in the field of multicultural education and that they need an education about multicultural education.

Copyright of International Journal of Eurasian Education & Culture is the property of Ayse Burcu Ulusoy and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Theoretical Educational Science / Kuramsal Eğitimbilim Dergisi is the property of Afyon Kocatepe University, Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of argumentation implementation applied in the environmental science course on science teacher candidates' environmental education self-efficacy beliefs and perspectives according to environmental problems. In this mixed method research study, convergent parallel design was utilized. Quantitative part of this study was based upon one group pretest-posttest design. Qualitative part of this study was based upon holistic case study. The sample of the study consisted of 26 3rd year science teacher candidates in A State University Education Faculty Science Education Department in the spring term of 2013-2014 academic years. The data collection tools were environmental education self-efficacy beliefs scale developed by Ozdemir, Aydin and Vural (2009) and drawings drawn by science teacher candidates to determine their perspectives on environmental problems. The experimental study took 7 weeks (21 hours). The first week involved the acquaintance with the students and briefing them about the study. Also, in this week, an educational plan related to the argumentation implementation was prepared and applied. And this week finally, scales were administered as pretest. The study started in the second week. The study took five weeks as three hours a week. Last week scales were administered as posttest. In quantitative data analysis paired samples t-test was used. For the analysis of qualitative data, categorical analysis technique, one of the content analysis techniques, was used. At the end of the study, it was observed that the science teacher candidates' self-efficacy beliefs according to environmental education statistically differed in favor of the post-test. In addition, it was also found that, at the end of the study, science teacher candidates' perceptions of environmental problems differed according to their self-efficacy beliefs.

The aim of the study is to determine the views of school managers' towards peer observation as an alternative teacher professional development and complementary supervision model. The study was conducted through a mix research model which combines quantitative and qualitative methods based on convergent parallel design. 121 school managers voluntarily joined the study at the end of the conference to which the researcher was invited as guest speaker. The results of the study in quantitative dimension indicated that peer observation was considered by school managers as an alternative teacher development model to promote cooperation among teachers; self-awareness of teachers; motivation; solving their problems cooperatively; learning new methods. The qualitative results also indicated that majority of the participants were in favour of peer observation as an alternative personal development method for teachers; the participants recommended that it should be carried via volunteers between different schools; just friendly and positive feedback should be given to the teacher who teaches the same subject; should be carried in a friendly school climate where there is no rivalry among teachers. On the other hand, some participant expressed their negative concerns as there wouldn't be enough teachers and time; the teacher would hesitate to be observed because of political and professional rivalries, lack of confidence and trust among teachers.

The aim of this study is to determine the opinions primary school administrators and teachers on humor climates in primary schools. The study was modeled as a convergent parallel design, one of the mixed methods. The data gathered from 253 administrator questionnaires, and 651 teacher questionnaires was evaluated for the quantitative part of the study. The study group of the qualitative part consists of 9 administrators and 12 teachers working in the primary schools. For data collection, the researcher developed and used a semi-structured data collection form consisting of open-ended questions. Qualitative data was also gathered by observation notes. In the quantitative part, a scale was used for gathering data on schools' humor climate. A five-point Likert Scale was used in the questionnaire. Specific descriptive analyses which were conducted to calculate the quantitative data included percentage, frequency, arithmetic means, standard deviation, t-test and one-way ANOVA for unrelated sampling. Where the assumptions of one-way ANOVA were not satisfied, the Kruskal Wallis test was used. The qualitative data obtained was subjected to descriptive analysis and content analysis. The results of humor climate revealed that positive humor types were mostly used in primary schools. The beneficial effect of humor used by administrators was higher than the negative effect on school and subordinates. Parallel to these results, the study observed that positive humor climate styles were predominant in schools.

Invasive species pose threats to either human health or inflict ecological and/or economic damage. The silver-cheeked toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus), a Lessepsian species, is one of the most harmful species in the Mediterranean Sea, because of its potent neurotoxin, impacts on marine biodiversity, and the increased costs and labor they inflict on fishers. Since the catch and consumption of this pufferfish is prohibited by almost all countries bordering the Mediterranean, they have now expanded into the entire Mediterranean and Black Sea. We performed a comprehensive study of L. sceleratus covering ecological aspects, growth, reproduction, diet and trophic level based on samples from southwestern coasts of Turkey. The estimated growth parameters were L8 = 88.7 cm, K = 0.27 year-1, C = 0.6 and WP = 0.1. Their sexratio was M/F = 1:0.69. Lagocephalus sceleratus appears to be a batch spawner with discontinuous oocyte recruitment and has different spawning seasons in the Eastern Mediterranean which seem to be based on temperature cues which get shorter in duration as one moves north from the Suez. We also report their first positive ecological trait, that they are controlling some other invasive species through their diets, such as lionfish, Red Sea goatfish, rabbitfish and longspine sea urchins, in addition to controlling themselves through cannibalism, which appears to be density-dependent. They are indeed a top predator in the region with a trophic level of 4.1. We suggest that targeted fishing using improved gear-types to reduce fishing gear damages are initiated, and that finding commercial markets for pufferfish could help to naturally fund ongoing control efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, the effects of science education using mobile augmented reality (MAR) application on students' attitudes toward science, technology, and their academic achievement were determined against two socioeconomic levels. The parallel pattern mixed method was used in the study. The research was carried out with 143 sixth-grade students from two schools with different socioeconomic levels in Turkey. The MAR application was used with the experimental groups. Quantitative data were collected through the "Science and Technology Attitude Scale" and "Systems Achievement Test." According to the ANCOVA results, it was observed that the MAR application used in the processing of the lessons was effective in improving the academic achievement levels of the students but not in attitudes toward science and technology. Results showed that the socioeconomic situation played an active role on the academic achievement of students but did not play an effective role on science and technology attitudes. The results of this research are important in determining the differences between students at different socioeconomic levels experiencing technology-supported systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to evaluate the opinions of social studies teacher candidates on use of biography in science, technology and social change course given in the undergraduate program of social studies education. In this regard, convergent parallel design as a mixed research pattern was used to make use of both qualitative and quantitative data. A single-group pretest-posttest experimental pattern and a semi-structured interview form with three sections were used respectively for quantitative and qualitative data. The study group consists of 49 students receiving undergraduate education in the 2nd grade of Bartin University Faculty of Education Department of Primary Education--Social Studies Teaching. From quantitative point of view, a statistically significant difference was observed between the pretest and posttest results of the performed application. On the basis of gender variable, no significant difference was found between the opinions of male and female students on use of biography in science, technology and social change course. Qualitative results of the application indicate that the use of biography makes a positive contribution to the course, increases the level of permanent learning, and helps to teach the course materials in a more entertaining and attractive way, while limitations such as the questionable objectivity of references also exist, in addition to other issues such as availability of visuals and works.

This study aimed to detect any relationship that may exist between classroom teacher candidates' class participation and their attention levels. The research method was a convergent parallel design, mixing quantitative and qualitative research techniques, and the study group was composed of 21 freshmen studying in the Classroom Teaching Department at Usak University, Faculty of Education, in the autumn term of the 2014-2015 academic year. As a data collection instrument, NeuroSky's Mindset EEG equipment was used to detect the students' attention levels, with video-recording being used to detect their class participation. The data obtained were analysed using the PYTHON and MATLAB package programs. The findings showed that, according to the eSense metric, students' level attention was averagely natural (43) as it was stated. The study concluded that there existed a moderate, positive correlation between students' attention levels and class participation.