ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Pre-Service Science and Technology Teachers' Mental Images of Science Teaching
Author: Duban, Nil Yildiz
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Instruction,Preservice Teachers,Constructivism (Learning),Student Teacher Attitudes,Check Lists,Predictor Variables,Gender Differences,Cohort Analysis,Teaching Styles,Conventional Instruction,Student Centered Curriculum,Imagery,Teaching Methods,Teaching Models,Freehand Drawing,Educational Practices,Foreign Countries

Problem Statement: The constructivist reorganization of the elementary education programs in Turkey has revealed the importance of training skilled teachers who are familiar with both constructivist theory and the educational programs. In this way, teachers can adapt to their new roles, learn how to guide students, and prepare the best learning environment. Therefore, the determination of the pre-service science and technology teachers' mental images of science teaching is assumed to provide great insight for the teacher training institutions into pre-service teachers' perceptions of the teaching profession and of their students. Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study is to determine the mental images of science teaching of the students of the Department of Science and Technology Education of Education Faculty at the University of Mersin and present the differences in their mental images in terms of certain variables. Methods: This study is based on descriptive methods, and the universe consists of students of the Department of Science and Technology Education of Education Faculty at the University of Mersin in 2009-2010. 113 students were randomly selected for this study. The Draw-A-Science-Teacher-Test Checklist (DASTT-C) is one of the tools that can be used to measure pre-service teachers' perceptions of teaching science. Variables such as gender and the year of study were covered in the sub-problems of the research. T-test and one way analysis of variance were carried out by using SPSS-15. Findings and Results: As a result of this study, it was found that 13.08% of the pre-service teachers of science and technology courses had student-centered images (exploratory teaching style), 62.62% had mental images positioned between student-centered science teaching and traditional science teaching (conceptual teaching style), and 24.30% had traditional science teaching images (explicit teaching style). Conclusions and Recommendations: In practical courses, such as school experience and teaching practice, pre-service teachers can be provided with opportunities to conduct observations and teach. Academic staff can act as a model by including student-centered activities in their courses.
An Exploratory Study Using Science eTexts with Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Author: Knight, Victoria F.
Date: 2015-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Autism,Pervasive Developmental Disorders,Science Instruction,Electronic Publishing,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Content Area Reading,Reading Comprehension,Teaching Methods,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Instructional Effectiveness,Vocabulary,Middle School Students,Fidelity,Training,Intervention

Supported electronic text (eText), or text altered to provide support, may promote comprehension of science content for students with disabilities. According to the Center for Applied Special Technology, Book Builder™ uses supported eText to promote reading for meaning for all students. Students with autism spectrum disorder experience difficulty comprehending science content because of the extensive amount of background knowledge required in conjunction with difficulties understanding abstract and figurative language. Investigations on the most effective methods for reading comprehension and teaching science to this population are equally limited. In this pilot study, feasibility was supported in high levels of treatment fidelity and teacher- and student-reported satisfaction. A multiple probe across participants with an embedded ABCD design was used to evaluate various modifications of Book Builder™ on measures of vocabulary, literal comprehension, and application questions. Considerations for students with ASD, limitations, and recommendations for future research conclude the article.
20th Century British Colonialism in Cyprus through Education
Author: Özmatyatli, Içim Özenli
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Political Socialization,Foreign Policy,Foreign Culture,Educational Policy,Educational Objectives,Curriculum Development,Educational Attitudes,Educational Experience,Qualitative Research,Interviews,Graduate Surveys,Elementary Secondary Education,Nationalism,Religious Education,Ethnic Stereotypes,Politics of Education,Political Power,Political Attitudes,Educational Administration,Older Adults,Comparative Analysis

Problem Statement: The island of Cyprus, due to its strategic location, was under the influence of many conquerors throughout the centuries. Cultural traces of these captors have survived to the present day. This long, turbulent history has had a profound effect on the Cypriot educational system, with the most recent influence being the impact of the British Administration during the 19th and 20th centuries. Purpose of Study: This article attempts to reveal the influence and consequences of British Colonial policies on education, focussing on curriculum and its aims in the 20th century. The emphasis is more on the opinion of the recipients of education concerning their experience with the education system and their perception of its success or failure rather than on the aims and goals as set by the administrators and educators. Methods: This study encompasses a qualitative research approach to gain in-depth data based on interviews of Turkish-Cypriots and Greek-Cypriots of different backgrounds who were students during the colonial times. The data regarding issues of primary and secondary school curriculum and its aims, nationalism and religion at schools, identity, and ties between the two communities and their &quot;motherlands&quot; was recorded, analysed thematically, and presented in detail. Findings and Results: By implementing sometimes extreme measures, the British followed the tactic of &quot;Divide and Rule&quot; which led the two communities to ethic division. The authors discern the trends of the British Colonial policies towards the establishment of a more British society, which was accomplished by influencing the educational and sociopolitical aspects of life on the island. Conclusions: The British educational policies helped both Turkish and Greek Cypriots to create ethno-nationalism, which inspired the subsequent resistance of both communities. Although it is apparent that Cypriots placed a high value on education, this development was confined only within the context of being Greek or Turkish. Indeed, it would appear that within a curricula context, for the most part, this served as a forum in which all parties sought to construct national identities. The cost remains to be seen.
Grade Level and Creativity
Author: Alacapinar, Füsun G.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Creativity,Qualitative Research,Elementary School Students,Foreign Countries,Scientific Research,Statistical Analysis,Focus Groups,Creative Thinking,Thinking Skills,Scores,Content Analysis,Gender Differences,Instructional Program Divisions,Age Differences,Skill Development

Problem Statement: Creativity has been addressed by many scientists and thinkers. Among them, Guilfort regards creativity as the ability to generate new ideas, and relates it to intelligence. According to Thurstone, creativity must develop and be implemented within a theoretical framework, and a solution must result. Torrance thinks of creativity as a scientific research process and sequences its steps. Purpose of Study: This study was conducted to explore whether significant differences in average fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration, and total scores of students are observable on the basis of class level or gender, to determine whether a primary school curriculum that has been implemented for 6 years has significantly improved the creative thinking skills of students. Methods: The quantitative and qualitative methods were applied in the study. To this end, 172 students from grades 3 to 8 attending a primary school in Çankaya District of Ankara were selected randomly. Descriptive data analysis was conducted on the qualitative data. The data gathered from focus groups were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings and Results: Significant differences were found in average fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration, and total scores of classes. Fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration, and total scores of the 5th graders were the highest compared to other classes. On the other hand, the 6th grade students' scores were the lowest. Fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration and total scores increased from the 3rd to the 5th grade, but declined to their lowest levels in the 6th year. Scores increase once more in the 7th grade, only to fall again in the 8th grade. Conclusions and Recommendations: Significant differences were found in average fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration and total scores with respect to class levels and gender. These findings are also supported by the outcomes of some other studies. It is stressed that there is a significant relation between class level, gender, and creativity. The significant difference exhibited by the 5th grade students in terms of four areas and total creativity scores can be explained by the fact that their ideas and products related to creativity enjoyed the support of their friends, families, and teachers. In order to improve children's creative thinking, teachers and the parents should be supported by further training programs.
Comparison of Two Instructional Strategies for Students with Autism to Read Sight Words
Author: Akçin, Nur
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Autism,Literacy Education,Reading Skills,Teaching Methods,Reading Instruction,Sight Vocabulary,Comparative Analysis,Instructional Effectiveness,Stimuli,Delay of Gratification,Early Adolescents,Intervention,Generalization,Special Schools,Foreign Countries,Visual Stimuli,Reinforcement,Motivation,Training,Cues,Maintenance

Problem Statement: Literacy skills are extremely important for all individuals, especially children with autism, because these skills provide a channel for educational assessment and learning as well as enhance vocational opportunities, promote self-expression, and facilitate independent living. Some individuals with autism cannot acquire academic literacy skills, though they can acquire the functional literacy skills that are essential for them to live, work and participate in social life. Word reading is the first step of functional literacy instruction. Previous studies in literature have compared the effectiveness of constant time-delay and stimulus fading procedures within sight word reading instruction. These studies included participants with mild and moderate mental retardation. However, it is surprising that there are so few similar studies conducted among individuals with autism. In addition, existing studies have revealed that teachers lack the specific information and skills necessary to teach literacy skills to individuals with autism. This study will contribute to literature comparing the effectiveness and efficiency of constant time-delay and stimulus fading strategies in teaching students with autism to read sight words. Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of constant time-delay and stimulus fading strategies in assisting three students with autism to read sight words. Methods: Participants were three students with autism, ranging in age from 12 to 14. A five-word set was determined for each teaching strategy, and both sets were taught to the participants. The teachers and mothers of the participants were interviewed before selecting the target words. An adapted alternating-treatments design was used to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of constant time-delay and stimulus fading strategies for students with autism to read sight words. Inter-observer and procedural reliability data were collected. Findings and Results: Target words were acquired by students during the intervention sessions. All three participants were able to generalize reading these target words through the materials of different writing styles, font sizes and letter styles (upper- and lower-cases). Permanent effects of the instructional procedures were observed in maintenance sessions. Conclusions and Recommendations: The results indicated that both strategies were effective; however, the constant time-delay strategy was more efficient in terms of the number of trials required to achieve performance criterion.
Application of Computerized Adaptive Testing to Entrance Examination for Graduate Studies in Turkey
Author: Bulut, Okan
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Adaptive Testing,Computer Assisted Testing,College Entrance Examinations,Graduate Students,Delivery Systems,High Stakes Tests,Computer Simulation,Item Response Theory,Academic Ability,Test Items,Program Implementation,Program Effectiveness,Feasibility Studies,Test Length,Test Reliability,Test Validity,Evaluation Criteria,Correlation,Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis

Problem Statement: Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) is a sophisticated and efficient way of delivering examinations. In CAT, items for each examinee are selected from an item bank based on the examinee's responses to the items. In this way, the difficulty level of the test is adjusted based on the examinee's ability level. Instead of administering very long tests, CAT can estimate examinees' ability levels with a small number of items. A number of operational testing programs have implemented CAT during the last decade. However, CAT hasn't been applied to any operational test in Turkey, where there are several standardized assessments taken by millions of people every year. Therefore, this study investigates the applicability of CAT to a high-stakes test in Turkey. Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study is to examine the applicability of CAT procedure to the Entrance Examination for Graduate Studies (EEGS), which is used in selecting students for graduate programs in Turkish universities. Methods: In this study, post-hoc simulations were conducted using real responses from examinees. First, all items in EEGS were calibrated using the three-parameter item response theory (IRT) model. Then, ability estimates were obtained for all examinees. Using the item parameters and responses to EEGS, post-hoc simulations were run to estimate abilities in CAT. Expected A Posteriori (EAP) method was used for ability estimation. Test termination rule was standard error of measurement for estimated abilities. Findings and Results: The results indicated that CAT provided accurateability estimates with fewer items compared to the paper-pencil format of EEGS. Correlations between ability estimates from CAT and the real administration of EEGS were found to be 0.93 or higher under all conditions. Average number of items given in CAT ranged from 9 to 22. The number of items given to the examinees could be reduced by up to 70%. Even with a high SEM termination criterion, CAT provided very reliable ability estimates. EAP was the best method among several ability estimates methods (e.g., MAP, MLE, etc.). Conclusions and Recommendations: CAT can be useful in administering EEGS. With a large item bank, EEGS can be administered to examinees in a reliable and efficient way. The use of CAT can help to minimize the cost of the test since test booklets, examinee response sheets, etc. won't be needed anymore. It can also help to prevent cheating during the test.
The Effect of Personality on Cyberbullying among University Students in Turkey
Author: Çelik, Serkan
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Bullying,Computer Mediated Communication,Mental Health,Well Being,Victims,Student Surveys,Personality Traits,Correlation,Distance Education,Conventional Instruction,Comparative Analysis,Models,Goodness of Fit,Effect Size,Predictor Variables,Multivariate Analysis,Gender Differences

Problem Statement: Cyberbullying is associated with significant psychological issues among young people such as depression, emotional distress, low self-esteem, and poor academic achievement. It is also regarded as an increasingly emergent problem in educational settings, putting learners' psychological health, safety, and well-being at risk. Recent research has shown that a growing number of students are victims of cyberbullying and a wider realization and a thorough understanding of cyberbullying is needed. Purpose of the Study: This survey-based study set out to explore the relationship between personality traits and cyberbullying among university students receiving education through either face-to-face or distance education modes. Methods: A sectional research design and correlation survey method was adopted throughout the study. As a causal and comparative study, the dependent variable was set as cyberbullying (actively bullying others and/or being bullied) and the independent variable included five personality types. A path model was developed and tested in order to investigate the effects of learning modes and aforementioned personality types on two levels of cyberbullying. Findings and Results: The good fit indexes belonging to the model indicated acceptable conditions and capacity for explaining the relations among the variables. Emotional instability was observed as the leading predictor of being cyberbullied with a medium effect size. On the other hand, the weakest predictor of being bullied was found to be openness to experience with a minor level negative effect size. The developed model was observed to be valid for both face-to-face and distance education learning modes. In addition, a positive and medium level relationship between bullying and being exposed to bullying was observed. Ward's hierarchical cluster analysis conducted on the points obtained from the cyberbullying scale revealed that the majority of the group rarely bullies and is rarely exposed to cyberbullying. Conclusions and Recommendations: This study contributes to the extant literature on bullying in a few conceptual areas. For instance, few research studies have examined the bullying issue in the tertiary context and through learning modes. The current investigation was limited by using a single data set to conduct all analyses. Further research is recommended to involve various variables such as cross-cultural effects on cyberbullying.
Is My Social Studies Teacher Democratic?
Author: Kiroglu, Kasim
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Studies,Democratic Values,Teaching Methods,Justice,Ethics,Citizen Participation,Freedom,Teacher Responsibility,Teacher Behavior,Elementary School Teachers,Measures (Individuals),Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Student Relationship,Elementary School Students,Foreign Countries,Data Analysis

Problem Statement: Democracy and education are two concepts that influence, transform, and improve each other in time. In this sense, we could talk about a symbiotic relationship between democracy and education. The social studies teacher himself or herself must primarily be tolerant towards the class, respect both students and fellow teachers, cooperate with all when needed, and then expect such behavior of the students. This is certainly not the sole responsibility of social studies teachers but a collective responsibility incumbent on all teachers. However, a teacher who is teaching the concept of democracy in class is obviously burdened with more responsibility in this context. It is therefore crucial that both the students and the teacher know the extent to which fairness, justice, freedom, and participation are actually practiced in the classroom. If a person's self-concerning remarks are to be taken as significant and realistic, they need to be corroborated by others. In other words, a social studies teacher's declaration &quot;I am democratic&quot; gains significance only if their students, too, declare, &quot;Yes, our teacher is democratic.&quot; Purpose of the Study: This study aims to reveal the extent to which social studies teachers' behaviors are democratic in the classroom. Method: The democratic behaviors of social studies teachers in primary school classrooms were assessed by means of two scales (teacher form and student form) developed by the researcher. The arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and t-test were used in the data analysis for comparable results of teacher (N: 194) and student (N: 1712) views. Findings: The in-class democratic behaviors of social studies teachers in public primary schools are considered in four dimensions, i.e., freedom, equality, justice, and participation. According to the results of this study, social studies teachers' perceptions of their democratic behaviors in the classroom are not shared by their students, as far as the freedom, equality, justice and participation dimensions of the research is concerned. Conclusion: When we look at the results of this study, we cannot miss the dichotomy between the perceptions of teachers and those of the students. While social studies teachers claim to apply the core dimensions of democracy to real life, their students claim otherwise. The students who participated in this survey responded that their teachers did not do their share when it came to the free expression of opinions, equal treatment, consideration of their differences, acceptance as they are, fair treatment, and encouraging student participation in the class.