ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Uncovering the Reasons of EFL Teachers&apos; Unwillingness and Demotivation towards Being More Assessment Literate
Author: Olmezer Ozturk, Elcin
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Teacher Motivation,Assessment Literacy,Teacher Attitudes,Language Tests,Foreign Countries

The current study investigates the reasons of EFL teachers' unwillingness and demotivation towards being more assessment literate. 19 EFL teachers working in the preparatory programs of various state universities took part in the study, and the data were collected via semi-structured interviews. Those 19 teachers were deliberately chosen from 27 teachers based on their negative utterances towards being more assessment literate in relation to the aim of the current study. The data obtained from the utterances of the participants with respect to two interview questions were transcribed, coded and labelled according to the recurrent and common themes according to the qualitative content scheme of Creswell (2012). The findings revealed that why the participating teachers were unwilling and demotivated to be more assessment literate resulted from five factors; a) seeing language assessment as an extra burden, b) the presence of testing office and materials, c) language assessment as an anxiety-provoking factor, d) institutional factors and e) rarity of ways to improve oneself. Apart from shedding light on the unwillingness and demotivation of teachers to learn more about assessment, this study also comes up with implications for language teachers and research suggestions in relation to the findings of the study.
Teacher Competences for Teaching English as a Foreign Language in the First Educational Cycle of Primary Education
Author: Dagarin-Fojkar, Mateja
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Second Language Instruction,Teacher Competencies,Language Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Primary Education,Teacher Attitudes,Linguistic Competence,Cultural Awareness,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Multilingualism

Foreign language teaching in the Slovenian educational context begins in the first grade (age 6). Many studies report a lack of qualified teachers at this stage of learning around the world and numerous authors emphasise the misconception that basic linguistic and didactic knowledge of teachers is sufficient for teaching children. All three Slovenian public universities are aware of this problem and offer pre-service and in-service programmes for (student) teachers who want to specialise in teaching English to young learners. In the present article, we focus on the subject-specific teacher competences for teaching English in the first three years of primary education; namely, linguistic, subject didactic and intercultural competences. We explore teachers' self-assessment of these competences and their perception of certain elements pertaining to them. The study seeks to answer the following research questions: (1) What subject-specific competences do teachers consider essential for teaching English in the first cycle of primary education? (2) To what extent do teachers believe they have developed certain subject-specific competences? (3) What are teachers' attitudes toward certain subject-specific competences that the teacher needs for teaching English in the first cycle of primary education? The results of the quantitative survey, in which 100 teachers participated, show that teachers perceive their subject didactic competence to be the most developed and their intercultural competence to be the least developed. Moreover, they consider that a basic level of English is not sufficient for teaching English in the first grades.
The Use of Exploratory Graph Analysis to Validate Trust in Relationships Scale
Author: Avcu, Akif
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Trust (Psychology),Interpersonal Relationship,Factor Analysis,Psychometrics,Network Analysis,Likert Scales,Test Validity,Test Reliability

Today, various methods have been developed with a purpose to determine the number of factors underlying a construct. However, there is no definitive agreement on which techniques to be preferred to extract the underlying dimensions. To this end, Exploratory Graphical Analysis (EGA), a recently proposed method, has been compared with traditional methods and the results have revealed that the EGA is less affected from conditions like sample size and interdimensional correlation. Besides, it provides more stable results across different conditions. Considering the attractive opportunities it offers, this method has taken its place in the literature as a remarkable alternative to traditional methods. The EGA provides unique outputs compared to other factor extraction techniques. Considering this, interpreting the results obtained within this new and promising framework is assumed to contribute to validation studies. Based on this reality, this study aims to apply the EGA method to Trust in Relations Scale (TRS) and therefore to contribute to its validity. The investigation of TRS's reliability and validity has already been documented, presenting research opportunities to researchers in the field of positive psychology. The results revealed that, the EGA produces dimensionality structures identical to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). In addition, further psychometrical indicators within the framework of network analysis are provided. The findings of the study are believed to contribute to the validity of the already existing Trust in Relationships Scale.
Investigation of Measurement Invariance of State Test Anxiety Scale
Author: Selvi, Huseyin
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Factor Analysis,Test Anxiety,Test Validity,Gender Differences,Social Differences,Foreign Countries,Cognitive Processes,Physiology

In this study, it was aimed to examine the measurement invariance of State Test Anxiety Scale and its sub-dimensions developed by Sahin (2019) in terms of different variables. For this purpose, data were collected from a total of 956 university students studying in different faculties. The measurement invariance of the scale was examined by multi-group confirmatory factor analysis in terms of gender, faculty and socioeconomic level variables. In the study, the measurement model was established for 22 items and three components of the state anxiety test scale (cognitive, psychosocial and physiological) and tested for configural, metric, scalar and strict equivalence by considering the hierarchical principle in terms of gender, faculty and socioeconomic level variables. The findings showed that Configural equivalence was provided for all dimensions except the cognitive and physiological subscales for the socioeconomic status variable. On the other hand, metric equivalence was achieved in cognitive, psychosocial and physiological dimensions for the gender variable. Metric equivalence was achieved in Cognitive dimension for faculty variable. And for the socioeconomic status variable, it was provided only for the scale as a whole. Scalar and strict equivalence conditions were not met by any of the variables examined in the study.
Examining the Invariance of a Measurement Model of Teachers&apos; Awareness and Exposure Levels to Nanoscience by Using the Covariance Structure Approach
Author: Tan, Seref
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Teachers,Teacher Characteristics,Structural Equation Models,Measures (Individuals),Gender Differences,High School Teachers,High Schools,Institutional Characteristics,Biology,Physics,Chemistry,Goodness of Fit

The main aim of this study is to examine the measurement invariance of the structural equating model constructed on the Awareness and Exposure subscales of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Awareness Scale (NSTAS) test for three teacher branches, three school types, and two genders by using the covariance structural analysis to test configural and metric invariances. The other aim of this study is showing how to use the IBM AMOS-24 software package with examples to address the issue of measurement invariance using the covariance structural analysis approach. Study sample was 1039 complete records gathered from science teachers with convenience sampling. Research data were collected in two stages. In the first stage, data were obtained from 624 teachers who participated to the study in the 2015-16 academic year. In the second stage, data were obtained in 2019 from 415 teachers via a link to access to the scale and all the instructions for the NSTAS in 2019. The covariance structures analysis was used to examine the measurement invariance of the scale. The comparative fit index was used to compare the measurement invariance in the measurement model. The study revealed that configural, measurement weight and structural covariance invariances were ensured for branches, school types and genders. Residual invariance was ensured only for gender. As a result, it was concluded that the NSTAS scale was not biased for teacher branches, school types or gender. NSTAS scale is recommended for the purposes of comparing branch, school type and gender groups. [Paper presented at the International Congress on Measurement and Evaluation in Education and Psychology (6th, Prizren, Kosovo, September 5-8, 2018).]
The Characteristics of Mathematical Literacy Based on Students&apos; Executive Function
Author: Kusuma, Dani
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Executive Function,Problem Solving,Numeracy,Mathematics Skills,Critical Thinking,Grade 8,Junior High School Students,Foreign Countries,Achievement Tests,International Assessment,Mathematics Tests,Student Attitudes,Mathematics Achievement

Literacy ability is an individual's ability to reason, formulate, solve, and interpret mathematically to solve problems related to daily life. Executive function is a cognitive aspect that has a relation with mathematical literacy. One of some aspects that affects the low mathematical literacy ability is the aspect of executive function. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of mathematical literacy based on the executive function aspects of 15 years old students. A qualitative method with a descriptive approach is employed in this study. The present research applies interview guidelines, questionnaires, and students' mathematical literacy tests as the instruments. Research subjects are junior high school students in grade VIII from two different schools. The result shows that the students' executive function influences mathematical literacy ability. Students' mathematical literacy ability is not fully achieved by fulfilling all the indicators involved. Another aspect found in the research is the low critical thinking ability impacts the achievement of mathematical literacy ability indicators.
High School Students&apos; Use of Digital General Resources during Lockdown
Author: Lemmo, Alice
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: High School Students,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,COVID-19,Pandemics,Student Attitudes,Expectation,Instructional Program Divisions,Foreign Countries,Mathematics Instruction,Educational Media

There is not a large body of literature about digital resources found and accessed autonomously by high school students while studying mathematics, whereas this topic has become more and more relevant in times of lockdown due to the pandemic. Italy has been one of the first countries facing lockdown for an extended time, making this country a paradigmatic example: in this paper we investigate what kind of digital resources are accessed by the Italians high school students who actually use them and why. According to our results, students' aims and expectations vary according to the school grade, but are not as much devoted to procedural learning as previous literature has shown. Also, we observe that the type of searched media (text, video, image, etc.) is related to the mathematical contents and to students' objectives.
The Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Attitudes to Fertility and Childbearing Scale (AFCS)
Author: Goral Turkcu, Sinem
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Validity,Test Reliability,Turkish,Foreign Countries,Attitudes,Child Rearing,Factor Analysis,Females,Adults

This study, a descriptive and methodological type of research, was conducted to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish adaptation of the Attitudes to Fertility and Childbearing Scale (AFCS), developed by Söderberg et al. (2015). The sample of this study consisted of 224 women who had not given birth yet and who were between the ages of 20-30. The scale is a Likert-type measuring instrument consisting of 21 items, in three dimensions. Internal consistency analyses were conducted to determine its reliability. After confirming the linguistic validity, expert opinions were obtained for the content validity. Furthermore, the Item Content Validity Index (I-CVI) and the Scale Content Validity Index (S-CVI) were used to assess its content validity. The construct validity was performed using confirmatory factor analysis. As a result of the confirmatory factor analysis carried out for the construct validity, a three-factor structure of the scale was found to have a good level of model fitness indices (RMSEA=0.067, SRMR=0.075, CFI=0.96). As a result of the scale reliability analysis, the internal consistency coefficient was found to be 0.82 for the total scale and internal consistency reliability coefficients of the sub-scales were found to be 0.93 for the &quot;importance of fertility for the future&quot; sub-scale, 0.87 for the &quot;childbearing as a hindrance at present&quot; sub-scale, and 0.81 for the &quot;social identity&quot; sub-scale. AFCS is a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used to measure the fertility and childbearing attitudes of women in a fertile age.
Investigating Invariant Item Ordering in Intelligence Tests: Mokken Scale Analysis of KBIT-2
Author: Ozberk, Eren Halil
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Intelligence Tests,Nonparametric Statistics,Test Items,Test Construction,Scaling,Item Response Theory,Foreign Countries

The Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test--Second Edition (KBIT-2) is designed to measure verbal and nonverbal abilities in a wide range of individuals from 4 years 0 months to 90 years 11 months of age. This study examines both the advantages of using Mokken Scale Analysis (MSA) in intelligence tests and the hierarchical order of the items in the KBIT-2: Turkish form by estimating the parameters of each of the three subtests by testing the dimensionality of the KBIT2 subtests by using the Invariant Item Ordering (IIO) assumptions. 2850 people participated in the study, including children, adolescents, and adults. Participants' ages varied from 48 months (4 years 0 months) to 539 months (44 years 11 months). Automated Item Selection Procedure (AISP) was applied for the assessment of unidimensionality under three different lower bounds as 0.30, 0.40, and 0.55. The items of all three subtests formed a unidimensional scale. Backward Item Selection (BIS) procedure detected seven items in the Matrices and 17 items in the Verbal Knowledge, while six items in the Riddles subtest violated the IIO criteria. KBIT-2: Reliability values obtained using MSA analysis show that all three subtests have a high degree of internal consistency. However, care should be taken when IIO assumptions do not fit the intelligence scales in the original form.
The Unit Testlet Dilemma: PISA Sample
Author: Ayan, Cansu
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,International Assessment,Secondary School Students,Achievement Tests,Test Items,Test Format,Item Response Theory,Science Tests,Mathematics Tests,Item Analysis,Goodness of Fit,Ambiguity (Semantics),Comparative Analysis

Testlets have advantages such as making it possible to measure higher-order thinking skills and saving time, which are accepted in the literature. For this reason, they have often been preferred in many implementations from in-class assessments to large-scale assessments. Because of increased usage of testlets, the following questions are controversial topics to be studied: &quot;Is it enough for the items to share a common stem to be assumed as a testlet?&quot; &quot;Which estimation method should be preferred in implementation containing this type of items?&quot; &quot;Is there an alternative estimation method for PISA implementation which consists of this type of items?&quot; In addition to these, which statistical model to use for the estimations of the items, since they violate the local independence assumption has become a popular topic of discussion. In light of these discussions this study aimed to clarify the unit-testlet ambiguity with various item response theory models when testlets consist of a mixed item type (dichotomous and polytomous) for the science and math tests of the PISA 2018. When the findings were examined, it was seen that while the bifactor model fits the data best, the uni-dimensional model fits quite closely with the bifactor model for both data sets (science and math). On the other hand, the multi-dimensional IRT model has the weakest model fit for both test types. In line with all these findings, the methods used when determining the testlet items were discussed and estimation suggestions were made for implementations using testlets, especially PISA.
A Comparative Study of Formulaic Expressions in Textbooks of Turkish as a Foreign Language = Yabancilara Türkçe ögretimi ders kitaplarindaki kalipsözlerin karsilastirmali incelenmesi
Author: Arslan, Nahide
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Textbooks,Textbook Content,Turkish,Second Language Instruction,Language Usage,Cultural Influences,Language Patterns,Speech Acts,Workbooks

The aim of this study was to examine, in a comparative way, formulaic expressions used in textbooks of Turkish as a foreign language and to determine in which contexts and how often they are included in these textbooks. Survey model was used to obtain data from three textbooks of Turkish as a foreign. Formulaic expressions in these books were collected then analyzed in terms of their structural, functional, semantic and contextual features. 193 expressions that met criteria of being formulaic expressions were determined as sub-categories in the textbooks and workbooks and linked to 21 speech acts that were grouped as main categories. Results showed that textbooks may have difficulties in providing a balanced representation of interrelated formulaic expressions, a number of formulaic expressions cannot be included in textbooks although they are frequently used in everyday life and informational contents about speech acts and formulaic expressions in textbooks can be represented being carried into workbooks but they are not reinforced as they are less used in workbooks. Based on these results, suggestions were made both for authors of future textbooks and workbooks of Turkish as a foreign language and authors of future studies concerning formulaic expressions and Turkish as a foreign language.
A Study on Preservice Teachers&apos; Academic Self-Efficacy = Ögretmen adaylarinin akademik öz yeterliklerinin incelenmesi
Author: Saracoglu, Gülçin Kezban
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Self Efficacy,Foreign Countries,College Freshmen,Preservice Teachers,Gender Differences,Intellectual Disciplines,High School Students,Correlation

The aim of this study was to explore if there is a significant difference between preservice teachers' academic self-efficacy perceptions and their gender, fields of study in high school and departments at their university. The study was carried out through descriptive survey model, one of quantitative research models. The sample of the study consisted of 653 freshmen preservice teachers in the Faculty of Education at Gazi University. Convenience sampling method was used in the study. Percentage, frequency, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, Kruskal-Wallis and t test were used in the analysis of the data collected via &quot;Academic Self-Efficacy Scale&quot;. Findings reveal that there is no significant difference between preservice teachers' academic self-efficacy levels and their gender, fields of study in high school and departments at their university. Findings also indicate that preservice teachers' academic self-efficacy levels are in &quot;partly sufficient&quot; range. [Paper presented at the International Curriculum and Instruction Congress (6th, Kars, Turkey, October 11-13, 2018).]
Development and Validation of a Professional Ethics Scale for Pre-Service Teachers = Ögretmen adaylarinin mesleki etik degerlerine yönelik bir ölçek gelistirme çalismasi
Author: Gelmez-Burakgazi, Sevinç
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Construction,Test Validity,Ethics,Preservice Teachers,Measures (Individuals),Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes,Factor Analysis,Test Reliability

The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to investigate Turkish pre-service teachers' perceptions of professional ethics in teaching. This survey research consisted of two studies. In study 1, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed in SPSS 23 in order to investigate the scale's factorial structure. Study 1 involved a convenience sample of 220 senior pre-service teachers studying at two Turkish public universities. The EFA yielded a single factor structure which accounted for 39.36% of the total variance and included 43 items. In study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted in LISREL 9.30 to test and confirm the unidimensional structure of the 43-item scale obtained in study 1 on a data set of 724 participants from four public universities. Overall, the results prove that this 43-item scale is a valid and reliable tool to test pre-service teachers' perceptions of professional ethics.
Problems and Solutions in Achieving Learning Outcomes of the 4th Grade Social Studies Curriculum = 4. sinif sosyal bilgiler ögretim programinda kazanimlara ulasmada yasanan sorunlar ve çözüm önerileri
Author: Bayir, Ömür Gürdogan
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grade 4,Elementary School Students,Social Studies,Elementary School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Social Problems,Consciousness Raising,Foreign Countries,Citizenship Education,Knowledge Level,Democratic Values,Individual Development,Cultural Awareness,Global Approach

The aim of this study was to determine the outcomes in which problems were encountered in terms of achievement and reveal these problems experienced in social studies instruction based on elementary school teachers' views. The study was designed in accordance with the mixed research method. A questionnaire was firstly administered to the elementary school teachers, and then semi-structured interviews were conducted. In the light of the findings, it was revealed that elementary school teachers experienced problems regarding certain course outcomes. These outcomes included: &quot;Students put themselves into the shoes of other individuals who have different characteristics&quot;; &quot;Students make inferences about the location of a place in their environment&quot;; &quot;Students do research about the inventors of the technological products they use and the development of these products in the course of time&quot;; &quot;Students generate ideas for designing unique products based on the needs in their environment&quot;; and &quot;Students use the resources around them without wasting.&quot;