Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research (EPASR - E-Journal)
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Evaluation of Teachers Motivation and Curriculum Autonomy Levels
Get PDFThe aim of this research is to evaluate teachers motivation and curriculum autonomy levels. The research is quantitative and descriptive and designed according to the survey model. The sample of the research consisted of 340 teachers who have been reached by simple random sampling method who have been worked in public primary and secondary schools in Istanbul. Motivation Scale developed by Gagné, Forest, Gilbert, Aube, Morin, and Malorni (2010) and adapted into Turkish by Çevik and Köse (2017) has been used to determine teachers motivation levels. Teachers curriculum autonomy levels have been determined with The Teacher Autonomy Scale developed by Yolcu (2019). According to the research results, teachers motivation and curriculum autonomy levels are high. It has been examined whether the motivation and curriculum autonomy levels of teachers differ significantly according to the variables gender, professional seniority, educational status and the number of projects participated in professional life. It has been found that the levels of motivation differ significantly according to gender and the levels of curriculum autonomy differ according to number of projects participated in professional life. Finally, the research has revealed that there is a medium-level, positive and significant relationship between teachers motivation and curriculum autonomy levels
Preservice Classroom Teachers%252339%253B Applications of Science Experiments with Cooperative Learning Model%253A A Mixed Design Research
No full textThis study aimed to determine the effect of a cooperative learning model (CLM) on preservice classroom teachers attitudes towards science experiments. The sample consisted of 45 students in the department of primary education of the faculty of education of a public university in the 2017-2018 academic year. The sample was divided into two groups%253A experimental (n%253D24) and control (n%253D21). The experimental group received an education based on a CLM, while the control group received an education based on the conventional method specified by the curriculum. The study employed a mixed research design and consisted of two parts%253A quantitative and qualitative. In the quantitative part, an semi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was used. In the qualitative part, phenomenology was used. The quantitative data were collected using the Scale of Attitudes Towards Science Experiments (SATSE) and analyzed using a t-test. The qualitative data were collected using an interview questionnaire and analyzed using content analysis. The experimental group had a significantly higher mean SATSE score than the controls. The experimental group also had a higher mean posttest than pretest SATSE score, which was statistically insignificant. The control group had a significantly lower mean posttest than pretest SATSE score. Content analysis showed that the CLM improved some participants attitudes towards science experiments. They were more interested in science experiments and enjoyed participating in them more, and believed that the CLM made science experiments fun and easier to understand. However, some other participants stated that the CLM did not affect their attitudes towards science experiments
Investigating Relationship Between Democratic Attitudes and Social Justice Beliefs of Pre-Service Teachers
Get PDFThe number of studies that evaluate and discuss the concepts of democracy and social justice in Turkey from the perspective teacher training, education policies and practices is extremely limited. Thus, the present study attempts to determine democratic attitudes and social justice beliefs of pre-service teachers and whether these variables differ based on gender, age, family income level, and parental education level variables. The present study also aims to test the relation between the democratic attitudes and social justice beliefs of pre-service teachers using structural equation model. 483 pre-service teachers were included in the study sample. According to the study findings, it was concluded that democratic attitudes and social justice beliefs of pre-service teachers are medium level and these variables does not differ based on demographic variables. It was also identified that the democratic attitudes of pre-service teachers are significant determinant of their social justice beliefs. The concepts of democracy and social justice were discussed in depth as regards teacher education policies, programs and practices, and recommendations are provided for future implications
Good to Have an Ambitious Ranking Policy, but How about the Realities%253F Analysing the Ranking Goals for an Emerging Higher Education Hub
Get PDFWithin the global higher education structure, many nations have followed various strategies to become one of popular destinations for international students. Similarly, employing national strategy focusing on internationalisation, Turkey achieved to become an emerging regional hub as the tenth most popular destination for international students. Then, as its new national goal, Turkey recently announced ranking targets at the end of 2019 to have universities in the global top 100 until 2023. Therefore, Turkeys national targets present a suitable case to determine the areas of priority that are need for development and improvement in selected universities by comparing the input-output status of Turkish universities with its international competitors. Benefitting from their ranking scores and website reports, financial and human resources and scientific performance of designated universities were compared to be able to evaluate the attainability of these challenging ranking goals. The results revealed that although financial power is critical for examined universities, without talented research-workforce no chance to seriously improve ranking performance for any university. Considering its mid-profile to attract well-known international researchers, it seems Turkey as well as other emerging economies have to raise their own stars. Possible recommendations were then discussed to expedite universities ranking performance
Adaptation of the Perceived Self Efficacy Toward STEM Knowledge Survey into Turkish
Get PDFThis study aimed to adapt the Perceived Self Efficacy toward STEM Knowledge Survey, developed by Lee, Hsu, and Chang (2019), into Turkish to measure teachers%252339%253B self-efficacy perceptions regarding STEM education. For this purpose, validity and reliability analyzes of the survey were made. Participants were 204 in-service teachers who were working in different branches and from various cities in Turkey. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to investigate whether the survey showed a similar structure with six factors and 30 items as the original version. The study findings showed that the adapted survey consisted of six factors, namely, scientific inquiry, technology use, engineering design, mathematical thinking, and synthesized knowledge of STEM and attitudes toward STEM education. Also, the t-test results of 30 items in the survey were found to be significant. The Cronbach%252339%253Bs Alpha reliability coefficient was calculated as .972. The results demonstrated that the Turkish version of the Perceived Self Efficacy toward STEM Knowledge survey consisting of 6 factors and 30 items was a valid and reliable measurement tool
Analysing the Role of External Policy Interventions in Explaining the Trend of School Educators Intrinsic Motivation
Get PDFThis study investigated the role of external policy interventions in explaining the trend of school educators professional intrinsic motivation. Through the explanatory sequential design of the mixed study, we first described the trend in the intrinsic motivation of a total of 1 470 school educators between 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 by four-legged cross-sectional sub-studies. Then, we collected retrospective narrative data to give meaning the trend. We analyzed the data by descriptive statistics (F and Ƞsup2%253B tests) and content analysis. At the end of the study, we found out a negative significant trend in educators intrinsic motivation as the years progressed. Past experiences of educators indicated the meaningful role of external policy interventions in generating this trend
Effect of the Physical Education and Sport Classes on the Physical Capacity of Children with Special Educational Needs
Get PDFIn this study was to determine the impact of physical education and sports lesson on the physical capacity of children with special eğitime needs and on this basis to outline the main directions for of educational process in secondary schools. Totally, 67 students region Kars in the of Turkey from 22 secondary education school participated in this study. They divided into groups according to their gender and health status%253B children with normal physical and mental development (24 boys, 18 girls%253B control group) and children with special education needs (15 boys, 10 girls%253B experimental group). Children%252339%253Bs height, weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) were used a standard methodology, a manual dynamometer to measure the strength of the upper limb and a test battery to determine their physical capacity. Regarding inclusive education, questionnaires were collected from physical education teachers. Results were compared with the total sample and between the two target groups. According to the findings of the research, when the change in physical capacity characteristics of boys and girls with and without special education needs is examined%253B Sprint 20 m, Hand Dynamometer - appropriate upper limb, Dynamometry - Inappropriate upper limb, Throwing a thick ball, Jumping to length, Crunches, 400 m running, Depth of inclination, after the experiment%253B although it has different effects on the physical capacities of children with cognitive, hearing and vision problems, it has not statistically significant compared to the groups In order to develop the physical capacity of children with special educational needs, physical education and sports lesson activities should be increased, and new models should be developed. Limitations, suggestions for future research and implications for practice are discussed
The Impact of Digital Storytelling on the Academic Achievement and Democratic Attitude of Primary School Students
Get PDFThe aim of this study is to explore the impact of digital storytelling (DST) on the academic achievement and democratic attitude of 4th-grade primary school students and to reveal their experiences in the DST process. The study was conducted with a mixed-method approach. The quantitative part of the study adopted a pretest and posttest quasi-experimental design with 30 students. In the qualitative part of the study, two focus group interviews were carried out with 15 students in the experimental group. The quantitative data was collected through an academic achievement test and a democratic attitude scale. The qualitative data was obtained through two focus group interviews. Descriptive analysis, t-test, and qualitative content analysis were used for evaluating data. Results revealed that the students in the experimental group performed significantly better than the students in the control group in terms of academic achievement and democratic attitude. Focus group interviews highlighted that DST is effective in promoting constructivist learning and lack of experience is the biggest problem in the DST proces
The Analysis of the Relationship Between Internet Addiction and Loneliness in Science and Art Education Center (Bilsem) Students
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between internet addiction and loneliness levels of the gifted high school students studying at the Turkish Science and Education Center%253B the relationship analysis is carried out on the basis of different variables. As the goal is to present the current situation, descriptive survey model is preferred and used in the study. Internet addiction scale and UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Loneliness Scale are used as data collection tools. Unrelated groups t-test is used while analyzing the obtained data to determine if there is a meaningful difference between internet addiction and the variables. Kruskal Wallis H test and Mann Whitney-U test are preferred to see if there is a meaningful difference between the UCLA loneliness scale and the variables. At the end of the research process, it is found that the gifted high school students studying at the Science and Art Education Center didnt have internet addiction%253B however, according to the findings, they experience a high level of loneliness. Finally, according to the findings of the research study, the variables of gender, daily internet use period, and parents education level didnt cause any meaningful difference in the internet addiction level and in the loneliness state of the gifted students
Civics Education in Higher Education%253A Project Citizen Sample
No full textProject Citizen is an interdisciplinary curriculum for students, youth organizations, and adult groups that encourages citizens competent and responsible participation in local and state governments in about 35 countries worldwide. In this article, based on an example of Project Citizen activities done with university students, the application stages were examined, and the opinions of the students who applied were analyzed. The research was carried out with 38 students studying at the education faculty of a university in the United States during the 2018-2019 academic year. In the study, the projects prepared by the students in the activities were analyzed with the qualitative analysis program MAXQDA. As a result of the research, it was observed that the students needed comprehensive and detailed information at the beginning stage of Project Citizen, the projects they produced generally consisted of problems in their own lives, and they had the most difficulties in the public policy section while preparing projects. However, they found the project production process effective, efficient, and enjoyable