Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research (EPASR - E-Journal)
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Social Presence Techniques and Strategies in a Blended Course%253A Student Satisfaction and Suggestions
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to determine student satisfaction and suggestions for social presence techniques and strategies in a blended course. Phenomenological research design was used in the study. Participants of this study were 22 senior undergraduate students at a public university in Turkey. A blended course was offered to students, including both face-to-face and online elements. An online course, including techniques for establishing social presence, was designed and developed in the Moodle learning management system (LMS). Adobe Connect was used for online live lessons. Techniques and strategies used in the study included course orientation videos, audio-visual meetings, providing frequent and detailed feedback, limiting class size, using sense of humor, using emoticons, addressing students by name, sharing personal stories and experiences, expressing agreement or disagreement, asking questions and inviting responses, and giving greetings. Students attended the course, which lasted a term. After the course, a form with open-ended questions was administered to the 22 students. A focus group interview was then performed with seven student volunteers. In the analysis of this qualitative data, descriptive and content analysis techniques were used. According to the findings, students were highly satisfied with the course. Students had positive opinions for each online course design technique and participant strategy. They thought that providing frequent and detailed feedback and asking questions and inviting responses were the strategies that contributed most to establish social presence. Although knowing other students and the instructor from face-to-face class brought some disadvantages, it contributed to social presence in general and facilitated it in online class. Students offered new techniques and strategies to establish social presence. These were presentation in online live class, using teaching methods and techniques that enable group work, conducting individual live meetings with students (guidance), rewarding, and using 3D virtual environments in online live class
An Investigation of the Effectiveness of the Gender Equality Course with a Specific Focus on Faculties of Education
Get PDFIn 2015, the Turkish Council of Higher Education declared that the gender equality course would be compulsory or elective in the education programs of universities. This decision is considered to play an important role in ensuring gender equality. The present study was conducted in a faculty of education in Turkey which includes gender equality in its education program as a compulsory-elective course. The aim was to investigate the opinions of the students of the faculty of education on the effects of the course on their views on gender. The comparison of the data collected through the Gender Equality Scale before and after the course shows that the participants were, unexpectedly, more likely to develop the opinion that men are superior to women after the course. Whereas the course did not affect participants approaches to the opinion that women are dependent on men. Whether teachers%252339%253B gender perspectives or views on gender equality affect classroom practices%253B it is envisaged that gender perception, which is shaped by most patriarchal and conservative patterns, will be transferred to future generations through education and will adversely affect the demand for equality in the future. After the findings of this study were discussed with similar research results and then in the application of gender equality in higher education institutions, it was tried to give an idea about the issues to be considered
Recruiting for school improvement%253A the relationship between teacher-centric school quality factors and school improvement designations in Kentucky
Get PDFIn 2018, Kentucky began the implementation of a new school accountability system. Like other states across the nation, Kentuckys new system was designed to bring state policy into alignment with federal changes brought about by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. In addition to the creation of new school improvement labels, Kentuckys system also reports on a variety of teacher-centric school quality factors. A statistical analysis was conducted to determine if a relationship exists between these school quality factors and the schools improvement designation. The study found that schools identified as needing the greatest improvement (Comprehensive Support and Improvement [CSI]) are statistically more likely to have higher teacher turnover rates, higher percentages of new teachers, and employ teachers with lower rates of advanced education in the year prior to identification than their counterparts with either the Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) or Other designations. These findings should inform future policy making and elevate teacher recruitment and retention as a school improvement priority
Determining the effect of cooperative learning and models on the conceptual understanding of the chemical reactions
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to determine the effects of cooperative learning and models on the conceptual understanding of the chemical reactions. The sample of study was comprised of 71 preservice science teachers from the first grade of science teacher education program. Quasi- experimental method with pre-and post-test of quantitative research was used. This study was carried out at General Chemistry Laboratory I course and was applied to two experimental and one control group. At the first experimental group (CMG, n%253D25), cooperative learning and models were implemented together, and cooperative learning was implemented on the second group (COG, n%253D23). On the other hand, there was no intervention on the control group (CG, n%253D23), in which traditional laboratory model was used. To collect data, Chemical Reactions Concept Test (CRCT) was utilized. It was found that cooperative learning with models increased the conceptual understanding about chemical reactions in this study
Effects of Stem Based Activities on In-Service Teachers Views
Get PDFIn this study we investigated the effect of STEM based activities on in-service teachers views about STEM teaching. Pre-test and post-test research design was employed to investigate teachers reactions to STEM based activities. The participants were 39 in-service teachers from different branches who were working as teachers in public schools in Turkey. The teachers attended a 40 hour STEM training course in which STEM based activities performed. Pre-service Teachers Integrative STEM Teaching Intention Questionnaire was used to measure teachers%252339%253B views on STEM teaching. The results showed that STEM based activies had positive effect on teachers views about STEM education
Value Literacy ndash%253B A New Model for Education of Character and Values
No full textLife without interaction and communication cannot exist, neither without choices. In communication, firstly every source and then every message has a value%253B likewise, every choice humans are to make each and every second is a result of an elsquo%253Bvaluetion. Because there exists no moment or field without lsquo%253Bvalue and elsquo%253Bvaluetion, they end up in a numerous value exchanges and elsquo%253Bvaluetion processes occurring in numerous ways. Under all disagreements and conflicts lies the failure to perform a proper analysis of the value to be passed across in the exchange of value before us in particular and then this limitless value exchange process and the values governing our choices and the consequences thereof for ourselves and people around us. The primary concern of the present paper is to discuss the conceptualization of lsquo%253Bvalue literacy as a learning model allowing for an analysis of this kind. This is an analytical study based on an exhaustive review of the literature related to literacy, values, and character education. By allowing for the construction of relationships with an elevated awareness and sensitivity concerning the values underlying interpersonal relationships, %252339%253BValue literacy has a notable potential for the resolution of conflicts in these relationships and reasoning thereof worthy of human dignity and for its capacity to complete literacy types such as values education, character education, personality development, emotion management, ethics literacy
The effect of 4%2B1 planned writing and evaluation model on developing writing skills and writing self-sufficiency levels of learners of Turkish as a foreign language
Get PDFLanguage is the most basic tool for communication. There are four basic areas of skills%253A listening, speaking, reading and writing. Each skill has a special importance in itself. Therefore, development of all skills will be beneficial for individuals. Writing skill is separated from other skills in that it has permanency. With writing, knowledge transfer could be realized through ages. People used the writing skill at points where oral expression was insufficient. Although writing skill is so important, it is the most challenging skill. This shows that writing skills should be developed with new methods in which students will be more active, rather than with traditional methods. The traditional method gives importance to the product that is produced at the end of the writing process instead of the writing process. However, this method prevents the development of writing skills in students. Nowadays, new methods have emerged out of the traditional method, and these methods gave importance to the process, not to the product. One of the methods that prioritize the process is the 4 %2B 1 Planned Writing Model. This model aims at the development of the student%252339%253Bs writing skills and the active participation of the students in the process. When the fact that even the students whose native language is Turkish have difficulties in writing is considered, it is obvious that writing skill will become even more difficult for students who learn Turkish as a foreign language. These students%252339%253B alphabets may be different and this may force them to improve their writing skills according to other skills. In these respects, it will be easier for those who learn Turkish as a foreign language to develop their writing skills with 4 %2B 1 Planned Writing Model. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of 4 %2B 1 Planned Writing Model on the development of writing skills and writing self-sufficiency levels of students. The participants of the study, in which the pre-test post-test empirical model was used, were 12 students who learnt Turkish as a foreign language. The study lasted 10 weeks. In the study, the data related to the development status of students%252339%253B writing skills were obtained by evaluating the texts written by the students at the beginning and at the end of the study. The data related to the writing self-efficiency were collected by the Writing Self-Efficacy Scale. The statistical analysis of the data was made by SPSS 21.000
The relationship between the time management skills and cyberloafing behavior of school administrators%253A A quantitative analysis
Get PDFThe aim of this study is to review the relationship between the time management skills and cyberloafing behavior of school managers. Descriptive survey and relational research models were used in this research. Data was collected from 181 school managers at official elementary schools, secondary schools, and secondary education schools in the district of Nizip in Gaziantep during the 2017-2018 school year. A Time Management Scale, which looks at time planning, the effective use of time and the dimensions of time traps together with a Cyberloafing Scale which is composed of both significant and insignificant cyberloafing dimensions were used as data collection tools in the research. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. The research concluded that the better the school managers were at time planning and using their time effectively, the less prone they were of falling into time traps. In other words, the better their time planning and effective use of time, the more their significant and insignificant cyberloafing behavior decreased. As a result of the regression analysis, it was seen that only time traps, among the sub-dimensions of time management, significantly predicted cyberloafing behavior
Implementation of Activities Based on the NTC System of Learning and Their Impact on the Students%252339%253B Success in Turkey
No full textThe primary role of NTC (Nikola Tesla Center) is to use new discoveries in the field of neurology in classrooms and in everyday life. This learning program consists of various activities and games for children. This experimental research was carried out in one government primary school in Canakkale, Turkey. 27 students from the third grade (17 males and 10 females) were included, and in the pre and post-testing, they responded to 16 questions related to the knowledge they gained during the implementation of the experimental factor, as a part of the NTC learning system, related with knowledge of flags from 20 countries. The results showed that many of the students did not have enough knowledge about flags, capital cities and landmarks from other countries in the pre-testing. After the application of eight activities on the topic of flags selected from the NTS program, we noticed more success in the responses of students in the post-test. Prior to the realization of the experiment, one basic and two auxiliary hypotheses were put forward. After the implementation of the research, it was concluded that the activities based on the NTS system of learning have an impact on the students%252339%253B success
Motives of Pre-service Classroom Teachers for Sports Activity Participation
Get PDFThe current study aims to evaluate the pre-service classroom teachers motivations to participate in sports activities. The study group of the current research employing the survey model is comprised of the students attending the Department of Classroom Teacher Education in the Education Faculty of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University. A total of 295 students%253B 212 females and 83 males, participated in the study on a volunteer basis. The research employed the Sports Participation Motivation Questionnaire developed by Oyar, Aşcı, Çelebi and Mülazimoğlu (2001) to collect data. In the analysis of the collected data, SPSS program package was used. In order to determine the between-groups difference, t test and variance analysis were employed. In light of the findings of the current study, it can be argued that the female students motivation to participate in sports activities (in the sub-dimensions of team spirit, making friends, desire to compete, skill development and be active) is higher than that of the male students. Depending on the grade levels, it was found that the first year students motivation to participate in sports activities is more oriented to being with friends when compared to the second year students. The students stated that they spend an hour doing sports a week%253B thus, they feel relaxed and gain new skills. The students stating that they are not interested in any branch of sports in the university also stated that they are willing to participate in sports activities. Though there are no licensed athletes in their families, some of the students want to be active in sports activities due to their desire to compete and make friends. As a result, it can be maintained that the classroom teachers view sports participation as a need and their motivation in this respect is high