Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research (EPASR - E-Journal)
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The Effects of Out-Of-Class Learning on Students Interest in Science and Scientific Attitudes%253A The Case of School Garden
Full text linkThis study aims to reveal the effects of out-of-class learning activities conducted in the school garden on students interest in science and their scientific attitudes. Research designed as a pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design of quantitative research methods. The research group of the study consists of 37, 7th grade students enrolled in a public school in Turkiye. Reproduction, growth and development in plants were conducted through school garden-based science activities for seven weeks. The research data were collected using Science Interest Scale and Scientific Attitude Scale. The study findings showed that garden-based activities have a moderate and close to moderate effect on students interests in science and scientific attitudes. As per these findings, we can say that school gardens are out-of-class learning environments that can be used to help increase students interest and attitudes toward science
Development Study of The Inventory of Orientations in Curriculum Theories (IOCT) (From Qualitative Cluster Analysis to Quantitative Confirmatory Factor Analysis)
Full text linkIn this research, teachers orientations in curriculum theories were identified via an assessment tool which was grounded by Marsh and Willis (2003) where curriculum theorists were classified. The Inventory of Orientations in Curriculum Theories was developed to identify the teachers orientations in curriculum theories in this research. The item pool for the inventory was obtained through a qualitative clustering analysis applied on the studies in the related literature. Later, Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were applied separately on each scale of the inventory. As the result of this process, the Inventory of Orientations in Curriculum Theories was developed which consisted of the Scale of Orientations in Prescriptive Curriculum Theories, the Scale of Orientations in Descriptive Curriculum Theories and the Scale of Orientations in Critical-Exploratory Curriculum Theories. In this context, a new culture-specific measurement tool has been developed that aims to determine the interaction between scientists, specialists and teachers in the field, in other words, theorists and practitioners. The IOCT inventory consists of three scales%253A OSPCT, OSDCT and OSCECT. OSPCT consists of 27 items, OSDCT consists of 18 items and OSCECT consists of 19 items. The highest score that can be obtained from OSPCT is 135 and the lowest 27%253B The highest score that can be obtained from OSDCT is 90 and the lowest is 18%253B the highest score that can be obtained from OSCECT is 95 and the lowest is 19. Thus, it can be determined to what extent a teacher has a prescriptive, descriptive or critical-explanatory curriculum theory orientation
Acceptance Scale of Interactive E-Books By Secondary School Students as a Digital Learning Resource%253A A Validity and Reliability Study
Full text linkToday, the impact of information technologies can be seen in all areas of life. It is a necessity to use this technology to increase the quality of the field of education. A new learning environment can be created by transforming books, which are a part of education, into digital resources through information technologies. Accordingly, it is necessary to determine student acceptance in such learning environments. For this reason, this study, it is aimed to develop a measurement tool to determine the level of acceptance and use of interactive digital e-books by secondary school students. With the acceptance scale towards interactive e-books of secondary school students (IE-BAS), it is envisaged to determine both in-class activities and activity efficiency. The technology acceptance model (TAM) was used as a basis for the development process of IE-BAS. This process was carried out in two steps. Validity analyzes were provided in study 1 and reliability analyzes in study 2. In Study 1, analyzes regarding the content validity and construct validity of draft IE-BAS were carried out. Accordingly, an item pool of 39 items was created in content validity studies and presented to the opinion of a team of 14 experts. Here, four items were excluded from scope validity because they did not provide sufficient kappa values. Afterward, the 35-item draft IE-BAS, whose content validity was ensured, was subjected to exploratory factor analyzes (EFA) for structural validity. As a result of the EFA analysis, 2 items were removed from the draft IE-BAS. EFA results revealed that the 33-item IE-BAS clustered in four factors indicating cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses. These factors correspond to the perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), attitude towards use (UA), and behavioral intention (BI) variables in the TAM model. These four components explain 52.94%25 of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed for the 33-item IE-BAS to confirm the EFA results. In this statistic, 13 items were removed from IE-BTS. The fit indices obtained for the 20-item IE-BAS proved the accuracy of the proposed model in EFA. As a result of CFA, the fit indices for the model-data fit were quite good.Accordingly, the RMSEA, SRMR, GFI, AGFI, NFI, CFI and RFI value was determined as 0.043, 0.058, 0.924, 0.901, 0.909, 0.966 and 0.892, respectively. In the last validity study, the effects of the variables in the 20-item IE-BAS on each other were examined by structural equation modeling (SEM). Accordingly, the behavioral intention variable, which shows the behavioral response of the students, is significantly affected by the PEU, UA, and PU variables, that is, the motivation elements, which show the affective and cognitive responses. In Study 2, reliability analyzes of 20-item IE-BAS were performed. In this context, the internal consistency, item-total score reliability coefficient, and two-half test reliability of the 20-item IE-BAS were examined. Accordingly, Cronbachs alpha coefficient for the overall IE-BAS was determined to be 0.914. Also the Spearman-Brown and Guttman half-split coefficients were found to be .740 and .850 for the first and second parts, respectively. According to these results, the reliability coefficients of Spearman-Brown, Guttman split-half, and Cronbach alpha%253B were found to be sufficient. The results showed that the developed 20-item productive IE-BAS is a valid and reliable scale tool to measure secondary school students%252339%253B acceptance towards interactive e-books as a digital learning environment
A Critical Analysis of the Concepts of Identity, Nation, Nationalism in Museum Studies
Full text linkNational identity is a complex and contested issue, and it is often debated in the fields of social and cultural studies. Museum collections, and the way they are presented and interpreted, are closely linked to national identity. National museums, as symbols of national unity, can manipulate perceptions about dominant ideologies and the individual%252339%253Bs place in society. This article aims to deepen our understanding of how national museums negotiate and construct national identity by critically analyzing the theories and concepts of nation, nationalism, and national identity
A Qualitative Study with University Students on the Excessive Use of Social Media
Full text linkThis study examines university students social media usage from different perspectives. The participants consisted of 29 students, 17 female and 12 male, studying in different faculties and departments of Dicle University. The data were obtained through semi-structured interviews conducted by the researcher. The thematic analysis produced five meta-themes regarding university students use of social media, which include interpersonal relationships, emotions, basic psychological needs, problems caused by social media use, and the impact of the use of social media on the self. Each meta-theme was divided into subthemes, categories, and codes%253B participant statement excerpts were presented. The qualitative findings were discussed in light of the literature, and recommendations were made
The Mediating Role of Teamwork in the Correlation Between Administrative Support and School Belonging
Full text linkThe study aimed to examine the correlation between teamwork in schools, administrative support perception, and sense of school belonging, and the mediating effect of teamwork on the correlation between administrative support and school belonging. The research was designed in the relational screening model, which is one of the quantitative research designs. 319 teachers working in elementary, middle, and high schools in Turgutlu%252FManisa in Turkey in the 2018-2019 academic year participated in the study. In the study, the data was collected by using Teamwork, Administrative Support, and School Belonging Scale. In the study, it was determined that there were significant and positive correlations between teamwork, administrative support perception, and sense of school belonging. It was concluded in the study that the effect of teamwork on teachers sense of school belonging was partially realized by administrative support
Academicians and Teacher Candidates%252339%253B Metaphorical Approaches to Creativity
No full textThe aim of this study is to reveal the perceptions of creativity of academicians working in different departments of an faculty of education and teacher candidates studying in different departments through an exploration of metaphors. A phenomenological design, as one of the qualitative research designs, was used in this study. The study group consisted of academicians working in the faculty of education of a state university and teacher candidates studying at the same university. Data were collected with a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researcher and analyzed by content analysis. As a result, it was observed that the metaphors developed by the teacher candidates and the academicians varied. It was concluded that teacher candidates mostly identified the concept of creativity with nature and based their metaphors on concepts that generated positive emotions and thoughts. On the other hand, academicians produced metaphors according to their fields of study
Is Self-Criticism Really a Trigger of Psychological Problems%253F An Analysis of Self-Criticism in the Context of Turkish University Students
Full text linkThis study aims to examine the concept of self-criticism in the context of Western and Eastern cultures and to examine graduate students perceptions regarding this concept. When reviewing the Western literature, researchers have generally associated the idea of self-criticism with psychopathology, while researchers in Eastern cultures typically interpret the notion of self-criticism positively. This qualitative study consists of three stages and uses open-ended questions to measure the perceptions of students from different graduate programs with regard to self-criticism. The researcher asked the students about their perceptions toward self-criticism in the first stage, questions about the concepts theyd associated with self-criticism in the second stage, and questions involving metaphors about what students liken to self-criticism in the third stage. Within the scope of the research, the researcher accessed 41 students for the first stage, 52 students for the second stage, and 32 students for the third stage. In all three studies conducted within the scope of this research, it was concluded that self-criticism is not perceived negatively in Turkish culture but rather evaluated as positive. Although there have been a few negative themes, self-criticism is generally perceived as a concept that brings people well. The most crucial aspect that makes this research valuable is that it provides a critical perspective on the pairing of self-criticism with psychological problems in the psychology literature. It is understood that self-criticism is seen as an essential source of individual development in Turkish culture rather than being the source of psychological problems. When the psychology literature is examined, it is seen that self-criticism is generally considered the trigger of psychological problems. Self-criticism is regarded as a situation that harms self-esteem. However, in eastern cultures, self-criticism is accepted as a prerequisite for a healthy identity. In this study, this conclusion was reached in three stages
Predictive Effect of Meaning of Life on Psychological Well-Being and Happiness Among University Students
Full text linkIn this study, it is aimed to examine the predictive effect of the meaning in life on psychological well-being and happiness in university students. In the study, it was also investigated whether there was a significant difference between the meaning in life, psychological well-being and happiness scores in terms of gender. The study population of the research consists of students studying at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University Faculty of Education in the fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. The study group consisted of a total of 323 students, 236 (73.1%25) girls and 87 (26.9%25) boys, aged between 20 and 26 (x̄%253D21.62), selected with the convenience sampling method, one of the non-random sampling methods. In the study personal information form, Short form of Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Psychological Well-Being Scale and Meaning in Life Questionnaire were used as data collection tools. According to the findings obtained from the study, the meaning in life predicted students%252339%253B psychological well-being at a significant level%253B it was seen that the meaning in life explained about 30%25 of the total variance in students%252339%253B psychological well-being scores. In addition, the meaning in life predicted the happiness level of students at a significant level%253B it was seen that the meaning in life explained about 23%25 of the total variance in the happiness scores of the students in a meaningful way. Finally, it was found that there was no significant difference between the meaning in life, happiness and psychological well-being scores of the students according to their gender
Online teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic%253A Turkish student teacher and teacher experiences from biology and preschool education fields
Full text linkThis research presents a qualitative case study that investigates the biology and preschool student teachers%252339%253B and teachers%252339%253B experiences of online teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study utilizes the diffusion of innovations theory to understand the adoption and application of online teaching as an innovation. The participants in the study consisted of eight senior biology teachers, four biology teachers, nine senior preschool education student teachers, and three preschool teachers. Data collection was conducted through online surveys administered to the participants at the end of the 2021 school year. Additionally, the researchers, who also served as student teachers%252339%253B supervisors, took observation notes during the online teaching practice to complement the survey data. The findings of the study reveal insights into the adoption of online teaching and learning processes as an innovation among teachers and student teachers. Analysis of the participants%252339%253B responses regarding their readiness and experiences indicates that student teachers exhibit higher levels of perception in adopting and applying online teaching compared to the teachers. Interestingly, the experiences of the participants from different fields did not significantly differ in terms of adopting the innovation. This study emphasizes the need to increase the relative advantages of online teaching, minimize its complexity, and be prepared for similar situations. Incorporating online lesson planning and management courses in teacher education programs and providing in-service training can enhance educators%252339%253B knowledge and experiences in online teaching, contributing to the adoption of online education as an innovation. Additionally, further research is needed to explore the role of parents in online learning environments. Engaging stakeholders from various fields will provide valuable data for a deeper understanding of online teaching and learning