Breaking the filter bubble: democracy and design

It has been argued that the Internet and social media increase the number of available viewpoints, perspectives, ideas and opinions available, leading to a very diverse pool of information. However, critics have argued that algorithms used by search engines, social networking platforms and other large online intermediaries actually decrease information diversity by forming so-called “filter bubbles”. This may form a serious threat to our democracies. In response to this threat others have developed algorithms and digital tools to combat filter bubbles. This paper first provides examples of different software designs that try to break filter bubbles. Secondly, we show how norms required by two democracy models dominate the tools that are developed to fight the filter bubbles, while norms of other models are completely missing in the tools. The paper in conclusion argues that democracy itself is a contested concept and points to a variety of norms. Designers of diversity enhancing tools must thus be exposed to diverse conceptions of democracy.     

Metaphors as a reflection of middle school students' perceptions of school: A cross-cultural analysis

This study analyzes the perceptions of Turkish and American middle school students of school and schooling by examining the metaphors they produce. A total of 18 American and 24 Turkish students were interviewed as part of this study. The results show differences in the participants' perceptions of schooling by culture. Turkish participants perceived the school environment as family-like, care-giving, psychologically nurturing, educationally exemplary, and physically appealing. School was also seen as a fundamental prerequisite in the preparation for life and the possibility of employment, promising upward social mobility as an adult. Overall, while some American participants perceived school as a wild, crowded, chaotic, boring, painful, regulated environment in which students must learn to survive, others see it as a place of joy, caring, involvement, and learning. The study also indicates that metaphors are useful tools in understanding how students as real actors of school make sense of schooling and their experiences in school.     

The Effects of the Preschool Inclusion Program on Teacher Outcomes in Turkey

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a teacher training program on teacher outcomes. The teachers’ knowledge and attitudes regarding inclusion, classroom management strategies, and their relationships with children both with and without disabilities were evaluated using self-report instruments. In addition, their classroom behaviors were evaluated by independent observers. The teacher education program included a variety of topics related to inclusion and effective strategies for inclusive classrooms. The data were collected prior to the education, after the completion of the program, and 6 months afterwards. The results indicated that the teacher program seemed to have moderate-to-large effects on all teacher outcomes, but the changes in their classroom behaviors were minimal.     

Knowledge of Sets: a Didactic Phenomenon

International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - This paper examines a didactic phenomenon, a perception that the elements of sets have a common property, e.g. that {1, 2, 3} and {a, b,...     

The effects of strong irrelevant thirst on food-rewarded instrumental performance

In Experiment I, rats received one food rewarded trial per day in a runway. One group received all its trials under hunger (Group H); the second group received a random half of its trials under hunger and the other half of its trials under hunger plus thirst (Group H-HT). Group H-HT ultimately ran slower on HT trials than on H trials. In Experiment II, the effects of shifting from H to HT and vice versa were examined in a five-phase design. In general, rats run under H ran faster than rats run under HT, and shifts from H to HT produced rapid decreases in speed, while shifts from HT to H produced extremely slow increases in speed. The results of both experiments were interpreted as indicating that the reward value of food is greater under H than under HT and that the manipulation H vs. HT may be viewed as theoretically similar to manipulation of reward magnitude.     

Psychological Adaptation of Turkish Students at U.S. Campuses

The number of Turkish citizens entering the U.S. for their studies is growing more rapidly than almost any other group. The purpose of the current study was to investigate how acculturation factors affect psychological adaptation of Turkish students in the U.S. One hundred and twenty-four Turkish students participated in the study. Regression analyses revealed that social support and self-esteem were predictors of psychological adjustment. Implications suggest that Turkish students, as with other international students as previous research has suggested, should have a strong network of both co-national students and other social connections.     

Who are the future teachers in Turkey? Characteristics of entering student teachers

This exploratory study examines the background characteristics, socio-cultural values and pedagogical beliefs that entering student teachers bring with them into the faculties of education and explores their possible implications for teacher education in the Turkish context. The study comprised 18,226 first-year student teachers from 51 faculties of education who participated in the study by responding to a three-section questionnaire developed by the research team. Their responses indicate that students entering education faculties typically come from families of lower-middle socio-economic status living in urban areas, tend to possess more traditional than secular-rational values and have not yet formed clear pedagogical beliefs.     

Developing a scale for using Facebook as a learning tool

This study investigates the development of an instrument to explore the views of student teachers in Turkey towards using Facebook as a tool for teaching and learning. A five-point Likert-type scale was developed for a sample of 687 student teachers from various fields in Adiyaman, Mustafa Kemal, and Inonu Universities. The sample included 445 participants in the first application and 242 participants in the second. A literature review, students’ comments, and relevant Facebook research results were considered in order to establish the items for the scale. A comparative analysis of previous studies and instruments yielded an original 33-item pool, and experts’ judgments were consulted to confirm the content validity of the scale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to determine the factor structure of the scale, revealing 17 items that could be grouped under three general factors. A Cronbach’s coefficient (α) was employed to determine the internal consistency coefficients for the whole scale and its subscales. Results indicate that this learning scale (FLTS) is a valid and reliable instrument to investigate the use of Facebook as a learning tool.     

Elementary Teachers’ Beliefs About Teaching Science and Classroom Practice: An Examination of Pre/Post NCLB Testing in Science

The impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandated state science assessment on elementary teachers’ beliefs about teaching science and their classroom practice is relatively unknown. For many years, the teaching of science has been minimized in elementary schools in favor of more emphasis on reading and mathematics. This study examines the dynamics of bringing science to the forefront of assessment in elementary schools and the resulting teacher belief and instructional shifts that take place in response to NCLB. Results indicated that teachers’ beliefs about teaching science remained unchanged despite policy changes mandated in NCLB. Teacher beliefs related to their perceptions of what their administrators and peer groups’ think they should be doing influenced their practice the most. Most teachers reported positive feelings and attitudes about science and reported that their students had positive feelings and attitudes about science; however, teachers reported teaching science less as a result of NCLB. Implications for elementary science education reform and policy are discussed.