User study of a new smart toy for children's storytelling

This article introduces StoryTech, a smart storytelling toy that offers children a mixed reality environment in which to tell imaginative stories. During usability testing, an empirical study was carried out with 90 child participants. The findings indicated that StoryTech creates a rich storytelling experience, especially for ages five and six.     

EFL Writers' Attitudes and Perceptions toward F-Portfolio Use

Atitudes toward and perceptions of using Facebook as a portfolio-keeping tool in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) writing. In general, existing research reveals primarily positive effects of Facebook on educational activities, and research on portfolio keeping in EFL writing shows both benefits and problem areas. Thus, the current study aims to investigate EFL writers’ attitudes toward using Facebook as a portfolio (F-Portfolio) tool and their perceptions regarding its benefits and problems. The sample group consisted of 101 EFL learners. A portfolio attitude scale, portfolio contribution questionnaire and a portfolio problem questionnaire were used to collect data. Four results were obtained from the study: (1) EFL writers have positive attitudes toward the use of F-Portfolios in EFL writing; (2) F-Portfolios improve EFL learNo results have been reported regarding at- ners’ knowledge of vocabulary and grammar, as well as their research, reading and writing skills; (3) EFL learners perceive some problems during the F-Portfolio process; and (4) some independent variables are significantly correlated with a limited number of items in the scales.     

Emotional correspondence between preschoolers and teachers: what are the effects on child–teacher relationships?

ABSTRACT

The effects of the emotion regulation skills of the children attending preschool education on their interactions with their teachers are emphasised in recent studies. Therefore, in this study, we examined the effects of emotion regulation skills on the quality of the relationship between the teacher and the child. In total, 39 preschool teachers and 119 preschool children (55 girls and 64) boys from 5 public preschools participated in the study. Teachers were asked to fill Student-Teacher Relationship Scale-Short Form regarding three children in their classrooms and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for themselves. We conducted four observations by using MPAC-R/S in order to assess child’s abilities to express and regulate emotions. The results showed that children’s emotional states were effective on teacher’s relationship perception, and that teacher’s emotion regulation skills were also effective on his/her relationship perception. In addition, the cognitive reappraisal strategy used by the teacher in emotion regulation has also been found to have an impact on the negative emotional state of children.     

The Contribution of Constructivist Instruction Accompanied by Concept Mapping in Enhancing Pre-service Chemistry Teachers’ Conceptual Understanding of Chemistry in the Laboratory Course

The present study aimed to evaluate whether a chemistry laboratory course called “Laboratory Experiments in Science Education” based on constructivist instruction accompanied with concept mapping enhanced pre-service chemistry teachers’ conceptual understanding. Data were collected from five pre-service chemistry teachers at a university in Ankara by means of a concept test and semi-structured interviews. Results showed that pre-service teachers had some alternative conceptions about chemistry topics. Moreover, using constructivist instruction accompanied with concept maps as an instructional tool was effective to promote conceptual understanding. Participants thought that concept maps were useful especially in recognizing the relation between different chemistry concepts.     

Teacher self‐regulation: examining a multidimensional construct

This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to assess the multidimensional nature of teacher self‐regulation. A nine‐factor structure was proposed: goal setting, intrinsic interest, performance goal orientation, mastery goal orientation, self‐instruction, emotional control, self‐evaluation, self‐reaction, and help‐seeking. Through a series of confirmatory factor analyses with different samples, this nine‐factor structure was supported. Reliability estimates were also satisfactory. Further validation evidence was provided through canonical correlation analysis between teacher self‐regulation and teachers’ sense of efficacy. Results indicated that the Teacher Self‐Regulation Scale can be utilised as a valid and reliable instrument to assess teachers’ self‐regulatory strategies.     

Interplay of motivational and cognitive strategies in predicting self‐efficacy and anxiety

The purpose of the present study was to test a model explaining self‐efficacy and anxiety by the interrelationships with task value, cognitive strategies (rehearsal, elaboration and organisation) and metacognitive self‐regulation in the domain of chemistry. Data were collected from 518 college students in Turkey. Findings of structural equation modelling indicated that chemistry self‐efficacy and anxiety were predicted as a function of task value, cognitive strategies and metacognitive self‐regulation, supporting the proposed model. That is, students with high levels of task value tended to use more learning strategies which promoted the use of regulatory strategies. In turn, these students may decrease their chemistry anxiety, leading to an increase in chemistry self‐efficacy indirectly.     

The effect of a story-based cognitive behavior modification procedure on reducing children's test anxiety before and after cancellation of an important examination

This study was originally planned to examine the effects of a story-based cognitive behavior modification procedure specifically designed to help the fifth grade elementary school students to manage their anxiety before they attend a nation-wide secondary school entrance examination. The examination was cancelled after the children attended. This naturally occurred treatment was included in the study and the effect of the cancellation on the maintenance of the treatment outcome was also investigated. Twenty subjects (10 girls, 10 boys) were selected out of a total of 144 fifth grade children who would attend the exam, on the basis of the Turkish version of Test Anxiety Inventory and, assigned to treatment and control groups. The results showed that the story based cognitive behavior modification procedure was more effective than no treatment in reducing the subjects' test anxiety and the effect was maintained after cancellation of the first and three days prior to the second examination. The results also demonstrated that the effectiveness of the procedure was superior in modifying the emotionality component of test anxiety and this effectiveness continued after the cancellation of the examination.