Facilitating place-based environmental education through bird studies: an action research investigation

This study involved a workshop designed to support biology teachers in conducting birdwatching activities with their students and to promote place-based environmental education in Turkey. The instruments for collecting data were a workshop questionnaire and interviews. The findings revealed that initial response to the workshop was positive; participating teachers reported that the resources and strategies motivated them to conduct bird studies with students. They identified barriers and noted that the place-based education approach might help overcome many of these barriers. After the workshop, it became clear that participants’ initial intentions to integrate birdwatching into their lessons were challenged by lack of confidence and time. To gain deeper insights into the outcomes of the project, the project coordinator used action research strategies to reflect on her practice and reveal implications for her continued efforts to promote bird and environmental education. She kept a journal, used reiterative reflection, and content analysis to analyse workshop evaluations and interviews. The coordinator recognized potentials and challenges for facilitating birdwatching and environmental education as part of her teaching career. This study shares some of her efforts to provide ongoing support and emphasizes that facilitation of environmental education needs time, commitment, and passion.     

Student-centred learning (SCL): roles changed?

This paper addresses the espoused and enacted practices of high school teachers with regard to student-centred learning (SCL). Explanatory mixed-method design, where quantitative strand is followed by qualitative one, is employed. While the quantitative strand aims to explore teachers’ perceptions regarding the extent student-centred teacher and student roles are performed, qualitative strand is used to explore how well the enacted roles represent the espoused ones and to explain the discrepancies, if any, between them. The findings indicate discrepancies between espoused and enacted practices of teachers. Qualitative data reveal that teachers’ beliefs about teacher and student roles are still very much teacher centred. Reasons are varied including system-wide barriers hindering the adoption of SCL and teacher training offered. The findings draw attention to an urgent need for alternative teacher training programmes that would focus on changing teachers’ traditional beliefs enabling them to put theory into practice and adopt student-centred roles.     

Shorter Version of the Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE): A Sample from Turkish Counselor Candidates (COSE-TR)

Counseling self-efficacy is defined as a counselor’s beliefs regarding their ability to counsel a client effectively. Larson et al. (1992) developed the Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE) to determine counselors’ self-efficacy in the dimensions of microskills, counseling process, difficult client behavior, cultural competence, and awareness of values. The COSE has been used widely in the United States as well as being adapted to other cultures. The purpose of the present study was to obtain validity and reliability evidence for the COSE in a Turkish sample towards the creation of a Turkish version (COSE-TR). Analyses regarding internal consistency and construct validity were undertaken via CFA and EFA, and divergent and convergent validity assessments were performed. The devised COSE-TR obtained a Cronbach alpha coefficient of .92. Exploratory factor analysis suggested a four-factor model with 53.82% of the total variance explained, which the CFA also supported. The COSE-TR correlated negatively with trait anxiety as measured on the ‘State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Scale’ (involving only Trait anxiety STAI-T; Spielberger 1983), but positively with generalized self-efficacy as measured via the ‘General Self-Efficacy Scale’ (GSE; Schwarzer and Jerusalem 1995). As for language equivalence, there was no difference between the means of total scores obtained from the original COSE and the created Turkish shorter version. Results revealed that the shortened COSE-TR can be regarded as a valid and reliable instrument for measuring counseling self-efficacy with Turkish counselors. Implications for counseling psychology, counselor education and supervision in developing nations and the transculturality of counseling self-efficacy are discussed.     

Navigating the divide between scientific practice and science studies to support undergraduate teaching of epistemic knowledge

There is an urgent need to strengthen undergraduate science students’ epistemic knowledge, which requires having the scientists qua teachers on board. The divide between scientists’ perceptions of science and the perceptions held by those who study science is in this context problematic. Even so, this remains a sorely understudied area. The aim of the study was to identify pragmatic ways that hold the potential to facilitate integration of scholarly studies of scientific knowledge production with experientially based knowledge held by scientists to support the teaching of epistemic knowledge content to undergraduate science students. Earlier studies suggest that trust building is a central component. Our exploratory case study focuses on instructor perceptions and is based on informal interviews, participatory observation and surveys with instructors in a first-year undergraduate science course under revision. We identified the following central components as central to successful navigation of the divide between the scientific practice and science studies: Explicit formulation of learning objectives tied to epistemic knowledge acquisition; Conscious attention to vocabulary that triggers scientists’ aversion to science studies; Careful selection of historic and contemporary cases; and Systematic scaffolding of course activities. The conclusion regarding a common vocabulary stands out: by ridding our instructions from the vocabulary that caused concern among science instructors we succeeded in engaging them in conversations with students about the knowledge-producing process and challenge the view of science as characterised by facts and truths, rather than a form of scholarly inquiry that aims to produce knowledge about the natural world.     

Women,capitalism and education: On the pedagogical implications of postfeminism

Abstract

We examine the emergence of the ‘postfeminist’ sensibility from feminist theory and praxis, and its relation and relevance to education. Analytical frameworks such as postfeminism and intersectionality have given equal weight to recognition-based struggles, such as those based on sexual, racial, class-based, gender-related identities. We follow Nancy Fraser’s argument that these identity-based movements have been co-opted by neoliberal politicians and bureaucratic policy-makers, and become a divide and rule strategy, neglecting the subjugating power of capital. Beginning with third-wave feminism’s emphasis on individual identity, women’s struggles have been become a part of the greater parisitic neoliberal project. We consider the implications of this docile and domesticated feminism for the education of women.     

The effect of students’ subject discipline on their m-learning application preferences

The effect of students’ subject discipline on their preferences toward m-learning applications was investigated by using a mixed-method research design. A questionnaire on students’ preferences of m-learning application features was used to collect data from 181 undergraduate students. One-way analysis of variance found a significant difference among perceptions of students from different subject disciplines related to the “collaboration” and “learning” features. Follow-up interviews were carried out to further investigate students’ perceptions. Content analysis revealed that “availability” and “ease of use” were the most preferred features, and “collaboration” and “entertaining” were the least preferred ones. Interview results related to universities’ readiness for m-learning were categorized into (i) universities’ infrastructures, (ii) instructors’ skills and (iii) students’ skills for m-learning. Students indicated their universities’ infrastructures as “moderately ready” for m-learning. They ranked their instructors’ skills as “low”. However, students assessed their own skills as “moderate” for utilizing m-learning in their respective universities.     

Pluralism and criticism in environmental education and education for sustainable development: a practical understanding

Education is presented with a challenge when faced with criticism of modern science and adoption of a pluralistic view of environmental education and education for sustainable development. In dealing with this challenge, a practical understanding inspired by the later works of Ludwig Wittgenstein is suggested as a complement to more traditional theoretical and analytical responses. Through reminders of how criticism appears in everyday practice, the article shows that criticism does not necessarily have to be understood solely by reference to specific theoretical positions, but can also be seen in terms of the diverse ways that human beings react morally, encounter different norms and conduct ethical reflection. In such a practical understanding, the question is not whether the criticism is correct or not in absolute terms but rather whether the opinions and perspectives have significance in people’s lives. Criticism of modern science does not therefore appear to be a reason to exclude modern science, the proposal here being to acknowledge and embrace the criticism and the alternative views put forward by the critics. By means of a practical understanding, the opposition expected between criticism and pluralism can be dissolved, rather than solved.     

School climate and exposure to bullying: a multilevel study

This study investigates associations between aspects of school climate, measured by students’ assessments aggregated to the class level, and exposure to bullying, measured at the individual level. The data were derived from the Stockholm School Survey of 2006–2010 with information from 16,418 ninth-grade students (aged 15–16 years) distributed over 871 classes and 259 schools. Three-level binary logistic regression was applied. Two of the studied school climate aspects in particular were linked with the occurrence of bullying: In classes where a high proportion of students claimed to be aware of the school rules and in classes where a high proportion of students stated that adults intervene against bullying, fewer students reported having been bullied. The findings imply that striving toward a school climate characterized by transparent rules and clear disapproval of harassments may help to reduce bullying.