The Romany States of Education in Turkey: A Qualitative Study

This multiple case study aims to analyze education and living conditions of Romany students, their families, and their relation with the school. The study consists of three schools in ?zmir, where mostly Romany students are educated. Study group consists of fifteen participants in total, three school staff, one student from the secondary level and one parent from each school chosen by criterion sampling. Semi-structured interviews, observation notes, and documents are utilized in the study. Lives of the Romany which have turned into cultural destiny, how students reproduce the lives of their families and the role of school in this reproduction are revealed.     

Evaluation of the Steelex M600H coagulometer prothrombin time-international normalized ratio assay with Steelex test reagents

Introduction

The aim of the present study was to validate prothrombin time (PT) international normalized ratio (INR) results obtained using Steelex test reagents and a Steelex coagulometer (Steelex Scientific Instrument Company, Beijing, China), in comparison with use of a well-established standard test employing Pacific Hemostasis reagents (Fisher Diagnostics, Middletown, VA, USA) and Teco Coatron A4 coagulometer (Teco Medical Instruments GmbH, Neufahrn, Germany).

Materials and methods:

Between- and within-day coefficients of variation (CVs) of both assays were calculated using control samples provided by the test manufacturers. Samples from 90 subjects were collected and INR values were determined in a double-blind parallel manner employing both systems.

Results:

The within-day coefficients of variation (CVs) in INR estimates ranged from 2.6% (INR = 1.12) to 3.1% (INR = 2.51) for the Steelex system and from 2.1% (INR = 1.09) to 1.8% (INR = 2.8) for the Pacific test; the between-day values ran from 3.4% (INR = 1.16) to 7.9% (INR = 2.64) and from 3.3% (INR = 1.1) to 2.3% (INR = 2.7), respectively. Passing-Bablok fit of the of the Steelex and Pacific methods yielded the equation: Steelex INR = 0.85 (0.79–0.91) × Pacific INR + 0.12 (−0.02–0.21), whereas the CUSUM linearity P value was < 0.01. The mean bias as determined by the Bland-Altman test was −0.156 (−0.912–0.600).

Conclusion:

The results obtained using Steelex reagents and the M600H coagulometer are not equivalent to those obtained using Pacific Hemostasis reagents and a Teco Coatron A4 coagulometer, at least in the therapeutic range.     

Including Students with Visual Difficulty within Higher Education: Necessary Steps

The aim of this research study was to investigate the inclusion of students with disabilities studying in Turkish universities. Students with visual difficulty were selected as a case from 24 different universities. A survey with seven dimensions was administered to 73 students, and 12 students were interviewed. Survey and interview findings revealed both progress and, to a larger extent, dissatisfaction with (i) the physical and psychosocial environment of universities; (ii) the way diversity and disability were viewed; (iii) the way support was planned and delivered; (iv) the level and quality of communication and collaboration; (v) the teaching and learning processes; and (vi) the way higher education policy was made and implemented. Findings highlight the need for prioritizing university cultures that are inclusive of students with diverse backgrounds and translation of the inclusiveness into effective practice of providing pedagogical and material support to these students.     

Understanding community in synchronous online learning: do perceptions match behaviours?

ABSTRACT

The community of inquiry (CoI) framework is becoming increasingly popular in online learning. The relationships among CoI constructs (cognitive, teaching and social presences) were generally investigated through surveys. However, some methodological challenges were noticed in CoI studies such as the limitations in data diversity or data verification. Hypothesising that learners’ perceptions about CoI constructs may not reflect their actual behaviours, this study matches students’ perceptions and actual behaviours reflecting the CoI constructs in an online learning setting in a synchronous online undergraduate programme. Data from CoI surveys, online discussion records and observations were comparatively discussed. The results indicated that relationships between the behaviours and perceptions about CoI constructs were quite positive and students’ perceptions about CoI constructs almost matches with their actual behaviours. Thus, the study confirmed the power of determining the interactions reflecting CoI constructs in online learning within CoI surveys. It is hoped that the study may shed a light with its contribution in providing some evidence for the question of whether conventional data collection techniques in CoI studies is required to be revisited or not.     

Total thyroidectomy is safer with identification of recurrent laryngeal nerve

Objective: To investigate the effect of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) identification on the complications after total thyroidectomy and lobectomy. Methods: Total 134 consecutive patients undergoing total thyroidectomy or thyroid lobectomy from January 2003 to November 2004 were investigated retrospectively. Patients were divided into two groups: RLN identified (Group A) or not (Group B). The two groups were compared for RLN injury and hypocalcaemia. Results: The numbers of patients and nerves at risk were 71 and 129 in Group A, and 63 and 121 in Group B, respectively. RLN injury in Group A (0) was significantly lower than that in Group B (5[7.9%]) patients, 7 [5.8%] nerves) for the numbers of patients (P=-0.016) and nerves at risk (P=0.006). Temporary hypocalcaemia was significantly higher in Group A than in Group B (14 [24.1%] vs 6 [10.3%], P=0.049).Permanent complications in Group B were significantly higher than those in Group A (13 [20.6%] vs 4 [5.6%], P=0.009). Conclusion: RLN injury was prevented and permanent complications were decreased by identifying the whole course and branches of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during total thyroidectomy.     

Our Designs and the Social Agendas They Carry

Although the work of learning scientists and instructional designers has brought about countless curricula, designs, and theoretical claims, the community has been less active in communicating the explicit and implicit critical social agendas that result (or could result) from their work. It is our belief that the community of learning scientists is well positioned to build transformative models of what could be, to develop learning and teaching interventions that have impact, and to advance theory that will prove valuable to others. This potential, we argue, would be significantly heightened if we as a community embrace the critical agendas that are central to so many discussions in anthropology, philosophy, or even curriculum development more generally. Instead of simply building an artifact to help individuals accomplish a particular task, or to meet a specific standard, the focus of critical design work is to develop sociotechnical structures that facilitate individuals in critiquing and improving themselves and the societies in which they function, and then we use our understanding of participation with these structures to advance theory. As an example of critical design work, we describe the Quest Atlantis project and the methodology used in its creation.

The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it. (Karl Marx, 1845/1998)