Students' Achievement in Human Circulatory System Unit: The Effect of Reasoning Ability and Gender

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of gender and reasoning ability on the human circulatory system concepts achievement and attitude toward biology. A total of 47 10th-grade students participated in the study. Group Assessment of Logical Thinking, Attitude Toward Biology Scale, and the Human Circulatory System Concepts Test were administered to determine students' reasoning ability, attitude toward biology, and achievement, respectively. Two-way Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the data. The results revealed that although there was no statistically significant mean difference between boys and girls with respect to achievement and attitude toward biology, there was statistically significant mean difference between concrete and formal students with respect to achievement and attitude toward biology.     

Elementary Students’ Scientific Epistemological Beliefs in Relation to Socio-Economic Status and Gender

This study investigated students’ scientific epistemological beliefs in relation to socio-economic status (SES) and gender. Data were obtained from 1,152 eight grade Turkish elementary school students using Scientific Epistemological Beliefs instrument. Canonical correlation analysis indicated that students with a working mother and educated parents as well as greater number of books at home together with a separate study room are more likely to have tentative views and less likely to have fixed views about science compared to students with unemployed mother, uneducated parents, less books at home, and no separate study room. Generally, results revealed while family SES correlated positively with tentative views, it was negatively associated with fixed views, implying that students from high SES family were more likely to believe that knowledge is uncertain and not handed down by authority compared to students from low SES family. This study, however, failed to indicate any relationship between father work-status, buying daily newspaper and epistemological beliefs. In addition, Multivariate Analysis of Variance indicated that boys more likely to have tentative beliefs compared to girls.     

Assessing pre-service teachers’ environmental literacy in Turkey as a mean to develop teacher education programs

The study investigates environmental literacy of pre-service teachers at one of the largest public universities in Turkey. The research evaluates the relationship of pre-service teachers’ environmental knowledge, attitude, and concerns of their interests in environmental problems, involving outdoor activities, parents’ interest and involvement in environmental activities. Canonical analysis is used to explore relationships between pre-service teachers’ environmental background and literacy. The results are promising and rewarding in addition to restructuring efforts of faculties of education in Turkey. Showing that environmental background of pre-service teachers is positively related to environmental literacy and attitudes along with other uses affected significantly by gender.     

Hands-on Digital Design Course during the Pandemic: Moulding Design for Fabricating Small Objects

Due to the pandemic conditions, hands-on courses in architectural education were conducted remotely and their presentation had to be reconsidered. Hands-on courses, by their nature, support learning and learner-instructor interaction in the classroom environment. It was necessary to develop innovative solutions to ensure this interaction in virtual classrooms. This study discusses a method we experienced in the 2021–2022 spring semester of the “Principles of Digital Design and Fabrication in Architecture” course given at Gazi University. To combat potential interaction deficits, “problem-based learning (PBL)” and “learning by doing (LBD)” teaching methods were applied. While reflecting on foreseen problems in the curriculum on the students, we determined the distance education process causes different reflections on students in terms of digital modelling and fabrication techniques. All constraints and problem determinations obtained by the students were classified and a way to solve these problems developed with the LBD style. By the end of the course, the students, who were expected to design a small 3D object, first designed the mould then realised their fabrication of the object. In this process, while the foreseen problems and curriculum determined at the beginning overlapped, other problem determinations and their reflections formed an important base for the future curriculum.