Preschool children's school adjustment: indicators of behaviour problems,gender, and peer victimisation

The relationships among school adjustment, victimisation, and gender were investigated with 284 Turkish children aged between five and six years. Teacher Rating Scale of School Adjustment, The Preschool Behaviour Questionnaire, and Peer Victimisation Scale were used in this study. Analyses indicated that children's behaviour problems and victimisation variables were significant predictors of the school adjustment of children while controlling for gender.     

Science Education in the Era of a Pandemic

Science & Education -     

Challenges in the Translation of a Research Instrument： Findings From Adapting a Questionnaire Into Turkish

The translation of an instrument from one language to another is a challenging yet useful procedure, especially for constructs not widely studied in the target language. Culture shock is one such construct. The Culture Shock Questionnaire （CSQ） developed in England was translated to Turkish. Translation/back translation with 12 translators, the committee approach, and empirical testing in the university student population were the techniques employed. The results support CSQ as a potential instrument in the Turkish language as well as suggest that challenges in the translation of a research instrument, like challenges in the translation of other texts, involve serious dilemmas about the extent of loyalty to the original instrument. The current study recommends the use of multiple techniques in translation and reports on committee decisions in detail.     

Validity and reliability of a Turkish version of the Friendship Activity Scale

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable Turkish version of the Friendship Activity Scale (FAS). Both the English and Turkish versions of the FAS were administered to 36 students to check for language equivalence. The Turkish version of the FAS was then administered to 226 students to ensure internal consistency, and to 61 students to test re-test reliability. The FAS and Adjective Check List (ACL) were administered to 49 students to check concurrent validity. There was a significant relationship between the English and Turkish versions of the FAS (r?=?.78), and there were no significant differences between the two measurements (p?<?.05). Cronbach Alpha Reliability of the FAS for the Turkish sample was .86. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of the repeated measurements of the FAS appeared to be sufficiently high (.89), and there were no significant differences between the mean values of two interval measurements (p?<?.05). The FAS significantly correlated with the ACL (r?=?0.58). The total item correlations of the FAS were acceptable, ranging between 0.26 and 0.65. In conclusion, the FAS appears to be a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the behavioral intentions of Turkish elementary school children, and their commitment to initiating a friendship with a peer with a disability.     

Differential Effects Between Group Counselling and Group Guidance in Conducting a ‘Coping with Stress Training Program’ for Turkish University Students

This study aimed at investigating differential effects between group counselling and group guidance in conducting a ‘Coping with Stress Training Program’ for 24 Turkish university students. The dependent variables were coping with stress, irrational beliefs and optimism. A 3 × 2 design (treatment sequence by repeated measures) was applied. As a result of the treatment no significant difference was observed between the two experimental groups in any of the variables tested in the study; however, both experimental groups differed significantly from a control group in respect to coping with stress. With regard to the within-group comparisons, irrational belief tendencies in both experimental groups decreased significantly, while the level of optimism of the counselling group and the problem-focused stress coping tendencies of the guidance group increased significantly. Based on the findings, it was considered that the program for developing coping skills for stress might best be implemented in a group guidance format especially in Turkey where there are limited physical resources, a low number of staff to run programs and a high number of students in need of help.     

Home Accidents and Assistance in Daily Activities of Older Women in Turkey

This study analyzed the relation between incidents of at-home accidents and the assistance in daily activities of women age of 65+ living in the area of Dikmen Akp?nar Health Care Unit in Ankara-Turkey. Of the women, 49.2% had experienced a home accident in the last 12 months. More than half of these accidents were caused by falling. Women over the age of 65 who were dependent with regard to daily activities had a significantly higher level of accident percentages. As the age and the dependence level in daily activities increased, the ratio of accidents increased.     

Arguing to learn and learning to argue: Case studies of how students' argumentation relates to their scientific knowledge

In this study we investigated junior high school students' processes of argumentation and cognitive development in science and socioscientific lessons. Detailed studies of the relationship between argumentation and the development of scientific knowledge are rare. Using video and audio documents of small group and classroom discussions, the quality and frequency of students' argumentation was analyzed using a schema based on the work of Toulmin ( 1958 ). In parallel, students' development and use of scientific knowledge was also investigated, drawing on a schema for determining the content and level of abstraction of students' meaning‐making. These two complementary analyses enabled an exploration of their impact on each other. The microanalysis of student discourse showed that: (a) when engaging in argumentation students draw on their prior experiences and knowledge; (b) such activity enables students to consolidate their existing knowledge and elaborate their science understanding at relatively high levels of abstraction. The results also suggest that students can acquire a higher quality of argumentation that consists of well‐grounded knowledge with a relatively low level of abstraction. The findings further suggest that the main indicator of whether or not a high quality of argument is likely to be attained is students' familiarity and understanding of the content of the task. The major implication of this work for developing argumentation in the classroom is the need to consider the nature and extent of students' content‐specific experiences and knowledge prior to asking them to engage in argumentation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 101–131, 2008     

Determination of the opinions of individuals aged 65 and over on aging in place: the case of Ankara

ABSTRACT

This study was planned to determine the opinions of individuals aged 65 years and older on “aging in place” and was conducted with 506 elderly individuals living in the Çankaya district of Ankara. In order to determine the level of satisfaction of the elderly with the environment they live in, the “Aging in Place Scale,” consisted of 15 items and three sub-dimensions, was used. In the study, the score received from the scale indicates the level of satisfaction of elderly individuals with the environment they have lived for a long time. In the study, the elderly were observed to receive scores well above the averages in all three sub-factors, and this situation demonstrated that their satisfaction levels were high. There was no statistically significant difference between the Aging in Place Scale and its sub-factors scores of the elderly and gender and housing ownership. A statistically significant difference was found between the “Attainable Social Support” sub-factor and the level of education and income, and Aging in Place Scale, “Perceived Social Support” and “Physical Competence” sub-factors with living situation. Furthermore, in the study, the relationship between marital status and Aging in Place Scale, its all sub-factors were also statistically significant. The obtained results were discussed within the framework of the studies in the literature, and suggestions were made to individuals, the related institutions and organizations for elderly individuals to age in place successfully.