Pre-service English language teachers’ collaborative development: the emergence of research,rehearsal and reflection (3R) model from an activity theory perspective

This study aims to understand how pre-service teachers’ activities shape (and are shaped) by the norms of schooling embedded in the national educational system from an activity theory lens. The data are obtained from video-recordings and bi-weekly reflective journals in microteaching sessions, lesson plans, classroom observations, and post feedback sessions. The analysis points to the stages, micro- and macro-networking levels that lead to the collaborative teacher development, and the emergence of a model in the growth of pre-service teachers. Overall, it is found that the development of pre-service teachers depends largely on the norms of schooling embedded in the national curriculum and the nature of training they received at undergraduate level. The paper concludes by confirming Engeström’s statement that understanding the evolution and historical change of pre-service teacher education in a special context might help investigate how activities change, develop, and interconnect with social and material structures.     

Participation in online courses from the students’ perspective

The purpose of this study is to uncover factors that affect participation in online classes from the student’s perspective. Interest in the online environment has been increasing and renders the opinions of students participating in online courses more important since the opinions of students in this environment are closely related to interaction. It has been seen that lack of interaction creates a sense of loneliness, which causes students to drop their classes. For this reason, a qualitative study has been conducted about student experiences on the use of methods that increase interaction in an online environment and participation. Participants were given tasks based on collaboration, special attention was paid to make sure that the setting in which the participants found themselves was in accordance with the principles of the community of inquiry, computerized equipment was used to facilitate online interactions. 15 students worked based on collaboration and 15 students worked individually. Data was collected with interviews and reflection reports. Open, axial and selective coding was made by using the theorizing method. At the end of the study, it was determined that participation in online environment was affected in both groups by factors such as personal approaches, changing variables, mediated attributes.     

Who's the Boss? Concepts of Social Power Across Development

Power differences are observed in children's early relationships, yet little is known about how children conceptualize social power. Study 1 recruited adults (n = 35) to assess the validity of a series of vignettes to measure five dimensions of social power. Using these vignettes, Study 2 (149 three‐ to nine‐year‐olds, 42 adults) and Study 3 (86 three‐ to nine‐year‐olds, 22 adults) showed that children visiting a science museum at a middle class university town are sensitive to several dimensions of social power from a young age; however, an adult‐like breadth of power concepts does not develop until 7–9 years. Children understand social power whether the powerful character is malevolent or benevolent, though malevolent power is easier to detect for children and adults.     

Facilitating Conceptual Change in Students’ Understanding of Boiling Concept

The objective of this study was to construct a teaching strategy for facilitating students’ conceptual understanding of the boiling concept. The study is based on 52 freshman students in the primary science education department. Students’ ideas were elicited by a test consisting of nine questions. Conceptual change strategy was designed based on students’ alternative conceptions. Conceptual change in students’ understanding of boiling was evaluated by administering a pre-, post- and delayed post-test. The test scores were analysed both by qualitative and quantitative methods. Statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA of student test scores pointed to statistically significant differences in the tests and total scores (p < 0.05). Quantitative analysis of students’ responses on each test revealed different schema about changing their knowledge system. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses suggest that the teaching activities facilitated students’ conceptual understanding. No statistically significant differences were found between post-test and delayed post-test scores, suggesting that the teaching strategy enabled students to retain their new conceptions in the long-term memory.     

The effect of electronic performance support systems on self-regulated learning skills

Electronic performance support systems (EPSSs) are the software programs commonly used in commercial environments since the early 1990s. These software programs are generally called performance-based systems and focus on the complete job rather than providing individual development. For that reason, the usage of these systems in learning environments has not been sufficiently investigated. In this empirical study, availability of using EPSS software for learning processes was investigated in order to contribute to the literature. An EPSS software was developed for undergraduate students to use in programming language courses and the effects of the software on students' self-regulation based learning skills were investigated. During the treatment process, while the experimental group was supported with EPSS, traditional teaching continued in the control group. The results of the study showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of motivational beliefs; however, there were significant differences in terms of cognitive, metacognitive, and resource management strategies.     

Use of self-determination theory to support basic psychological needs of preservice science teachers in an environmental science course

In this paper, we examine how the basic psychological needs of preservice science teachers (PSTs) were supported in a series of environmental science course activities informed by self-determination theory (SDT). We collected qualitative data about the PSTs’ sense of competence, autonomy, and relatedness through interviews, group discussions, assignments, and reflection papers. Data were analyzed in relation to the instructional design features of the course; namely, collective construction of ideas, student guided discussions, real life connection, and consistent group dynamics. Findings illustrate primary support for cognitive features, including, how course activities supported a sense of confidence in action, sense of self-initiation, awareness of personal role in the system, and awareness of environmental actions. Overall, results suggest that SDT can be effectively utilized as a framework for environmental education in courses designed to foster environmental self-determination and long-lasting pro-environmental behaviors.     

Motivation and demotivation of university teachers

Teachers make up one of the lowest income groups in Turkey. Research tells us that with their large class sizes, poor structural and physical characteristics of the classes, and the inadequate professional conditions offered to teachers, education at the university level is not up to modern standards. The aim of the study reported in this paper is to examine sources of motivation and demotivation among teachers at a public university in Istanbul. Three hundred teachers (M = 112, F = 188) aged between 33 and 65, were asked two open‐ended questions regarding their motivational and demotivational tendencies towards their profession. Motivating aspects/factors of teaching have been compressed and categorised under four main units: Students, Career, Social Status and Ideals. Demotivating aspects/factors have been compressed and categorised under five different headings: Students, Economics, Structural and Physical Characteristics, Research and Working Conditions. Results show that students are the main source of motivation and demotivation for university teachers. Besides students, while career is a secondary motivational factor, economics and research are secondary demotivating factors.     

The role of abusive supervision in predicting teachers’ withdrawal and revenge responses / El papel de la supervisión abusiva en la predicción de las respuestas de venganza y abandono de los docentes

Abstract

There has been a growing interest in the phenomenon of abusive supervision in the last two decades through theory development and empirical investigations in management literature. In particular, educational scholars have paid attention to this issue with different terms such as ‘dark side of leadership’, ‘mistreatment’, ‘bullying’ or ‘abusive supervision’. This research provides insights into the relationship of abusive supervision with withdrawal and revenge behaviours of teachers, using a sample of 330 teachers working in public primary and secondary schools in Turkey. Despite its low rate, abusive supervision has a predictive potential on revenge and withdrawal. It was found that as teachers’ teaching experience decreased, withdrawal and revenge tendencies increased. Male teachers tended to respond with withdrawal and revenge more than females when they were abusively supervised. Lastly, primary school teachers were more likely to respond with withdrawal and revenge than secondary school teachers in times of abusive supervision.     

Analysing the types of TV programmes viewed by children from different socio‐economic strata based on their self‐report in the Turkish context

This research investigated the amount of time that children from different socio‐economic strata spend watching television per week and whether there was a difference among children from low, middle and upper socio‐economic strata with regard to viewing programme types, including action adventure, news and information, competitions, sports, paparazzi shows, cartoons, child informative and musical and comedy. Preparing and conducting this investigation involved a survey including TV programme types and the amount of time the participants spent watching television per week. Four hundred and ninety‐two primary school children participated. They came from low, middle and upper socio‐economic strata from three different primary schools in Turkey. The results indicate that significant differences exist among children from low, middle and upper socio‐economic strata with respect to viewing different programme types like action adventure, competitions, paparazzi shows, child informative and musical and comedy, while there was a non‐significant difference among the participants from different socio‐economic strata in viewing news and information, sports and cartoons. Some implications for further research have been made for prospective researchers.

L'analyse des types de Television programmes pour les enfants de differentes classes socio‐economiques basées sur leur proper rapport dans le contexte turc

Cette recherche a exposé la quantité de temps que les enfants de differentes classes socio‐economiques ont depensé pour regarder la TV par semaine; s'il y avait une différence parmi les enfants de hautes, moyennes et basses classes socio‐economiques du point de vue des types de programme tels ques l'aventure d'action, les nouvelles la compétition d'information, les sports, le paparazzi shows, les bandes dessinées, celle d'information pour les enfants et la comédie. Préparer et conduire cette recherche a developpé une enquete comprenant les types de programme et la quantité de temps que les participants depensent pour regarder la TV par semaine. Les 492 éleves d'école primaire ont participés à cette investigation. Ils sont venus des hautes, moyennes et basses classes socio‐economiques parmi trois differents écoles primaries en Turquie. Les resultats indiquent que les differences significatives existent parmi les enfants de hautes, moyennes et basses classes socio‐economiques du point de vue des types de programme tels ques l'aventure d'action, les nouvelles la compétition d'information, les sports, le paparazzi shows, les bandes dessinées celle d'information pour les enfants et la comédie et la musique tandis qu'il n'y a pas de difference importante parmi les participants de differents de classes socio‐economiques mentionnés en regardant respectivement les nouvelles et information, les sports, les bandes dessinées. Certaines déductions pour une recherché ont été executé pour les recherches prospective.

Analyse der von Kindern verschiedener sozio‐ökonomischer Schichten ausgewähltenTypen von Fernsehprogrammen, basierend auf Eigenberichten in türkischem Kontext

In diesem Artikel werden die Zeit, die Kinder, die aus unterschiedlichen sozio‐ökonomischen Schichten kommen, in einer Woche beim Fernsehen verbringen haben, und ob es einen zeitlichen Unterschied zwischen den Kindern, die beim Fernsehen von den Programmen wie Musik‐komödie, Kinderprogramme, Zeichentrickfilme, Paparazzi‐show, Sports, Wettbewerben, Nachrichten, Abenteuerfilme gibt, untersucht. Der Zweck der Vorbereitung und Durchführung dieser Unterschung ist die Feststellung der Zeit, die die Teilnehmer in einer Woche zu den Fernsehprogrammen angewendet haben. 492 Grundschulschüler haben daran teilgenommen. Die Teilnehmer sind Grundschulschüler, die zu den unteren, mittleren und oberen sozio‐ökonomischen Klassen in der Türkei gehören. Das Ergebnis der Forschung zeigte, dass unter den Teilnehmern von unterschiedlichen sozio‐ökonomischen schichten beim Fernsehen von programmen wie nacheinander, Zeichentrickfilme, Sports und Nachrichten keinen zeitlichen Unterschied, demgegenüber beim Fernsehen von Programmen wie Musik‐komödie, Kinderprogramme, Paparazzi‐shows, Wettbewerbs und Abenteuerfilme einen wesentlichen Unterschied gibt. Zum Schluss wurde für hoffnungsvolle Forschungen manche Vorschlaege gemacht.