Cyber Bullying @ Schools: What do Turkish Adolescents Think?

Cyber bullying is an emerging form of peer bullying, becoming prominent especially over the past decade. The aim of this study was to investigate through interviews the perceptions of Turkish high school students about cyber bullying. The sample consisted of six male and one female high school students all aged 15 years who identified as being active in cyber bullying. Findings were grouped under four main headings; acts of cyber bullying, reasons for cyber bullying, characteristics of cyber bullies and victims, and suggestions to prevent cyber bullying. The results were discussed in the light of relevant literature.     

A jigsaw cooperative learning application in elementary science and technology lessons: physical and chemical changes

Cooperative learning is an active learning approach in which students work together in small groups to complete an assigned task. Students commonly find the subject of ‘physical and chemical changes’ difficult and abstract, and thus they generally have many misconceptions about it.

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the effects of jigsaw cooperative learning activities developed by the researchers on sixth grade students’ understanding of physical and chemical changes.

Sample

Participants in the study were 61 sixth grade students in a public elementary school in Izmir, Turkey.

Design and methods

A pre-test and post-test experimental design with a control group was used, and students were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Instruction of the subject was conducted via jigsaw cooperative learning in the experimental group and via teacher-centered instruction in the control group. During the jigsaw process, experimental group students studied the subjects of changes of state, changes in shape and molecular solubility from physical changes, and acid–base reactions, combustion reactions and changes depending on heating from chemical changes in their jigsaw groups.

Results

The concept test results showed that jigsaw cooperative learning instruction yielded significantly better acquisition of scientific concepts related to physical and chemical changes, compared to traditional learning. Students in the experimental group had a lower proportion of misconceptions than those in the control group, and some misconceptions in the control group were identified for the first time in this study.

Conclusions

Jigsaw cooperative learning is an effective teaching technique for challenging sixth grade students’ misconceptions in the context of physical and chemical changes, and enhancing their motivation, learning achievements, self-confidence and willingness in the science and technology lesson. This technique could be applied to other chemistry subjects and other grade levels.     

Telling stories digitally: an experiment with preschool children

With the emergence of the new technologies, twenty-first-century learning involves the application of new media in educational environments. Digital storytelling (DST) is a method that blends traditional storytelling with new technologies. This study was designed to compare the conceptual understanding of preschool students in DST classrooms with children in traditional storytelling classrooms. A pre-test, post-test control group design was used. Data were collected from 149 preschool children using pre- and post-test surveys and students’ drawings. The findings indicate that DST improved the preschoolers’ conceptual understanding of the course content more than traditional storytelling.     

Conceptual Understanding of Definite Integral with GeoGebra

This study aimed to determine the effect of a computer-assisted instruction method using GeoGebra on achievement of prospective secondary mathematics teachers in the definite integral topic and to determine their opinions about this method. The study group consisted of 35 prospective secondary mathematics teachers studying in the mathematics education program at a state university in Turkey. The study was carried out using an embedded design, and the Definite Integral Knowledge Test and an opinion form were used for data collection. Upon analyzing the data, the computer-assisted instruction method using GeoGebra was found to positively contribute to the success of teaching the definite integral topic. Prospective teachers stated that this method should be used in math courses as it creates a fun and interesting environment with dynamic learning elements, provides visualization and opportunities to learn mathematics through practice and exercises, enables thorough understanding and explication of skills, and makes way for conceptual learning instead of memorizing. Furthermore, this study was found to facilitate conceptual learning of the relationship between the lower sum, upper sum and Riemann sum.     

Professional Journals as a Source of PCK for Teaching Nature of Science: An Examination of Articles Published in The Science Teacher (TST) (an NSTA Journal), 1995–2010

A number of science education policy documents recommend that students develop an understanding of the enterprise of science and the nature of science (NOS). Despite this emphasis, there is still a gap between policy and practice. Teacher professional literature provides one potential venue for bridging this gap, by providing “activities that work” (Appleton in elementary science teacher education: International perspectives on contemporary issues and practice. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ, 2006) that can scaffold teachers’ developing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching NOS. We analyzed articles published in the NSTA journal The Science Teacher (1995–2010) in terms of the degree to which they provide appropriate model activities and specific information that can support the development of teachers’ PCK for teaching NOS. Our analysis revealed a diversity of NOS aspects addressed by the authors and a wide range of variation in the percent of articles focused on each aspect. Additionally, we found that few articles provided robust information related to all the component knowledge bases of PCK for NOS. In particular, within the extant practitioner literature, there are few models for teaching the aspects of NOS, such as the function and nature of scientific theory. Furthermore, though articles provided information relevant to informing teachers’ knowledge of instructional strategies for NOS, relevant information to inform teachers’ knowledge of assessment in this regard was lacking. We provide recommendations for ways in which the practitioner literature may support teachers’ teaching of NOS through more robust attention to the types of knowledge research indicates are needed in order to teaching NOS effectively.     

Teachers’ use of Facebook and teacher quality: developing a ‘Facebook Effect Scale on Teacher Quality (FESTQ)’ from the perspective of PCK,TPACK, and lifelong learning frameworks

The main purpose of the study is to develop a Facebook Effect Scale on Teacher Quality (FESTQ) based on the pedagogical content knowledge, technological pedagogical content knowledge and lifelong learning frameworks. Study participants comprised 556 teachers. Explanatory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted in the development and testing of the FESTQ. The results showed that the FESTQ is reliable and valid to measure Facebook effect on teacher quality. The FESTQ consists of 40 positive six-point Likert-type items along with six factors, instructional knowledge for in-class applications, general culture knowledge, individual characteristics, instructional knowledge related to student characteristics, instructional knowledge for preparing an assessment tool and special content area knowledge. The psychometric properties of the FESTQ, the study limitations and suggestions for future studies are discussed.     

Evaluation of School Administrators’ Brand and Crisis Management Skills on Disability Services

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to enable teachers to evaluate the crisis management skills of the administrators in terms of school development. The study has been carried out on a sample group consisting of 376 teachers (sample) working in 10 secondary schools and high schools. The study is a survey research based on the use of a quantitative method. In this survey, the scale of “the evaluation of the crisis management skills of the school administrators by teachers in terms of school development (OGAÖTDÖ)” developed by Tokel has been used. In addition, it has been analysed with the independent ANOVA test to determine whether or not it differs according to the factor of professional branches. When the research findings are examined, it has been determined that teachers answer positively to the question directed about crisis management skills of school administrators (X ? = 3.52) on disability services. As a result, it has been concluded that school administrators have adequate crisis management skills and they need a reputation for the quality.     

Primary School Students’ Conflict Resolution Strategies in Turkey

This study examined conflict resolution strategies (CRSs) resorted to by sixth, seventh, and eighth grade primary school pupils in Turkey and identified gender differences in the resolution strategies typically resorted to. In addition, the study aimed to find out what actual conflicts students asked assistance for from teachers and what strategies students thought teachers used in dealing with their conflicts. The data for this research were collected via a questionnaire involving mostly open-ended items. Results supported the notion that three main groups of strategies (problem-solving, avoiding and aggressive) typically get implemented in solving conflicts. Problem-solving strategies were observed to be most frequently employed by the participants. There was a significant gender difference in terms of the use of CRSs, in that girls were more likely to use problem-solving strategies than boys. The majority of the participants tended not to ask for assistance from teachers in resolving their conflicts. However, students from low SES schools were more likely to ask for teacher assistance than students from middle and high SES schools. The participants also stated that teachers typically used two main strategies in helping them resolve their conflicts: problem-solving and aggressive strategies.     

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.