‘Building Dancing’: Dance within the Context of Architectural Design Pedagogy

Recent theoretical and technological developments redefine the discipline of architecture substantially. Current day approaches in design pedagogy focus on personal and bodily experiences of the subject and the need for investigating new ways and methods to enhance awareness of spatial experiences is inevitable. In order to establish a heuristic understanding of embodiment in space within design pedagogy, collaborative studies of dance and architecture are important supports. This article introduces ‘Building Dancing’, which is an approach to embodied learning. The project is specifically designed and developed for students of architectural design and aims to integrate the existing body of knowledge and hands‐on exercises under a holistic framework. Within this study, the issue of embodiment is regarded not solely as a theoretical concept but a transforming method for achieving a conception of a reality and an understanding of architectural design processes.     

Comparative analysis of students and faculty level of awareness and knowledge of digital citizenship practices in a distance learning environment: case study

Education and Information Technologies - The COVID-19 pandemic increase the use of distance learning while studies have shown that there is insufficient digital knowledge among students in distance...     

Evaluation by Teachers of “Use of Influence in Agile Management” by School Administration

ABSTRACT

The main aim of this research is to evaluate the use of Influence in Agile Management at schools by the school administration, which is used with the purpose of increasing success and quality of schools. It is evaluated, within this context, that obtaining opinions of teachers from two different educational institutions would contribute to the improvement of the educational sector. This research aims at underlining which type of influence method used by the school administration would be more beneficial. Semi-structured interview, which is one of the types of qualitative approach, has been used in this research and 18 teachers were interviewed from two different educational institutions. According to the results of the semi-structured interview, teachers have expressed that they do not undertake the desired role in the decision-making process on the changes to be made at schools. They added that they are taking part in the decision-making process at low profiles, but they would like to take more active roles. Moreover, it has been observed that there is no initiative or plan to include teachers to the decision-making process and there is no training to the teachers on this issue even in universal values and disability.     

Father Psycho-education Program for Developing Interaction with Children: Disability Program Development

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to indicate the effect of fathers’ psycho-education program on their interaction with their children. The participants of the study consisted of 10 fathers in experimental group and 9 fathers in the control group. Mixed research design was carried out. Quantitative data were collected using Personal Information Form, Child–Parent Relationship Scale and Father Involvement Scale. Semi-structured interview form consisting of open-ended questions was used. The fathers were trained for an eight-week period one week after the study group was provided with Fathers’ Interview Form as a pre-test. One week after the study was completed the same test was applied to fathers as the last test. The data obtained from the study were analysed using Non-Parametric Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test. The findings indicated that the training given to fathers increased their interaction with their children. The scores of fathers in the experimental group from the ‘Father Involvement Scale’ were significantly higher than those in the control group. The evaluation of the semi-structured interview questions in the qualitative part of the study, the responsibilities and roles of fathers in raising children altered after their involvement in the fathers’ psychoeducation program. This study proposes disability programand inclusion.     

Assessing and Enhancing Pre-service Science Teachers’ Self-Efficacy to Teach Science Through Argumentation: Challenges and Possible Solutions

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of an intervention on pre-service science teachers’ self-efficacy to teach science through argumentation and explore the challenges they experienced while implementing argumentation. Forty pre-service science teachers in their final semester of schooling participated in an intervention that lasted for 11 weeks. Intervention focused on participants’ understanding of argumentation as a scientific practice and as a pedagogical tool. The participants engaged in argument construction, evaluation, and critique, taught three argumentation lessons, engaged in peer observation of teaching, and reflection on their teaching skills. Data were collected through Argumentation Self-Efficacy Scale and an open-ended questionnaire. The results show that the intervention had a significantly positive effect on pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy. Despite this reported self-efficacy, participants experienced significant challenges in guiding their students to construct scientific arguments and assessing the arguments developed by their students. Discussion focuses on implications for professional development of pre-service and in-service science teachers.     

Three-dimensional Visualization Software Assists Learning in Students with Diverse Spatial Intelligence in Medical Education

This study evaluated effect of mental rotation (MR) training on learning outcomes and explored effectiveness of teaching via three-dimensional (3D) software among medical students with diverse spatial intelligence. Data from n = 67 student volunteers were included. A preliminary test was conducted to obtain baseline level of MR competency and was utilized to assign participants to two experimental conditions, i.e., trained group (n = 25) and untrained group (n = 42). Data on the effectiveness of training were collected to measure participants’ speed and accuracy in performing various MR activities. Six weeks later, a large class format (LCF) session was conducted for all students using 3D software. The usefulness of technology-assisted learning at the LCF was evaluated via a pre- and post-test. Students’ feedback regarding MR training and use of 3D software was acquired through questionnaires. MR scores of the trainees improved from 25.9±4.6 points to 28.1±4.4 (P = 0.011) while time taken to complete the tasks reduced from 20.9±3.9 to 12.2±4.4 minutes. Males scored higher than females in all components (P = 0.016). Further, higher pre- and post-test scores were observed in trained (9.0±1.9 and 12.3±1.6) versus untrained group (7.8±1.8; 10.8±1.8). Although mixed-design analysis of variance suggested significant difference in their test scores (P < 0.001), both groups reported similar trend in improvement by means of 3D software (P = 0.54). Ninety-seven percent of students reported technology-assisted learning as an effective means of instruction and found use of 3D software superior to plastic models. Software based on 3D technologies could be adopted as an effective teaching pedagogy to support learning across students with diverse levels of mental rotation abilities.     

Opinions of Teachers and School Administrators about Organizational Citizenship Behaviors and Disability Services

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to determine primary school administrators’ and teachers’ views about the organisational citizenship behaviours in their schools. Qualitative research method was employed. The participants consisted of 15 teachers and 5 school administrators working in primary schools in North Cyprus, which were selected through maximum sampling method. Content analysis was done to analyse the data. The findings indicate that the majority of teachers report that the number of teachers who are eager to help is unsatisfactory, and that the participants do not have positive opinions about the reactions they face when they encounter a problem in school. Attention was paid to issues pertaining to disabled students. Since disabled students need extra attention and care, teachers and school administrators expressed the view that to interact with disabled students, organisational citizenship behaviour is necessary. Results further show that organisational citizens are eager to guide, to make extra effort and to empower themselves in order to be more useful and efficient. This study recommends that organising in-service training to improve organisational citizenship behaviour may be effective in improving schools and contribute to the awareness of the importance of the organisational citizenship in terms of disabled students.     

Finding the Hook: Computer Science Education in Elementary Contexts

The purpose of this study was to investigate how elementary teachers with little knowledge of computer science (CS) and project-based learning (PBL) experienced integrating CS through PBL as a part of a standards-based elementary curriculum in Grades 3–5. The researchers used qualitative constant comparison methods on field notes and reflections to describe the teachers' participation in professional development to create CS-infused projects to be implemented with their students. Categories that emerged included standards integration, student autonomy, and challenges of infrastructure and time. The data are from the first 6 months of a 3-year, National Science Foundation-funded project. (Keywords: computer science, project-based learning, integration, elementary curriculum)