Interplay of motivational and cognitive strategies in predicting self‐efficacy and anxiety

The purpose of the present study was to test a model explaining self‐efficacy and anxiety by the interrelationships with task value, cognitive strategies (rehearsal, elaboration and organisation) and metacognitive self‐regulation in the domain of chemistry. Data were collected from 518 college students in Turkey. Findings of structural equation modelling indicated that chemistry self‐efficacy and anxiety were predicted as a function of task value, cognitive strategies and metacognitive self‐regulation, supporting the proposed model. That is, students with high levels of task value tended to use more learning strategies which promoted the use of regulatory strategies. In turn, these students may decrease their chemistry anxiety, leading to an increase in chemistry self‐efficacy indirectly.     

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.     

Meta-Representation in an Algebra I Classroom

We describe how 1 Algebra I teacher and her 8th-grade students used meta-representational knowledge when generating and evaluating equations to solve word problems. Analyzing data from a sequence of 4 lessons, we found that the teacher and her students used criteria for evaluating equations, in addition to other types of knowledge (e.g., different interpretations of the equal sign) previously reported in the literature. Moreover, the teacher and her students had trouble understanding one another's proposed algebraic models of problem situations due to differences in the criteria that each applied, and this impeded learning. These findings (a) extend an accumulating body of evidence for the role meta-representation plays in mathematics and science learning and (b) add a new dimension to researchers' growing understanding of what teachers must know in order to teach algebra and other complex mathematics and science topics effectively.     

Online project based learning via cloud computing: exploring roles of instructor and students

This one semester case study intended to explore the roles of the instructor and students in design activities based on project based learning via cloud computing technology. Participants were 13 pre-service computer teachers enrolled in an internet programming course at faculty of education. Online course records, interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data. The data were analyzed via qualitative techniques. Results suggested that cloud computing facilitates planning, collaboration, and communication and also supports individual learning in online project based design activities. The instructor exhibited the roles of guidance, technical support, administrate and communicate. Students’ roles were found as cooperation, coordination, communication, leadership, practice, effort provide in project based activities. The results are hoped to provide insights about the roles of the instructor and students in online project based design activities. Along with the study findings, some implications were discussed for using cloud computing effectively in project based learning.     

Further investigation of the relationship between cultural intelligence and expatriate career intentions

International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance - Previous research has shown that cultural intelligence is a positive predictor of expatriate career intentions among university...     

The Effect of Conflict Resolution Training on Turkish Elementary School Students: A Quasi-Experimental Investigation

This study investigated the effect of conflict resolution training on Turkish elementary school students' conflict resolution strategies. The participants were 54 fourth grade students. A pre-test, post-test, follow-up control group quasi-experimental design was used. Two 4th grade classes were selected out of three eligible 4th grade classes on the basis of Conflict Scenario Written Measure (Johnson, Johnson, & Dudley, 1992) and randomly assigned as control and experimental group. The experimental group consisted of 28 students (17 boys, 11 girls) and the control group consisted of 26 students (15 boys, 11 girls). Those in experimental group received 45 minutes of conflict resolution training twice a week, for four weeks. The results indicated that treatment was effective in changing the conflict resolution strategies used by the experimental group subjects in three different hypothetical situations and this effect was maintained six months after the treatment.     

Understanding community in synchronous online learning: do perceptions match behaviours?

ABSTRACT

The community of inquiry (CoI) framework is becoming increasingly popular in online learning. The relationships among CoI constructs (cognitive, teaching and social presences) were generally investigated through surveys. However, some methodological challenges were noticed in CoI studies such as the limitations in data diversity or data verification. Hypothesising that learners’ perceptions about CoI constructs may not reflect their actual behaviours, this study matches students’ perceptions and actual behaviours reflecting the CoI constructs in an online learning setting in a synchronous online undergraduate programme. Data from CoI surveys, online discussion records and observations were comparatively discussed. The results indicated that relationships between the behaviours and perceptions about CoI constructs were quite positive and students’ perceptions about CoI constructs almost matches with their actual behaviours. Thus, the study confirmed the power of determining the interactions reflecting CoI constructs in online learning within CoI surveys. It is hoped that the study may shed a light with its contribution in providing some evidence for the question of whether conventional data collection techniques in CoI studies is required to be revisited or not.     

Parental networks,ethnicity, and social and cultural capital: the societal dynamics of educational resilience in Turkey

Resilience research has increasingly gained ground in the field of education research, due to its potential for ameliorating inequalities. This article deals with the emergence of educational resilience, with particular attention to parental network structure, by employing a Bourdieusian social and cultural capital approach. While much of the literature discusses resilience normatively as a personal trait, this article frames it as an outcome of larger societal processes. Drawing on a comparative study of the experiences of resilient student–mother and dropout–mother pairs living in inner-city areas of Istanbul, the article illustrates that the emergence of resilience is strongly linked to resources such as parental networks and that parental networks significantly differ along the nexus of ethnicity.     

Utilization of biological variation data in the interpretation of laboratory test results – survey about clinicians’ opinion and knowledge

IntroductionTo interpret test results correctly, understanding of the variations that affect test results is essential. The aim of this study is: 1) to evaluate the clinicians’ knowledge and opinion concerning biological variation (BV), and 2) to investigate if clinicians use BV in the interpretation of test results.Materials and methodsThis study uses a questionnaire comprising open-ended and close-ended questions. Questions were selected from the real-life numerical examples of interpretation of test results, the knowledge about main sources of variations in laboratories and the opinion of clinicians on BV. A total of 399 clinicians were interviewed, and the answers were evaluated using a scoring system ranked from A (clinician has the highest level of knowledge and the ability of using BV data) to D (clinician has no knowledge about variations in laboratory). The results were presented as number (N) and percentage (%).ResultsAltogether, 60.4% of clinicians have knowledge of pre-analytical and analytical variations; but only 3.5% of them have knowledge related to BV. The number of clinicians using BV data or reference change value (RCV) to interpret measurements results was zero, while 79.4% of clinicians accepted that the difference between two measurements results located within the reference interval may be significant.ConclusionsClinicians do not use BV data or tools derived from BV such as RCV to interpret test results. It is recommended that BV should be included in the medical school curriculum, and clinicians should be encouraged to use BV data for safe and valid interpretation of test results.