Women in engineering in Turkey – a large scale quantitative and qualitative examination

The underrepresentation of women in engineering is well known and unresolved. However, Turkey has witnessed a shift in trend from virtually no female participation in engineering to across-the-board proportions that dominate other industrialised countries within the 76 years of the founding of the Turkish Republic. This paper describes the largest known direct cross-sectional study of women in engineering in Turkey with over 800 participants. The methods include survey and facilitated focus groups. The study shows that women in Turkey choose engineering mainly because they enjoy the underlying mathematics and science. There is no gender bias on the part of teachers or fellow students; however, women students believe that they have fewer opportunities than male peers and acutely feel the lack of role models. Working professionals in industry or government perceive that women assume a more indirect, supporting role; however, women overall strongly affirm their selection of engineering despite some negative factors.     

Preschool intellectual assessment with the ammons quick test

The Quick Test, Form 1 (QT) and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, Form L-M (SB) were administered to 70 preschool children. A low significant correlation of.36 for the MA scores and.39 for the IQ scores were found. However, the mean IQ achieved on the QT was 73 which is at the borderline intellectual level, while the mean IQ achieved on the SB was 111, which falls in the bright-normal range of intelligence. This 38-point difference is highly significant. These findings raise serious doubt about the validity of the QT for the intellectual estimation of preschool children with above average functioning. Further research with a group that also includes children of below average intelligence is indicated.     

Head Start Parents' Beliefs about Their Children's Abilities, Task Values, and Performances on Different Activities

As part of larger intervention study designed to facilitate the transition of Head Start children into kindergarten and the early elementary grades, we assessed parents beliefs about former Head start children's abilities and values in several activity domains—academics, sports, and social skills—during the children's kindergarten ten year. Parents' expectations for their children's future also were examined. One hundred and twenty-four parents and 155 children participated; all children had attended Head Start, and the sample is ethnically and racially diverse. One group of children and parents received the additional services, and a second group did not. Parents, were quit optimistic about their children's prospects for the future. There were ethnic differences in parents were quit optimistic about their children's prospects for the future. There were ethnic differences in parents' beliefs about children's abilities and future prospects in different areas. Parents beliefs related both to children's attitudes toward school and to their performance on mathematical and reading achievement tests.