The development of Hyper-MNP: Hyper-media navigational performance scale

The present study aimed at developing a scale to evaluate navigational performance as a whole, which is one of the factors influencing learning in hyper media. In line with this purpose, depending on the related literature, an item pool of 15 factors was prepared, and these variables were decreased to 5 based on the views of 38 field experts. In the end, a 3-factor structured was obtained via a pilot application carried out with 32 Information Technologies (IT) students, via the confirmatory factor analysis conducted with 110 IT students and via the reliability analysis carried out with 33 IT students. The scale included 14 items, and the internal consistency coefficient regarding the whole scale was calculated as α?=?0.90. The results of the Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the test-retest correlation coefficients of the items ranged between 0.762 and 0.954. As a result of the analyses conducted, the Hyper-MNP scale was found to be a valid and reliable tool that can be used to measure the navigational performance in hyper media.     

Photographic Depiction of Normative Deviance and Informational Utility as Predictors of Protest News Exposure,Related Perceptions,and Story Comprehension

News stories about protests are often accompanied by footage or photos depicting dramatic or violent acts that occur during the protest, even though such acts may be rare or insignificant. Although the assumption is that visual depiction of normative deviance draws the attention of audience members, thus facilitating learning about the social issue, extant research does not suggest this will always be the case. The current study found that greater informational utility, not photographic depiction of deviance, increased selective exposure to a protest story in a Web news environment. However, when the protesters were depicted as more, rather than less, deviant, participants reported less positive perceptions of the protesters. In turn, less positive perceptions of the protesters were associated with less attention to and, ultimately, lower comprehension of the accompanying news story. Implications for learning about political and social issues in the current news environment are discussed.     

Understanding Turkish students’ preferences for distance education depending on financial circumstances: A large-scale CHAID analysis

In the past, distance education was used as a method to meet the educational needs of citizens with limited options to attend an institution of higher education. Nowadays, it has become irreplaceable in higher education thanks to developments in instructional technology. But the question of why students choose distance education is still important. The purpose of this study was to determine Turkish students’ reasons for choosing distance education and to investigate how these reasons differ depending on their financial circumstances. The author used a Chi squared Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) analysis to determine 18,856 Turkish students’ reasons for choosing distance education. Results of the research revealed that Turkish students chose distance education not because of geographical limitations, family-related problems or economic difficulties, but for such reasons as already being engaged in their profession, increasing their knowledge, and seeking promotion to a better position.     

Experiences of students with visual impairments in higher education: barriers and facilitators

This study explored the factors that facilitate and complicate the higher education process for students with visual impairments (VI). The participants were six university students with VI and eight academics/faculty members who instruct these students together with other students. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were analysed using content analysis methods. The students with VI stated that they face barriers related to lack of materials, difficulty obtaining lecture notes, poor academic support, reader-related problems, insufficient library sources, and access to and within the university. Positive facilitators reported by the students were mainly related to personal factors, as well as peer and academic support. The academics demonstrated limited awareness of the barriers faced by students with VI, and the academic support available to these students was found to be insufficient as well. The results indicate that there are considerable barriers to university education for students with VI.     

The response of total testing process in clinical laboratory medicine to COVID-19 pandemic

IntroductionFollowing a pandemic, laboratory medicine is vulnerable to laboratory errors due to the stressful and high workloads. We aimed to examine how laboratory errors may arise from factors, e.g., flexible working order, staff displacement, changes in the number of tests, and samples will reflect on the total test process (TTP) during the pandemic period.Materials and methodsIn 12 months, 6 months before and during the pandemic, laboratory errors were assessed via quality indicators (QIs) related to TTP phases. QIs were grouped as pre-, intra- and postanalytical. The results of QIs were expressed in defect percentages and sigma, evaluated with 3 levels of performance quality: 25^th, 50^th and 75^th percentile values.ResultsWhen the pre- and during pandemic periods were compared, the sigma value of the samples not received was significantly lower in pre-pandemic group than during pandemic group (4.7σ vs. 5.4σ, P = 0.003). The sigma values of samples transported inappropriately and haemolysed samples were significantly higher in pre-pandemic period than during pandemic (5.0σ vs. 4.9σ, 4.3σ vs. 4.1σ; P = 0.046 and P = 0.044, respectively). Sigma value of tests with inappropriate IQC performances was lower during pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period (3.3σ vs. 3.2σ, P = 0.081). Sigma value of the reports delivered outside the specified time was higher during pandemic than pre-pandemic period (3.0σ vs. 3.1σ, P = 0.030).ConclusionIn all TTP phases, some quality indicators improved while others regressed during the pandemic period. It was observed that preanalytical phase was affected more by the pandemic.