Educational Sciences

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/11693/115554

Browse

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9

Open Access
Assessing teachers’ systems thinking skills during a professional development program in Turkey
(Elsevier, 2018) Ateşkan, Armağan; Lane, Jennie F.
Through effective professional development in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), teachers can help students gain knowledge, skills, and dispositions to build and support sustainable communities. This paper shares how a university in Turkey developed, implemented, and evaluated an ESD professional development program (PDP) for in-service teachers. The evaluation focused on how the program enhanced participants’ awareness of thinking in systems. Thirty-nine teachers from different parts of the country participated. The PDP took place over eight months and was launched by a five-day summer workshop that included presentations, hands-on activities, and field trips. The theme of energy was used throughout the workshop to emphasize how the environment, society, and economy are connected and interdependent. Teachers’ systems thinking skills were analyzed through a pre- and post-workshop questionnaire and concept maps. Results of the questionnaire showed statistically significant differences between teachers’ systems thinking scale scores before and after the workshop. Concept map analysis, however, identified that participants need more support relating concepts such as social justice to the environment and economy.
Open Access
A content analysis of Turkish national high school health education curriculum using the health education curriculum analysis tool (HECAT)*
(Ankara University, 2021-01-15) Serin, Volkan; Ateşkan, Armağan
Health education helps students to promote their mental, social and physical well-being. Health educators follow a specific curriculum for health promotion in the high schools of Turkey. This study compared Turkish national high school health education curriculum (HEC) which is delivered at grade 9 with the health education curriculum analysis tool (HECAT) used in the United States. Recommendations for possible new K-12 health education curriculum and for existing and further grade 9 curricula to improve was also given. Content analysis was used as a research method. In this research, an appraisal strength table was created which was adapted from HECAT in order to compare the curricula. Only 45 objectives in the national curriculum were found compatible with 1802 expectations of HECAT (correspondence rates: 6% for all grades and 7% for grades 9-12). Furthermore, the most represented level according to Bloom’s revised taxonomy cognitive domains was understanding, whereas applying was minimum represented level in HEC. The findings also indicate that health education delivery grades and contents should be expanded immediately in Turkey same as in the U.S. due to several reasons emerged recent years on health. Moreover, this research suggests to form Turkish national health education standards (TNHES) for K-12 education and draft TNHES were shared in this study.
Open Access
Demystifying computational thinking for teacher candidates: a case study on Turkish secondary school pre-service teachers
(Springer, 2021-09) Ateşkan, Armağan; Ortactepe Hart, D.
The present study is based on a teaching-module designed to introduce computational thinking (CT) to pre-service teachers pursuing MA degrees at a large-scale university in Ankara, Turkey. It aims to explore Turkish pre-service teachers’ perceptions and integration of CT in different disciplines through CT-based tasks. Pre- and post-attitude questionnaires were administered before and after the presentation of a CT module to find out about their self-efficacy of computer use in class, perceptions of computing and CT, and integration of CT into their classrooms and in other disciplines. Student lesson plans were analysed in order to explore the challenges they faced while integrating CT into their teaching. According to the results, the pre-service teachers in this study 1) gained an awareness that computing, and CT are more than using computers and technology but relate to the process of problem-solving, 2) developed a better understanding of how to integrate CT into their teaching, and 3) agreed that CT could and should be integrated into the teaching of other disciplines, and 4) integrated different CT vocabulary in lesson plans based on their specific subject area.
Open Access
Developing students for university through an international high school program in Turkey
(EDAM, 2016) Sagun, Sıla; Ateşkan, Armağan; Onur, J.
This article explores the readiness and development for universities of students who have been educated through an international program in Turkey. It compares the academic performance and skills of students who attended the Ministry of National Education High School Program (MONEP) to students who attended both MONEP and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP). In addition, university students’ perceptions of their overall performance through the programs were analyzed. The results indicated that the MONEP and IBDP students had higher cumulative grade point averages (CPGA), higher individual course grades in their university, and a considerably higher graduation rate; the MONEP+IBDP group was three times more likely to complete their undergraduate program in four years compared to the MONEP group. Focus-group discussions further clarified the differences between the groups’ academic performances and skills. Overall, the study found that the international high school education program seemed to develop a better student profile for university life.
Open Access
Level of knowledge, attitudes and interest of Turkish high school students towards cancer
(Sage Publications, 2020-12) Yıldırım Usta, Ilgın; Ateşkan, Armağan
Objective: This study investigated Turkish high school students’ knowledge about risk factors for cancer, their interest in the disease, and their affective and behavioural attitudes towards it. Design: Quantitative survey. Setting: Data collection took place in three private schools in Central Turkey and one private school in Eastern Turkey. Method: Students (N=275; 56% female students, 44% male students) completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire and described their level of knowledge regarding cancer risk factors, as well as their attitudes and interest in the disease. For data analysis, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, v.24.0) was used. Results: Results indicated that most students succeeded in identifying nearly all carcinogenic (except for overweight) and non-carcinogenic risk factors. In addition, while most participants held negative attitudes towards cancer, they typically did not exhibit cancer protective behaviours, and most participants were not interested in cancer as a topic. Conclusion: Exploring high school students’ levels of knowledge, attitudes and interests in regard to cancer may provide curriculum developers with information that enables the development of effective cancer education for Turkish high school students.
Open Access
Misconceptions in biology: a meta-synthesis study of research, 2000-2014
(Routledge, 2019) Kumandaş, B.; Ateşkan, Armağan; Lane, J.
Teachers need to be aware of biology misconceptions in their classrooms and how to address them. In response, researchers and science educators have suggested and examined effective practices to prevent and ameliorate misconceptions. An extensive review of the literature gives researchers and educators insights into trends, practices, and gaps in the misconceptions research and helps decide which issues to address and why. The current study shares how researchers in Turkey conduct a content analysis of published misconception research in Turkey by using a form. The analysis resulted in a meta-synthesis (thematic content analysis) that inventoried and compared the purposes, research methods, data collection instruments, and findings of the selected publications. Biology educators in other regions of the world can inform their practice by using this instrument and research methods to learn about trends and patterns in misconception research. Researchers will gain insights into effective methods that have been used to examine misconceptions and will be able to identify biology misconceptions that have been under-investigated and need further analysis.
Open Access
Science Teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards the use of interactive whiteboards in education
(Ekip Ltd. Şti, 2019) Anatürk Tombak, Canan; Ateşkan, Armağan
This study aimed to explore the beliefs and attitudes of 36 science teachers (biology, physics and chemistry) in six high schools in Ankara towards the use of Interactive White Boards (IWB). Of these, three teachers from each school were chosen for interview and classroom observations according to their questionnaire results with purposeful sampling method. The results were analyzed with descriptive statistics and qualitative data analysis methods. According to the results, teachers agree that using IWBs facilitate reaching different sources and display them to the whole class immediately. Teachers describe the common use of IWBs as showing visual materials, videos and animations in science classes. The majority of teachers enjoy using the IWB technology and express positive feelings about it. Most teachers state that they follow the advances in educational technology regularly. Since the frequencies are approximately equal, no meaningful difference was found between teachers with different majors on staying current with technology. The findings show that biology and chemistry teachers use IWB more frequently than physics teachers. Although the teachers have positive attitudes towards the use of IWBs, it was seen that most of them do not feel comfortable while using them in the classrooms. The interviews indicate the reason for that as insufficient in-service trainings.
Open Access
Student perceptions of successful learning support for an international high school programme: a comparative case study in Turkey
(Routledge, 2019) Dulun, Öykü; Lane, Jennie F.; Ateşkan, Armağan
This study used comparative case study methodology to investigate student perceptions of different programmes that prepare them for a challenging high school education programme: the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). Given the benefits and challenges of the programme, educators and stakeholders want to ensure students feel ready to participate. In the literature, studies support that programmes such as the International General Certificate of Secondary Education and the International Baccalaureate Organisation’s Middle Years Programme prepare students for the IBDP; however, there is a need for students’ voices on how they perceive they are prepared through these programmes. This study investigated three different approaches to IBDP preparation by gaining student insights through a scaled-item questionnaire and interviews. Students identified experiences that gave them skills to monitor their learning and resources that motivated them to participate in an advanced upper-high school programme.
Open Access
Turkish teachers’ use of the outdoors as a teaching resource: perceived facilitators and obstacles
(Routledge, 2018) Lane, Jennie F.; Ateşkan, Armağan; Dulun, Öykü
Several studies have investigated teachers’ use of local environments. There has been limited research in Turkey about teacher perceptions of facilitators and obstacles. The current study received permission to use a survey conducted in the United States and to administer it to alumni of a teacher education program in Turkey. Compared to other studies, respondents to the current study reported that openness to teaching different teaching methods was a notable perceived facilitator for place-based education. This finding and others will be used by the teacher education program to improve place-based education in their methods courses.

Browse

Browsing Educational Sciences by Author "Ateşkan, Armağan"