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Background: Online collaboration tools have been identified as potentially effective means for enhancing student learning, motivation, and engagement in science education. However, their effectiveness in improving science education outcomes among middle school students remains uncertain. Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the impact of online collaboration tools on science education outcomes among middle school students, focusing on learning achievement, engagement, and motivation. Methods: A quasi‐experimental design with a pretest‐posttest control group was used in this study. A total of 60 eighth‐grade middle school students were involved in the study, with both the experimental and control groups comprising 30 students each. The experimental group incorporated the use of digital collaboration platforms, including Asana, Slack, and Team Viewer, as instrumental components of group project execution and discussion in their science lessons. Conversely, the control group adhered to the current educational approach in Turkey, characterized by the employment of an inquiry‐based learning strategy in their science instruction. Data was collected over eight weeks using a science achievement test, engagement scale, and science motivation scale. Results: The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher post‐test scores compared to the control group, suggesting that online collaboration tools positively impacted science education outcomes. Additionally, survey data indicated high levels of engagement and motivation among the experimental group students when using the online collaboration tools. Conclusions: The findings support the notion that online collaboration tools can effectively enhance learning, motivation, and engagement in science education among middle school students. These results have significant implications for educators, educational institutions, policymakers, and curriculum developers. Further research is needed to examine the potential of these tools in various educational contexts and with different student populations. This will help broaden the understanding of how online collaboration tools can be integrated into diverse learning environments, potentially benefiting a larger number of students and further improving science education outcomes. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Technology's role, particularly online collaboration tools, in enriching science education is undebatable (Donkin & Rasmussen, 2021; Rahmawati et al., 2022). Such tools have been theorized to bolster student learning outcomes, motivation, and engagement (Donnelly et al., 2013; Ekici, 2017; Khazanchi & Khazanchi, 2019). Yet, the empirical evidence validating their efficacy in science educational settings remains sparse. What this paper adds: This research delves into the influence of online collaboration tools on science learning outcomes among middle school learners. Data indicates that employing these digital tools substantially elevates student performance, as gauged by a science achievement test. Furthermore, students navigating through these online collaborative platforms recorded elevated levels of both engagement and motivation. The primary effectiveness of online collaboration tools stems from their ability to foster specific behaviours, such as increased communication frequency and structured task management, which can amplify learning and group collaboration through their facilitated structured interactions. Implications for practice and/or policy: This study's conclusions offer pivotal insights for educators, academic institutions, policy framers, and curriculum architects. Online collaborative platforms exhibit promise in amplifying student outcomes and engagement within the realm of science education. It is imperative to broaden this research scope to discern the tools' potential across varied educational environments and diverse student demographics. There is a compelling case for stakeholders, especially educators and policymakers, to contemplate incorporating these online tools into science pedagogy, aiming to magnify student learning experiences and engagement levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Communication of people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) is negatively affected. For PwPD with communication difficulties, it is important to use self‐assessment tools as a primary assessment approach to evaluate their perspectives on communication. It is also important to evaluate PwPDs with self‐assessment scales in order to determine in which situations their communicative effectiveness is affected and to include them in the intervention plan. Aims: To create a Turkish version of the Communicative Effectiveness Survey‐Revised (CES‐R), to examine its validity and reliability, and to investigate its applicability in PwPD. Method: The study included 106 PwPD and 106 healthy participants. The original form of the CES‐R was adapted into Turkish according to international guidelines. Every participant completed the Turkish version of CES‐R and the Voice Handicap Index‐10 form. The adapted scale was retested 2 weeks later. Outcomes and Results: Because the Kaiser‐Meyer‐Olkin coefficient was 0.956 in the exploratory factor analysis of the CES‐R and p < 0.01 for Bartlett's Test, the data set is 'perfectly' suitable for factor analysis. In the explanatory factor analysis applied in the CES‐R scale, the total explanatory ratio of the two dimensions was determined as 63.5%, and the validity condition was met. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.958 in the PwPD group and 0.955 in the control group and the scale was found to be at the 'high reliability' level. Conclusion: The CES‐R is a valid, reliable, and useable self‐assessment scale for Turkish PwPD. Furthermore, this adaptation research was developed to assess possible communication difficulties for PwPD. With this tool, difficulties in communication skills that can be identified by a comprehensive evaluation should also be studied in the intervention processes. What this paper adds: What is already known on the subject: Self‐assessment tools are suggested as a primary use when evaluating people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) with communication difficulties. The CES‐R is one of these self‐assessment scales. However, the validity and reliability study of the Communicative Effectiveness Survey‐Revised (CES‐R) in Turkish has not been conducted. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: This study demonstrates the validity and reliability of the Turkish CES‐R scale and its applicability to PwPD. Furthermore, this scale can be used in assessment procedures for possible communication difficulties for PwPD. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: The scale, which is unidimensional in the literature, was found to have two dimensions with eigenvalues > 1 in the Discovery Factor analysis in this study. The first dimension was named communication in general situations (CGS) and the second dimension was named communication in difficult situations (CDS). It is thought that this scale will be useful in research and clinics for the comprehensive assessment of PwPD with communication difficulties before and after treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Flipped classroom (FC) model has become increasingly popular in dental education (DE) with its strengths for students. However, major concerns are lack of interaction, unwillingness to complete the assignments, low engagement during the pre‐class activities because of an unwell‐designed instructional setting of FC. Objectives: The recent study aims to investigate the effects of video‐driven discussions integrated into the flipped classroom (VdDs‐FC) model on dental students' (DSs) learning achievement, practical performance, and higher‐order thinking skills in a restorative dentistry course. Methods: This study adopted a sequential explanatory design from mixed‐methods research. A total of 96 DSs participated in a dentistry faculty of Türkiye. They were randomly divided into two groups: VdDs‐FC group and the conventional flipped classroom (c‐FC) group. Results and conclusions: The results showed that the VdDs‐FC model had significant positive effects on the practical performance of DSs in practical subjects and their problem‐solving and critical thinking skills. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in learning achievement and creativity. The use of FC in the c‐FC group did not lead to any difference in the students' achievements. Moreover, the qualitative results indicated that the VdDs‐FC model has the potential for enhancing peer learning, practical classroom activities, and higher‐order thinking skills. Implications: This study also includes several instructional implications and suggestions for educators, researchers, and practitioners on use of FC in dentistry. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Flipped learning has become a rapidly growing area of dentistry research.Discussion board could be beneficial to increasing dental students' higher order thinking skills, especially problem solving and critical thinking.Video‐driven discussions into flipped classroom provide several opportunities for practical performance in dental education, not for theoretical knowledge. What this paper adds: Video‐driven discussions into flipped classroom model is proposed.We compared two learning environments by including traditional flipped classroom.We found that the integrated model with flipped classroom can have a positive impact on students' achievement.Online discussions usage contributed to higher cognitive, affective, and behavioural learning outcomes.Based on interview data, the proposed model supports peer learning. Implications for practice and/or policy: Dental educators should integrated the digital discussion boards as out‐of‐class activities in the pre‐clinical dental training.From dental educators' perspective, they should be carefully trained in FC design (interaction elements, material design, integration with different methods, etc.).From instructional design perspective, micro videos should have case‐based or problem‐based activities to discuss.From learner perspective, an integration of the flipped classroom with different technologies could have a positive effect on increasing learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to examine parents' views and experiences regarding their adolescent children's violent and aggressive behaviours within the framework of the Non‐Violent Resistance approach in Turkish culture. The study group consisted of 40 volunteer married parents (35 females, 5 males) between the ages of 30 and 56 who resided in Central Anatolia. We conducted a descriptive study using a phenomenological design. A thematic analysis method was used in the analysis of the data. Within the framework of the results, we describe parents' experiences of their children's violence, their responses to such behaviour and their accounts of parental conflicts and presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self‐assessments for adults who stutter are recommended as a primary evaluation tool for including their views on stuttering. Evaluating adults who stutter with self‐assessment scales is important. However, there is no tool in the Turkish literature that provides this measurement. Aims: To develop the Turkish version of The Wright and Ayre Stuttering Self‐Rating Profile (WASSP) in order to analyse its validity and reliability, and investigate its applicability for Turkish‐speaking individuals. Methods & Procedures: The study included 120 adults who stutter (aged 18–54 years). All the participants completed The Wright and Ayre Stuttering Self‐Rating Profile—Turkish version (WASSP‐TR) and the SF‐36 form. The reliability analysis involved the calculation of Cronbach's alphas for test–retest and the Pearson product‐moment correlation coefficient for internal consistency. The validity analysis, in turn, involved a confirmatory factor analysis for construct validity and testing correlations with the SF‐36 for criterion validity. Outcomes & Results: Internal consistency coefficients of the WASSP‐TR were reported to be high (> 0.70). The correlations between the WASSP‐TR and its subscales showed significant results (0.858–0.966) (p < 0.01). The correlation between the subscales of the WASSP‐TR and the SF‐36 was reported to be consistent (from −0.492 to 0.747). There was a positive correlation between stuttering severity groups and the WASSP‐TR scores (p < 0.01). Conclusions & Implications: The WASSP‐TR is a valid and reliable scale for Turkish‐speaking adults who stutter. What this paper addsWhat is already known on the subjectSelf‐assessment tools are recommended as a primary use when assessing adults who stutter. The WASSP is one of these measurement tools. However, the adaptation, validity and reliability study of the WASSP to Turkish has not been investigated.What this paper adds to existing knowledgeThis study shows that the Turkish version of the WASSP scale is valid and reliable and can be used with adults who stutter. Furthermore, the present adaptation study has been developed in order to evaluate social–emotional aspects of stuttering.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?A tool that includes evaluating the behaviour, cognition, affect and participation areas as well as the stuttering behaviours of adults who stutter was adapted. This tool is expected to be useful for comprehensive evaluation of adults who stutter in clinics, in research and for pre/post‐therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid‐19 pandemic has led to a rapid transition from face‐to‐face to distance learning. The problems caused by this rapid transition are combined with the negative psychological outcomes of the pandemic, leading to numerous problems and difficulties in the teaching and learning processes. The recentness of these issues and developments requires detailed investigation as to how they affect distance learning. This study aims to investigate the role of psycho‐demographic variables in the motivation and attendance of higher education students in distance education within the context of the Covid‐19 pandemic. In this descriptive study, we collected data from 1494 Turkish university students via an online survey. Quantitative data were analysed using correlation analysis, t test, one‐way ANOVA, multiple linear regression analysis, and structural equation modelling. Stress, anxiety, depression and intolerance of uncertainty were correlated negatively with distance learning motivation and frequency of distance learning attendance. While students who attended distance learning only synchronously joined the courses more frequently, the motivation of those who joined the courses sometimes synchronously and sometimes asynchronously was higher. The strength of the relationships between intolerance of uncertainty and distance learning motivation was significantly increased via anxiety and depression. Findings highlight the need for analysis of psycho‐demographic variables while designing and implementing distance education programmes. Psychological variables including stress, anxiety and depression are related to motivation and attendance during distance education. While using both synchronous and asynchronous distance learning enhances motivation, synchronous learning increases attendance. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter?: Distance education is becoming a popular instructional method especially after the COVID‐19 pandemic.The quality of distance education and the level of learning can be affected by extraordinary situations such as the pandemic.Social and emotional aspects of distance education can affect the effectiveness of the instruction. What this paper adds to this?: Psychological variables including stress, anxiety and depression are related to motivation and attendance during distance education.The strength of the relationships between intolerance of uncertainty and distance learning motivation was significantly increased via anxiety and depression. Implications of study findings for practitioners: Attending distance learning is higher among town and urban residents.Women students attend more but men are more motivated in distance learning.While hybrid distance learning increases motivation, synchronous instruction increases attendance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of using dynamic geometry software (GeoGebra) on the eighth‐grade students' conceptual understanding and the retention of learning regarding linear equations and slope. In this study, a quasi‐experimental design with pre‐test, post‐test and delayed post‐test was employed. This study was conducted with 52 eighth‐grade Turkish students (experimental group, n = 25; control group, n = 27). While GeoGebra software‐supported instruction was carried out in the experimental group, textbook‐based direct instruction was continued in the control group. Data were collected with the conceptual understanding test (CUT) which consists of 38 questions including open‐ended, multiple choice and fill in the blanks. CUT was applied to the experimental and control groups as a pre‐test and post‐test at both the beginning and the end of the instruction, respectively. Seven weeks after the instruction, CUT was applied to both groups as a retention test. Data were analysed through SPSS 17.0 statistical software by using a t‐test and ANCOVA test. It was indicated in the study results that GeoGebra software‐supported instruction for eighth‐grade students regarding linear equations and slope did significantly improve both their conceptual understanding and retention of learning in comparison to textbook‐based direct instruction. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: The subject of functions and their graphs are the basis of many mathematical concepts and subjects such as logarithm, limit, derivative and integral.It is indicated in many studies that middle‐grade students have some misconceptions and difficulties in learning the concept of a straight line and slope.It was determined in previous studies conducted at different grade level that using dynamic geometry software (DGS) increases students' mathematics achievement according to traditional instruction.There is a need for research investigating the effect of using GeoGebra software on eighth grade students' conceptual understanding and retention of learning regarding linear equations and slope. What this paper adds?: A quasi‐experimental design with pre‐test, post‐test and delayed post‐test was conducted.Using GeoGebra software had positive effects on eighth‐grade students' conceptual understanding regarding linear equations and slope.The learning environment with GeoGebra software increased the retention of learning. The implications of study findings for practitioners: This research provided evidence regarding the effects of using GeoGebra software on eighth‐grade students' conceptual understanding and retention of learning in mathematics.In future studies, the long‐term effects of GeoGebra on other mathematics topics and other learning outcomes within similar settings should be examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares the effects of object‐oriented and robot programming activities on programming achievement, abstraction, problem solving, and motivation. In the study, two consecutive experimental cases were conducted to examine the consistency of findings. The research sample comprises 81 tenth‐grade students undergoing vocational secondary education. A total of 41 students participated in the first case that spanned 12 weeks, and 40 students participated in the second that spanned 8 weeks. After computational activities, the programming achievement scores significantly increased in all test groups. However, the achievement scores did not differ significantly between the groups. For the comparison groups, there was no statistically significant difference in the pre‐ and posttest scores of the formal and descriptive abstraction in both cases. However, a statistically significant increase was found in the formal (only Case 2) and descriptive abstraction scores of the students in the experimental groups. The abstraction results revealed a significant difference in the descriptive abstraction scores of Case 2 in favour of the experimental group. No statistically significant difference was found in the problem‐solving scores within or between groups. In both cases, the motivation scores of the experimental groups were found to be statistically higher than those of the comparison groups. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: Programming activities that encourage how to think rather than what to think, have the potential to be effective instructional tools for cognitive processes.Despite the increasing research trend in computer science education, especially Computational Thinking (CT), there is a lack of studies investigating abstraction.Most of the studies on CT are based on a single cross‐sectional study shaped by relatively short‐term instructional activities and narrow‐scoped computational concepts. What this paper adds?: This study examined the effects of two programming modalities on tenth‐grade students' learning, intellectual skills, and motivation.Two consecutive interventions were conducted in order to examine the consistency of the findings.Robot programming is as effective as object‐oriented programming in the acquisition of programming concepts.Robot programming enhanced students' descriptive abstraction and motivation more effectively.Programming did not lead to any significant changes in students' problem‐solving approaches to daily‐life problems. Implications for practice and/or policy: The use of manipulative robotics can enrich learning outcomes in programming education.Robotic activities support the development of descriptive abstraction skills better than object‐oriented programming.Robotic technologies have great potential to increase student motivation regardless of the novelty effect.Problems used in programming activities should be chosen more relevant to the authentic world scenarios to connect computational approaches with daily life problems.Educational robots can be used as alternative tools to embody computational concepts in programming education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory experimental study investigates the impact of motivational strategies based on the Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction, and Volition (ARCS‐V) model on online learners' academic performance, motivation, volition, and course interest. The research was conducted over an 11‐week semester with 122 undergraduate online learners within two groups. One group received a traditional e‐course, while the other group was offered the course with extra motivational strategies derived from the ARCS‐V model. The results revealed that the group who used motivational strategies showed significantly higher gains in motivation, academic performance, and course interest scores. However, there were no significant differences between the groups regarding the volition. Furthermore, the motivation and interest variables were measured with Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction subscales of the ARCS‐V model. In terms of interest variable, there was only a statistically significant difference on the Attention subscale. Regarding motivation variable, the results also showed a statistically significant difference on the attention, confidence, and satisfaction subsections of the ARCS‐V model. The findings of the present study offer insights into ARCSV model‐based research by examining the effects of the model as a valid and reliable framework for online learning environments. The implications and directions for future research are then discussed. Practitioner Notes/ Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Learning motivation is the most vital factor that influencing effective and efficient learning process.The attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfactionARCS model of motivational design has been used myriad times to design motivational instructions in a wide range of educational settings (from traditional to computer‐assisted instruction and distance education).Few studies address the online learners" motivation through the attention, relevance, confidence, satisfaction, and volition (ARCS‐V) ‐based motivational strategies. What this paper adds to this: A quasi‐experimental study was conducted in online learning environment to research the effects of the ARCS‐V ‐based motivational strategies.The impact of the ARCS‐V ‐based motivational strategies on online learners" academic performance, motivation, volition, and course interest was investigated.The results showed that the ARCS‐V ‐based motivational strategies had positive effects on online learners' regarding to academic performance, motivation, volition, and course interest. The implications of study findings for practitioners: This research provided evidences for effects of the ARCS‐V motivational strategies on online learners.Online learners who took the ARCS‐V ‐based motivational messages had positive effects regarding to academic performance, motivation, volition, and course interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effects of augmented reality (AR) activities on students' academic achievement and motivation in a biology course. For this purpose, a mixed study was conducted, and a pretest and posttest control group model was used. In addition, the opinions of the experimental group students and the teacher about the AR activities were taken, and classroom observations were made during the study. The study group consisted of 40 (22 female and 18 male) ninth‐grade biology course students. The control group followed the biology course programme, whereas the experimental group students conducted AR activities in addition to the course programme using tablets. Consequently, it was found that the motivation of the students in the experimental group increased more than that of the students in the control group. However, no significant difference was found between the academic achievement scores of the groups. The teacher and the students stated that AR activities might be effective in increasing course success and motivation. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Biology is one of the fields that cover too many abstract and invisible contents.Abstract and invisible course contents cause misunderstandings and low academic achievement.Augmented reality (AR) technology stands out with its visualization feature.AR appears to be an effective technology for making invisible subjects visible and giving concrete examples for abstract content in biology education.What this paper adds: AR activities could positively affect students' motivation in biology courses.Students' perceptions of the augmented reality into classroom are highly positive.AR activities raise students' participation to the course.However, AR does not significantly affect students' academic achievement.Implications for practice and/or policy: More long‐term and interaction‐based AR activities in a school with proper infrastructure might influence students' academic achievement positively.AR materials that have better image quality, more interesting design for students, and more interactivity will increase the effectiveness of instruction.It could be beneficial to use more AR technology when preparing curricula and textbooks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning letters is an important area of language learning, conducive to the beginning of reading and writing. Indeed, today's generation prefers to learn through digital games rather than through formal teaching processes. Inspired by this need, the researcher designed this study (a) to test the effectiveness of an instructional digital game, "Kes Sesi," designed to teach letter recognition skills and (b) to briefly present its instructional development process, which was based on the ADDIE model. This was a quasi‐experimental study with two treatment groups and a control group involving 87 kindergarteners. Treatment groups played the game for 12–6 weeks for learning, 6 weeks for practice. The control group continued with its regular class activities. One treatment group played the game based on predefined sound categorization, the other without any categorization. A test on children's sound recognition abilities was administered three times as a pretest, a midtest, and a posttest. The treatment groups performed significantly better than the control group. The game enhanced the kindergarteners' ability to practice uncategorized content while it enhanced their ability to learn categorized content. The results are promising in that Kes Sesi can be useful in self‐supported learning contexts with little adult input and with minimum outside interference. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Learning letters is an important area of language learning, conducive to the beginning of reading and writing.There is a variety of research studies on digital games for learning in the literature.It is a challenge to teach preschool children letters. What this paper adds: There seems to be a gap when it comes to experiments on kindergarteners' early reading skills.Although there are many relevant games in the market, there are no studies investigating kindergarteners' sound recognition skills through game playing on mobile technology.This study has its unique feature in terms of providing a sample article on "Design, development and application of learning tools and systems," which is a topic within the Journal's scope. Implications for practice and/or policy: Digital educational games such as "Kes Sesi" can be useful in self‐supported learning circumstances with little adult input or intervention.Similar educational games can be designed by taking the current research study as an example, and it is believed that it will encourage production of many similar games.Students' performances reach an optimal level when educational games are used after the teacher helps them construct their learning and guide them in this endeavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Turkey receives the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world. Some of these refugee women become mothers in Turkey. This paper reports on a qualitative, descriptive study that investigated the experience of seven Syrian women migrants who gave birth in Turkey, and explores their experiences of transition to motherhood in a foreign country. The research identified that aspects of transition can be clustered under five main themes: difficulties during the pregnancy period, giving birth in a foreign country, problems of refugee mothers, milestones in life of refugee mothers, and influence of cultural beliefs of refugee mothers on baby care. Key findings revealed that the women in the study had negative experiences related to being pregnant and having a baby in a foreign country. In addition to identifying challenges associated with migration, such as language barriers, racism, discrimination, poverty, and separation from their culture and family, the study highlighted the fears and difficulties experienced by refugee mothers, the cultural beliefs of refugee women about caring for their babies, and turning points in the life of refugee mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]