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The article discusses a study which examined experimental research on the learning effects of computer-assisted learning (CAL). The study applied a meta-analysis approach to determine the impact of CAL on science education and students' achievement in Turkey. It also made a comparison between CAL and traditional learning and examined the use of CAL methods to enhance learning processes.

Listening is an awareness that provides the storage and usage of the knowledge passing from hearing mechanisms. It is an active mental method beyond hearing. Transportational education is an education process in which primary school students coming from less and non-intensive populated regions are transported each day to the selected primary school foundations as center. In Turkey, in the second semester of 1989-1990 education year, transportational education practice was started; and in 2011-2012 education year all primary, secondary and high schools were included in that practice. One of the negative points of transportational education which was brought into practice to develop the quality of education, to provide equality of opportunity and to diminish the costs is the influence of physical exhaustion of students in learning process. This study is an experimental research on 6th class students' listening abilities in terms of transportational parameter. Listening success test prepared by the help of related experts' opinions was applied to 46 students including 23 transportational ones who are studying at one of Trabzon(City) Akçabat(Town) Primary Schools in 6/A and 6/B classes. At the end of the experimental process, a meaningful difference in terms of academic success was observed in favor of settled students. This outcome exhibits that the physical and mental exhaustion of transportational students in the process of transportation have negative effects to understand what is listened. In this respect, it would be useful to give language, mathematics, science and social science courses which require active listening before afternoon; and physical education, music and art courses in the afternoon at schools including transportational students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of guided-inquiry approach in science classes over existing science and technology curriculum in developing content-based science achievement, science process skills, and attitude toward science of grade level 6 students in Turkey. Non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental design was used to investigate the treatment effect. There were 162 students in the experimental group and 142 students in the control group. Both the experimental and control group students took the Achievement Test in Reproduction, Development, and Growth in Living Things (RDGLT), Science Process Skills Test, and Attitudes Toward Science Questionnaire, as pre-test and post-test. Repeated analysis of variance design was used in analyzing the data. Both the experimental and control group students were taught in RDGLT units for 22 class hours. The results indicated the positive effect of guided-inquiry approach on the Turkish students' cognitive as well as affective characteristics. The guided inquiry enhanced the experimental group students' understandings of the science concepts as well as the inquiry skills more than the control group students. Similarly, the experimental group students improved their attitudes toward science more than the control group students as a result of treatment. The guided inquiry seems a transition between traditional teaching method and student-centred activities in the Turkish schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the study which investigates the effectiveness of the portfolio on achievement and permanence in the "Systems of Body Structures" unit in the science and technology education of sixth graders in Turkey. The result showed that students' achievement change towards positive direction with direct instruction method. However, the achievement of student who were taught with portfolio more than the achievement of students who were taught direct instruction method.

Abstract: This study estimates the individual and combined effects of selected family, student and school characteristics on the academic achievement of poor, urban primary-school students in the Turkish context. Participants of the study consisted of 719 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade primary-school students from 23 schools in inner and outer city squatter settlements. The findings indicated that the set of variables comprising student characteristics, including well-being at school, scholastic activities and support, explained the largest amount of variance in academic achievement among the urban poor. Although the effect sizes are small, family background characteristics and school quality indicators were also found to be significantly related to academic achievement. The implications of this study for improving primary schools in urban poor neighborhoods are discussed.urban poor [Copyright &y& Elsevier]