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Designed by the Harvard University Project Zero team, Artful Thinking is basically a program that aims to improve students' awareness of art and increase their critical thinking skills by interpreting works of art and discussing them. In this way, students will acquire twenty-first century skills such as critical thinking and aesthetic understanding. The primary objective of this research was to investigate the impact of the Artful Thinking program on the development of critical thinking skills and attitudes towards art in 6th grade students, by implementing it as action research. This study was conducted in a middle school in Gaziantep, Turkey. 23 students and a Turkish teacher participated in the study. A total of twenty-four works of art (paintings, graffiti and ancient mosaics) were shown to students over eight weeks. Students expressed their opinions about each picture for 10-15 minutes. In order to make the students think in higher-order about art, the teacher asked questions prepared by the researcher. Thus, students were enabled to develop critical and higher order thoughts about the paintings. The findings from the students, teacher, and researcher indicated that the Artful Thinking program had a favorable impact on the students' perceptions of art, and that the students' cognitive abilities and capacity for articulation were enhanced by this program.

This study aims to reveal the mediating role of teachers' moral courage (MC) behaviours in the relationship between school principals' authentic leadership (AL) behaviours and teachers' positive psychological capital (PPC) according to the views of teachers working in primary and secondary schools. In this study "AL Questionnaire", "PC Scale" and "PMC (Professional Moral Courage) Scale" were used. 8665 teachers working in primary and secondary schools in Antalya city centre comprise the population of this study. The sample of the study consists of 474 teachers reached by using the convenient sampling method. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and (Cronbach Alpha Coefficient) alpha coefficients were benefited from the validity and reliability analysis of the scales, and Spearman's Correlation Coefficient, which was used for data that were not normally distributed, was used to determine the relationships between the variables, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was used for mediating analysis. A low-level positive and significant relationship was found between school principals' authentic leadership behaviours and teachers' psychological capital and moral courage behaviours. Following the results of the Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis, it has been determined that the moral courage behaviours of the teachers have a mediating role in the relationship between the authentic leadership behaviours of the school principals and the positive psychological capital of the teachers.

In this study, a valid and reliable scale was developed to measure parents' perceptions of their children's social development in physical education classes. In the first part of the research, the relevant literature reviewed and student-parent interviews were held. As a result of the data obtained from the interviews, a 30-item draft scale was created. The draft scale was applied to 30 parents of students, and as a result of the feedback received, 5 items were removed from the pool. The remaining draft scale items were submitted to expert opinion and the number of items was reduced to 22. The 22-item scale was applied to 240 volunteer parents for Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and to 216 different volunteer parents for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). As a result of the analyses, the final scale consisting of 15 items and four sub-dimensions was obtained. The Cronbach's Alpha values of the sub-dimensions were found to be between 0.74-0.79. In the final part, the 15-item scale was applied to 540 volunteer parents. Accordingly, while it was observed that parents' PSDSPEL scores were higher in the sub-dimension of showing positive behavior, it was determined that male parents' perception levels were higher than female parents. As a result of the study, it was found that the validity, reliability and internal consistency coefficients of the scale were at acceptable levels.

The focus of this study is to investigate the effects of using Web 2.0 tools in the social studies "Global Connections" learning area on students' digital literacy levels. A quasi-experimental model was used and 38, seventh graders participated the research. The digital literacy scale, created by Ng (2012) and translated into Turkish by Hamutoglu, Güngören, Kaya-Uyanik, and Gür-Erdogan (2017) was employed for data collection. Pre-testing was carried out using the digital literacy test. Courses were imparted according to the current curriculum in the control group and through Web 2.0 tools to the experimental throughout the application. For the experimental group, WordArt, StoryJumper, Canva, YouTube and Renderforest were used in the teaching of learning outcomes, along with Edmodo, which also allowed students interacting with teacher and among themselves outside the classroom. Then a digital literacy test was administered as a post-test. Ultimately, it was determined that the experimental group's digital literacy skills differed statistically significantly from the control group. It is thought that this research, which is limited to the seventh grade "Global Connections" learning area, should be conducted at different learning areas, levels and results should be evaluated.

The aim of this study is to develop a theoretically sound, valid, and reliable scale to examine seventh and eighth grade students' attitudes towards so-called skill-based mathematics questions (SBMQ). The sample of the study was 820 seventh and eighth grade students at three different middle schools in Etimesgut District of Ankara Province. A draft item pool was crafted after a detailed literature review and the scale was finalized for the implementation after receiving expert opinions. This version of scale was administered shortly before the national examination which included skill-based questions in the 2022-2023 academic year. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods were used to examine the construct validity of the scale. The analysis resulted in 16 items in three factors (affective, cognitive, and motivational) which explained 46% of the total variance. Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability scores were above 0.70 for each factor and whole scale. The results indicated that the Attitudes Towards SBMQ Scale developed for seventh and eighth grade students is valid and reliable.

Art and artistic activities that play a significant role in the lives of both children and adults are an important requirement for all individuals. Cultures develop, expand, and enrich through artistic activities, which are important for the development of visual literacy, especially in social studies. The present study aims to determine the reflection of various artistic branches in the social studies course and the student interest and love that art is considered to evoke in the context of the social studies course. In the study, qualitative research methods and techniques were used to review relevant documents and determine participant views about the role of art in social studies. First, the current Turkish social studies curricula and textbooks were analyzed. Then, an interview form developed by the authors was applied to 80 students attending all grades in a public middle school and 3 teachers employed in these schools in one of the major cities in Turkey. The attributes employed by the teachers and students in the interview form were analyzed with thematic and content analysis. The study findings demonstrated that the curricula and textbook achievements that allow activities in several art branches are limited. However, despite the limitations, the study findings demonstrated that the students were interested in different art branches and evidenced the support of social studies in the development of interest and love for certain learning areas.

Lifelong learning is all forms of learning from cradle to grave. Lifelong learning requires everyone to improve themselves. People are expected to be lifelong learners because school knowledge is insufficient. In this framework, educational approaches all over the world focus on lifelong learning and need lifelong learners. This study adopted a qualitative research design to investigate teachers' views on lifelong learning. The sample consisted of 30 teachers from different branches. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide. The data were analyzed using content analysis. Participants viewed lifelong learning as a process not limited to schools. They also associated it with all kinds of learning activities and personal growth. They believed lifelong learning was necessary for technological advances, social change, and a high quality of life. They stated that the goals of lifelong learning were accessing educational opportunities, increasing knowledge and skills, and transforming students into qualified people. They noted that motivation, education systems, and social and cultural changes affected lifelong learning.

The present study aimed to determine the creative story writing skill levels of seventh grade middle school students. The research is a quantitative research and designed in survey design. The sample of the research consisted of a total of 121 seventh grade middle school students who were determined by convenience sampling technique. The research data were obtained by having the students in the sample write creative story texts and evaluating these texts with a rubric developed by the researcher. The collected data were presented as descriptive statistics (frequency, min. and max. values, mean and standard deviation) with the help of statistical software. As a result of the research, the scores of the students' creative story writing skills were generally low and medium level. In addition, in terms of sub-dimensions, except for two sub-dimensions (imagination, form), the students' mean scores were found to be low and medium level.

The aim of the study is to reveal the concurrent validity of the Central Examination of Secondary Education Institutions (OKMS). For this purpose, the relationship between the OKMS subtest raw scores of the students who took the exam and the 8th-grade year-end achievement scores of the courses within the scope of the exam was analyzed by canonical correlation analysis. Grade 8 achievement scores were taken as the independent (predictor) variable, and OKMS subtest scores were taken as the dependent (criterion) variable. The study was conducted on 3029 8th-grade students who took the OKMS. Only one canonical correlation was found to be significant between the two sets of variables. 8th-grade achievement scores were highly positively correlated with OKMS subtest scores. While 8th-grade foreign language and science achievement scores had a high predictive power for OKMS subtest raw scores, it was found that the predictive power of the achievement scores of the religious culture course in explaining the OKMS subtest raw scores was low. The set of 8th-grade scores explained 48.6% of the total variance in the variable set of OKMS subtest raw scores. The OKMS subtest variable set explains 60.1% of the total variance in the set of 8th-grade scores.

Open education is an education and instruction network that is widely used to overcome physical and temporal limitations. In the current study, an evaluation was made by taking the opinions of students on the application areas of the open education system in Turkey. In this context, the reasons for students attending open education high schools to switch to open education high schools were examined and a general perspective on open education applications was presented in line with their goals and expectations. To this end, phenomenology, one of the qualitative research methods, was used and students' opinions and experiences about open education were elicited. The sample of the current study is comprised of 500 open education high school students registered through public education centres. An online questionnaire form consisting of semi-structured open-ended questions was used to collect data in the study. When the findings were examined, it was seen that the reasons for the participants' enrolment in open education differed. In the analysis performed, it was seen that the reasons for enrolling in open education were grouped under six sub-headings: individual-emotional reasons, familial reasons, economic reasons, health-related reasons, reasons arising from school education processes and environmental-stimulating reasons.

In this paper, I propose a model of plurimethodological approach in ELT textbook design, in which one unit is based on the communicative PPP unit model, where the unit ends with a final communicative task, and the following unit is based on the action-oriented unit model, where the unit is a mini-project unit as a whole. Such a textbook model is based on the concept of plurimethodological pair-unit, where the communicative approach and the action-oriented approach are combined in coherence and synergy. In such a plurimethodological textbook design, the topics of the two successive units (one PPP unit and the other mini-project unit) are the same or closely related, so that the unit based on the PPP model will provide the students with much of the language and documentary resources needed to complete the mini-project in the following unit. The mini-project unit will provide the students with additional language and documentary resources for carrying out the miniproject, but as there will be less language and documentary work for students in this unit, students will be better able to concentrate on carrying out the miniproject. [Note: The page range (228-241) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 228-240.]

In recent years, environmental problems have been increasing rapidly around the world and affecting a wide range of environments. Many campaigns are carried out to raise awareness about environmental problems. This study aims to determine the ideas of students at different education levels about environmental problems and to compare these ideas with each other according to their fields. The survey model was used as the research method. The study group of the research consists of a total of 298 students: 75 at the 4th grade level of primary school, 90 at the 7th grade level of secondary school, 56 at the 11th grade level of high school, and 68 at the 3rd and 4th grade level of the university. The "Environmental Problems Opinion Survey", consisting of four open-ended questions, for which validity studies were conducted, was applied to the study group. The descriptive analysis method was used to analyze the data. Environmental pollution is seen as the most important environmental problem at all levels of education. While the answer to the most important cause of environmental problems is littering at the primary school level, it is shown that people act unconsciously on environmental issues at other levels of education. While the answer to the question about your most frequent behavior to prevent environmental problems was "I throw away the garbage" at the primary school, high school and university levels, the answer to the question "I throw the garbage away" was encountered at the secondary school level. Finally, it was suggested that awareness-raising activities be held at all education levels regarding the solution of environmental problems. Based on all these results, it has been observed that similar answers are encountered at all levels of education regarding environmental problems. Conducting more studies to increase students' awareness of environmental problems is among the recommendations of this study.

This research aims to devise an innovative curriculum, to determine the opinions of parents, teachers, students, and educators of the curriculum, and to present results using the CIPP approach. The study employed a qualitative research method, a program execution case study. It used maximum variation sampling, a purposeful sampling method. The study, involving eighteen participants, was conducted in a high school that runs a technology education program. Data was obtained using the semi-structured and focus group interview methods. Participant confirmation was obtained to increase reliability, which was then subjected to external audit, allowing another researcher to examine the process and results. Awareness of the "Proficiency in Technology" (PIT) curriculum and curriculum implementation emerged as the main facts. The research findings show that a lack of communication and trainer qualifications caused disruptions in the program.

This study aimed to investigate grade-7 students' negotiation during the engineering design process regarding the students' status of argumentation training. The participants were 33 students studying at a public urban middle school in Turkey. They worked in small groups on four engineering design tasks about electricity and light. Data were collected through small group audio recordings, student worksheets, and the observation. The data were analyzed by using content analysis. The results indicated that negotiation patterns were similar across all groups. However, differences were found between the group that received argumentation training and the one that did not receive in terms of proposing ideas for material design, using justifications when in agreement with others, counter proposing and acquiring information for better planning and altering the design, and critiquing for design advantages and disadvantages.

Mathematical reasoning has been a critical concern in Turkey especially since the structure of the student selection examination for high schools changed six years ago. The ability to solve the questions in the new exam requires high level reasoning and argumentation skills. Schools, whether they are public or private, prepare 8th graders for this exam with intense educational programs. They frequently use skill-based questions--similar questions to the ones in the new exam, which require high level mathematical reasoning. This study indicates that students gain better mathematical reasoning skills in learning environments promoting collective discussion and argumentation. Hence, these questions need to be solved in these kinds of environments. In this study, two cases are analyzed to understand the argumentation process in classrooms in depth. Audiotapes of two 8 th grade classrooms, one from a public school, another from a private school, are analyzed. The same teaching material--a worksheet including skill-based questions--is used in the classrooms. During analyzing, qualified argumentation pattern--a pattern including students' claims and justifications/evaluations for those claims--is defined. Analysis of classroom audiotapes revealed that that there are significant differences between two classrooms' argumentation structure and type of dialogues emerged in the classroom. In one classroom there is a more qualified argumentation process than in the other classroom. In addition, analysis of the type of the dialogues indicates that two classrooms have different types of dialogues. Overall, the study reveals that despite the differences, both classrooms mostly included teacher-individual interactions and they have little collective discussion.

This study was conducted in order to reveal the level of instructional leadership behavior scores of school administrators working in public secondary schools according to the opinions of teachers and to examine them in terms of various variables. The working group of this research, which was designed in the converging parallel pattern of the mixed method, was formed through easily accessible sampling. 383 teachers in the central districts of Mersin province formed the quantitative data study group and 5 teachers formed the qualitative data study group. The semistructured interview form prepared by the researcher and the "Instructional Leadership Scale" developed by Alig-Meilcarek (2003) and adapted to Turkish by Sahin (2011) were used as data collection tools. Kolmogorov Smirnov test was applied for normality test. Kolmogorov Smirnov value is <0.05. Skewness value is between -+ 3 values and the kurtosis value is between +-10 values. Kline (2011) mentioned that normality tests can be performed if the normal distribution has a skewness value of ± 3 and a kurtosis value of ± 10. Since the quantitative data showed a normal distribution, they were analyzed by independent T-test analysis, while the qualitative data were analyzed with the help of content analysis. When the research findings were evaluated, it was found that there was no significant difference between the school administrators' instructional leadership scores according to the gender of the participants.

Advances in technology have significantly augmented the potential of online education, particularly during crises, such as COVID-19, earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods. This qualitative survey study ascertains 150 English-as-a-foreign language (EFL) learners' perceptions of the efficacy of online language education in a preparatory school of a state university after the Kahramanmaras earthquake in Türkiye in 2023. Data were gathered via an online survey with open-ended inquiries to elicit favourable and adverse experiences and recommendations from students. In order to ensure the thorough and systematic analysis of the collected data, a rigorous methodological approach was employed. Specifically, the data were analyzed through content analysis, facilitated by the MAXQDA. The research outcomes revealed that the participants appreciated online language education for its time-saving nature, comfort, ease of attendance, access to recorded sessions, teacher support, and cost-effectiveness. However, some students also considered online education ineffective and reported challenges, such as technical issues, diminished concentration, lack of motivation and discipline, limited interaction, and class participation. EFL learners also provided suggestions for improving the curriculum, assessment methods, and instructors' teaching approaches.

Although the written physical education curriculum is the same throughout the country, the implementation phase in schools differs from each other. Hence the purpose of this study is to examine the implementation process of the 5th-grade physical education and sports curriculum (2018) in different school contexts. Case study pattern was used. The participants of the study are two physical education teachers in Eskisehir. The data collection process consisting of observations, interviews, and field notes was completed in the fall semester of the 2018-2019 academic year. As a result of the analysis, the implementation process of the curriculum sub-theme which is related to the main theme of "taught curriculum", was reached. In conclusion, it can be said that the implementation process in schools is mostly teacher-centred, including the teaching of sports techniques and evaluating the psychomotor domain. It was observed that the game-based and student-centred structure of the updated curriculum was not sufficiently implemented by the teachers in the study. Also, it can be stated that the sufficiency of physical education course materials and the suitability of the areas used in physical education lessons are important factors in the implementation process of the curriculum.

The main purpose of this study is to examine the opinions of teachers about technology leadership roles of school principals during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study, which utilized qualitative research methods, was designed as a survey study. Sample group of the study constituted of 259 teachers. Data of the study was collected with "Elementary School Principals' Technology Leadership Role Scale" and analyzed via descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA and Mann Whitney-U test. According to the results, both elementary school teachers and subject matter teachers think that school principals successfully demonstrated the role of technology leadership roles during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result of the analyses conducted to determine whether teachers' opinions vary according to various variables, it was concluded that there are no differences in terms of the entire scale and its dimensions based on genders and seniority of teachers. In terms of the working domain, it was seen the opinions of elementary school teachers on vision dimension are higher than those of subject matter teachers. Based on the results, some recommendations which can contribute to both implementation and theory have been developed. Accordingly, conducing researches which employ multiple data collection methods and tools to investigate technology leadership roles of school principals is considered important.

The study examines how the toxic leadership behaviors of school principals relate to teachers' perceived stress. It is a correlational survey model, and the sample consists of 278 primary and secondary school teachers. We collected the data with the Perceived Stress Scale and Toxic Leadership Scale. The findings show that gender does not cause a statistical difference in perceived stress and all dimensions of toxic leadership. The stress levels of branch teachers are higher than those of primary school teachers, with a statistically significant difference. The perception of branch teachers in terms of ignorance, self-interest, and a negative mental state of toxic leadership is significantly higher than that of classroom teachers. A moderately significant positive relationship exists between teachers' perceptions of stress and all dimensions of toxic leadership. 20% of teachers' perceptions of stress are explained by toxic leadership. The negative mental state of school principals is a significant predictor of teachers' perceptions of stress.

The purpose of this research was to identify the need for gender equality education. For this purpose, the views of mathematics, science, and information technology teachers on the current situation of gender equality in schools were determined. In addition, the awareness of sixth, seventh and eighth grade middle school students on gender equality was examined. This study was a descriptive research conducted in a qualitative context. In data collection, an interview form on teachers' views and a written view form on students' awareness about gender equality were used. Research data were collected in the spring semester of the 2017-2018 academic year. As a result of the research, it is thought that an interdisciplinary gender equality education will be beneficial to improve students' awareness.

The aim of this research is to adapt the 24-item "Learner Autonomy Scale" developed by Sereti and Giossos (2018) in higher education samples into Turkish by examining the psychometric properties of high school and secondary school samples, and to determine whether these groups are equivalent in terms of measurement invariance. The scale was applied in high school (n = 475) and secondary school (n = 395) samples consisting of 870 students. Different from the original four-factor scale form, EFA applied to both groups revealed a two-factor (factor load range: 0.308-0.775) and 21-item. Correlation values (r = 0.209-0.392, p?0.001) indicate that the factors are not strongly related. The factors produced adequate internal consistency coefficients ([alpha] = 0.706-0.866; [omega] = 0.708-0.871) and were validated by meeting the fit indices accepted in the literature for CFA. Measurement invariance tests revealed strong invariance for the structural and metric tests and partial invariance for the scalar test in high school and secondary school samples. More research is needed to determine why the intersections of items 19, 20, and 21 are not invariant. The main contribution to "learner autonomy" in this study is the adaptation and justification of a valid and reliable measurement tool for determining autonomy in the adolescent age group. The use of the adapted scale in different educational environments and in the examination of "autonomy" by adapting it specific to the field (science, mathematics, etc.) will provide important implications for further theoretical studies.

In the study reported on here we used a qualitative case study design to examine the self-control and self-monitoring behaviour of gifted learners in problem-solving processes. We selected 3 gifted secondary learners using the purposeful sampling method. For the study, each learner completed 10 individual problem-solving sessions. A think-aloud protocol as well as observations and interviews were used in each problem-solving session. The gifted learners displayed various and intertwined self-control and self-monitoring behaviour to read, understand, and solve the problems, and to find and verify the answer. They also displayed this behaviour much more frequently in problems that required using visual drawings and/or had long texts. The gifted learners left or adapted self-control behaviour when the behaviour did not work for solving mathematical problems. They made decisions regarding self-control behaviour by means of the self-monitoring process. The participants presented insistent, quick, flexible, and fluent actions for both self-control and self-monitoring processes. Based on our findings, we propose a portrait of gifted learners' self-regulative behaviour in the mathematical problem-solving process.

This research investigated the effect of the use of mobile-assisted digital content on students' English lesson achievement. This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest and posttest given to both an experimental group and a control group. The study consisted of 29 9th Grade students at a public school in Turkey. The pretest was administered to the students of both groups at the beginning of the semester. The experimental group used a virtual classroom that included mobile apps while the control group did not. A posttest was then given at the end of the semester. The results of the research showed a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores of both the experimental and control groups. We concluded from the research that applying mobile-assisted learning content contributed to students' academic success in English lessons.

This study aimed to assess social studies teachers' legal literacy levels and their perspectives on legal literacy education. The study was conducted with 160 social studies teachers in the first stage and 10 selected teachers in the second. Instruments were the legal literacy scale and a semi-structured interview form. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The results indicated that teachers generally possess a high level of legal literacy. However, a notable portion of them do not perceive themselves as legally literate, citing insufficient education, knowledge, experience, and interest in law as reasons. Furthermore, challenges related to the abstract nature of the subject and difficulties in effectively teaching it to students were identified. To address these issues, teachers suggested real-life applications, making the lessons more tangible, developing teaching materials, and enhancing professional development.

Addiction is the state of being addicted to any activity, substance, object or behavior in a way that excludes other activities of one's life or causes physical, mental or social harm to oneself and others. In addition to many and various types of addiction, it seems that an important type of addiction is technology addiction. Today, the dizzying development of technological developments and their inclusion in every aspect of our lives has made it necessary for us to rethink the concepts of far and near. With the rapid development in mobile phone technology, the standard mobile phones used in the past to call someone or send a message to someone have been replaced by state-of-the-art smartphones that make our daily lives much easier. However, on the other hand, it is seen that addiction to smartphones, which have become an integral part of life, is on the rise, and this goes back to pre-school periods. In this context, the aim of the research was determined to examine whether the smartphone usage level of students studying in secondary and high schools affiliated to the National Education Directorate of Tunceli province Hozat district in the 2022-2023 academic year varies significantly according to some demographic characteristics of the students. Within the scope of quantitative research, the data of the research designed in the general survey model were collected by applying the "Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Form (ATBÖ-SF)", developed by Kwon et al. and adapted to Turkish by Noyan et al., face to face between May and June 2023. The scale, for which validity and reliability studies were conducted, was found to be suitable for the use of parametric tests, and in addition to test analyzes such as frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, T Test and One-Way Variance Analysis were used to determine the significance of the difference using statistical data analysis techniques. As a result of the analysis, the average smartphone addiction level being below 3 was interpreted as the students not having smartphone addiction, but the measurements being just below the average indicating a risk factor, while the difference between the dependent and independent variables was not significant (p<0.005). According to the research findings, the smartphone addiction level of students at the lower limit of addiction carries a risk factor, in this respect the findings are warning, and it is recommended that parents, society, and especially schools and relevant institutions and organizations take precautions against the apparent danger.

This study aims to determine the self-efficacy perception levels of secondary school 8th-grade students towards computational thinking skills and examine the self-efficacy perception levels towards computational thinking skills in various variables. The study emphasises that positive attitudes and perceptions are necessary for computational thinking and that people should be willing to learn more about computer science. The study also aims to examine the relationship between students' achievement grades in Mathematics, Science and Technology, English, Turkish Revolution History and Kemalism course and their computational thinking self-efficacy perceptions. Thus, it will be determined that secondary school students' self-efficacy perceptions towards computational thinking skills are related to their achievements in which field type courses. The research was conducted in a quantitative survey model and single survey design. The Self-Efficacy Perception Scale for Computational Thinking Skills (SCCTS) for secondary school students developed by Gülbahar, Kalelioglu, and Kert (2018) was put into use. A total of 2247 secondary school 8th grade students, 1147 girls and 1100 boys, studying in Izmir province in the 2018-2019 academic year constitute the study sample. As a result of the analyses, the average self-efficacy perception score of 8th-grade middle school students towards computational thinking skills was above the average at 80.01 points out of 108 total scale points. It was determined that the self-efficacy perceptions of the participants differed in favour of female students according to the gender variable.

This study aims to explain the relationships between secondary school students' digital literacy, computer programming self-efficacy and computational thinking self-efficacy. The study group consists of 204 secondary school students. A relational survey model was used in the research method and three different data collection tools were used to collect data. The structural equation model was used in data analysis to reveal a model that explains and predicts the relationships between variables. According to the results of the research, it was determined that digital literacy of secondary school students affected their computer programming self-efficacy, digital literacy affected their computational thinking self-efficacy, and computer programming self-efficacy affected their computational thinking self-efficacy. It was also found that digital literacy skills have an indirect effect on secondary students' computational thinking self-efficacy on computational thinking self-efficacy.

This study, designed as a basic qualitative research, aims to evaluate the perspectives of Turkish teachers regarding the nationally implemented large-scale assessments in specific subjects. By employing purposive sampling methods, particularly maximum variation sampling, 14 teachers with different seniorities and branches from various high schools were included in the research. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researcher. Through the application of descriptive analysis, it was found that teachers viewed these assessments more as a preparation for changes in the higher education transition system and as a tool for achieving standardization across the country rather than as an accountability policy instrument. Despite the low-stakes nature of this assessment, it was observed that teachers exhibited responses like those documented in the literature for high-stakes accountability. Additionally, it was found that teachers prepared students for the exams primarily through practice exercises and experienced anxiety before the exams due to the limitation of their autonomy and the comparison of their students and themselves. Furthermore, most participants believed that the assessment results were not effective in determining students' learning, primarily held the students accountable for the results, and considered such assessments as a source of stress. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for practitioners and researchers.

The aim of this study is to determine teachers' satisfaction with in-service training programs organized through distance education and their opinions about the program. In this research, the survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used. The sample of this study consisted of 955 teachers working in kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools and high schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in Eskisehir province, in Turkey, in the 2020-2021 academic year. Stratified sampling was used in sample selection. In the study, Satisfaction Questionnaire for In-Service Training Programs Implemented by the Ministry of Education through Distance Education, In-Service Program Evaluation Questionnaire Implemented by the Ministry of National Education Through Distance Education were used. 921 scales and surveys collected for data analysis were evaluated. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) analysis program was used to analyze the data. The analysis results were tabulated and the data obtained were interpreted with numbers (N) and percentages (%). Descriptive analyzes were used in the research. It has been concluded that the 54.6 percent of the teachers are satisfied with the in-service training courses implemented through distance education so far. In addition, it has been revealed that teachers' opinions about in-service activities organized by the Ministry of National Education through distance education are positive.

Astronomy education is essential for STEM education in primary schools, and integrating engineering design-based science education enhances student engagement and achievement in the field of space science. Integrating engineering design into science education is essential for students to excel in astronomy and to meet the requirements of contemporary society. This study investigated the effect of engineering design-based instruction (EDBI) on the understanding of astronomy concepts among sixth-grade students. The study included a cohort of 37 sixth-grade students from a public school. It was carried out using a one-group pre-test, post-test experimental design. All participants received EDBI that was based on the objectives of the 6th grade "Solar System and Eclipses" unit. Statistical analyses were employed to ascertain the effect of astronomy instruction based on engineering design on students' comprehension of astronomy concepts. The results indicated a significant difference in the average scores of students' understanding of astronomical concepts before and after being taught using EDBI.

The exposure of educational institutions to rapid and profound changes due to globalization and the transition to the knowledge society emphasizes the cultivation of individuals who develop universal and critical thinking skills through educational transformation. Synergistic management is an approach that has gained increasing importance in educational management in recent years, highlighting its predictive capacity by contributing to the quality of educational activities. Synergistic management practices enable different elements within organizations to come together to achieve more effective results and are strongly associated with organizational culture and learning processes. The learning processes of organizations foster the development and continuity of intellectual knowledge accumulation by creating awareness in the organizational culture memory. Secondary education institutions are of critical importance in completing students' personality development and preparing them for higher education, underscoring the significance of examining teachers' perceptions of synergistic management, organizational culture, and organizational learning for the development of management and leadership strategies in educational institutions. At the end of the study, it was found that organizational learning and organizational culture (r=0.82, p<0.01) had a high level of statistically significant and positively directed relationship with synergistic management (r=0.83, p<0.01). Additionally, a high level of statistically significant and positively directed relationship was also identified between organizational culture and synergistic management (r=0.76, p<0.01). The results of Cohen's f[superscript 2] analysis for the structural model indicated that the statistical effect sizes of synergistic management on organizational culture (f[superscript 2]=3.081) and organizational learning (f[superscript 2]=12.513) were substantial, demonstrating the significance of the relationships in the model.

In this study, it was aimed to reveal the ideas of physical education teachers about students' participation in the course and to examine the attitudes of secondary school students towards physical education and sports course. Sequential transformational research model was used in the study. The qualitative part of the research group consisted of 60 physical education and sports teachers working in Balikesir province and the quantitative part consisted of 462 secondary school students studying in Bandirma district. When the qualitative research results are analyzed, it is seen that "negative situations and thoughts" and "negative situations and thoughts" are divided into two categories. When the results of the quantitative research were examined, it was concluded that the attitudes towards physical education and sports course were statistically different in favor of female students according to the gender variable, in favor of students who like physical education and sports course according to the liking status, in favor of students with family members who do sports according to the variable of doing sports in the family, and according to the class category variable; there was no difference according to the variable of being a licensed athlete.

With the study reported on here we aimed to determine and compare teacher perceptions of the concept of virtual reality between Turkish and South African teachers using metaphors. We adopted a phenomenological approach, and a questionnaire was administered to a total of 100 teachers in both countries, using random sampling. The study included 4 schools -- 2 secondary schools selected from each country. The data obtained were analysed and categorised into themes using the metaphor mismatch technique. The following themes were identified and interpreted, learning, entertainment, technology, art, travel, and imagination. Teachers presented metaphors based on relevance to their area of practice and perceived potential use of virtual reality in teaching and learning. Based on the number of metaphors identified, teachers held a narrow perception in the categories, entertainment, technology, and travel, while more metaphors, with varied sample explanation responses were identified in the categories of learning, art, and imagination. The findings of this study can be used to develop a user road map for teacher professional development and to inform policy on the use of virtual reality in teaching and learning.

Stuttering, the repetition of voice, syllable or sentence, is a speech and social communication disorder that negatively affects the fluency of speech. Students who stutter are often socially isolated in school, and also experience high anxiety and communication difficulty at different levels. With the study reported on here we investigated teachers' opinions about the difficulties they experience when supporting students who stutter, and how educational regulations are implemented. In this descriptive study the qualitative research method was employed. This method enables an in-depth investigation of participants' opinions and thoughts. Interview notes and observation data were analysed using descriptive and document analysis. Teachers' opinions are described along 4 main themes, namely recognition and intervention, providing cooperation, in-class communication environment, and academic support. The findings in the study show that teachers and peers have a great influence on stuttering children's access to quality education and their social acceptance.

Rebecca L. Oxford's contributions to academia extend well beyond language learning strategy research, for which she is well known, to embrace peace education in language classrooms. Inspired by her peace education philosophy, this study first describes the influence of Oxford's scholarly research in peace approach. Then, it presents a case study of five preservice teachers, all native Turkish speakers, who were guided to adopt the peace approach philosophy to develop creative teaching materials to be implemented in the "Practicum course." Throughout six hours of weekly lessons at a state middle school, the preservice teachers integrated peacebuilding activities into their English instruction. The analysis of the qualitative data from lesson plans, classroom observations, and reflective writings, revealed compelling findings. Preservice teachers who implemented peacebuilding activities showcased increased competence and awareness of peace education philosophy, and they reported feeling more confident and fulfilled in their teaching. Children exposed to peacebuilding activities experienced a shift in their emotional state. It was also found that peacebuilding activities fostered inner harmony, boosted self-confidence, and enhanced children's English learning engagement. The study highlights the crucial role of integrating peace education into teacher education programs, particularly for language teachers. Equipping educators with the tools and philosophies of peacebuilding can empower them to become agents of positive change, cultivating global citizens who embrace harmony and understanding.

This study investigated the role of administrative support in the correlation between teachers' perceptions of organizational support and their levels of leadership. This study adopts a relational screening model. The study population consisted of teachers in elementary, middle, and high schools. The sample consisted of 304 teachers selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the "Organizational Support Scale," "Administrative Support Scale" and the "Teacher Leadership Scale." The findings indicate significant positive relationships between teachers' perceptions of organizational support, perceptions of administrative support, and their levels of leadership. When examining whether administrative support mediated the impact of organizational support on teacher leadership, significant effects were observed on the paths connecting organizational support, administrative support, and teacher leadership. Specifically, the paths from organizational support to teacher leadership through administrative support were significant, whereas the direct pathway from organizational support to teacher leadership was not, suggesting that administrative support fully mediated this model. Considering these research findings and the existing literature, it is advisable to structure organizational support and administrative practices that foster teacher leadership in both in-school and out-of-school settings by legal regulations.

Effective education depends on various factors, with textbooks and courses being essential for preparing students for real life situations. Therefore, it's crucial that textbooks are thoughtfully developed and chosen. This study investigates how middle school mathematics textbooks approved by the Ministry of National Education for the 2021-2022 academic year address the connections between "Mathematics - Science" and "Mathematics - Nature." As a descriptive research study, it seeks to reveal the current state of these connections. Data was collected through document analysis, a qualitative research method. Within the scope of this study, eight middle school mathematics textbooks were examined, two from each grade level. The analysis was organized according to the curriculum, emphasizing science and nature themes, as identified through curriculum goals and educational literature. These themes were identified by examining the mathematics curriculum goals and literature on effective mathematics education and textbooks. The research found that while content associations with science and social sciences were somewhat adequate, they were lacking in nature and art. Additionally, connections to daily life were well-represented and designed to engage students. It is recommended that future efforts should aim to enhance textbook preparation to better align with contemporary educational needs.

Despite new challenges in selecting and using curriculum resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers continued to use existing resources published by the ministry or global publishers. Understanding how teachers use curriculum resources is necessary for designing more effective curricula and drawing lessons for professional development. This study investigates how high school English teachers used curriculum resources during COVID-19. Following maximum variation sampling, we used a holistic multiple-case design with six volunteer experienced English teachers from four different types of schools in Izmir. As recommended for case studies, classroom observations, document reviews, and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were analyzed by using theoretical thematic analysis. The findings reveal that teachers mostly favored the offloading in the use of curriculum resources in synchronous online and face-to-face teaching, and the second most frequently used approach is adaptation during the pandemic period. Omitting and improvising were the least preferred approaches. When the synchronous online and face-to-face lessons are compared, the approaches to using curricular resources appear to be broadly similar. In other words, the approaches to using curriculum resources did not change much during synchronous online and face-to-face lessons. The curricular resources are tried to be used by offloading so that the students do not experience learning losses, and adaptations are made by using web 2.0 tools and various digital resources. [This article includes an extended summary in Turkish.]

This embedded-single case study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the 8th-grade music curriculum through the lens of Eisner's Educational Connoisseurship and Criticism Model. An initial survey involving 146 music teachers was conducted to determine the middle school grade-level music curriculum for evaluation. Subsequently, 15 music teachers, six students, and four faculty members from the music education department participated in the primary investigation, selected using the maximum diversity technique. Data analysis was conducted utilizing content analysis, incorporating insights gleaned from participant interviews, classroom observations, documents, and the researcher's expertise in the field. The study identified several significant factors impacting the implementation of music curricula, including the inadequate preparedness of students who lack exposure to music teachers during their foundational education, insufficiencies in lesson duration, deficient music facilities and resources, and a perceived lack of significance attributed to music instruction by both educational administrators and parents. Furthermore, it was deduced that collaborative efforts between the Higher Education Council and the Ministry are necessary to enhance the curriculum literacy of music teachers and university faculty members, ensuring the alignment of developed curricula. Despite the adequacy of objectives and achievements outlined in the music curriculum, it was concluded that mismatches exist concerning student readiness, with theoretical content surpassing students' proficiency levels and neglecting the student-centered principle. [This article includes an extended summary in Turkish.]

This study aimed to measure the effect of rater training given to improve the peer assessment skills of secondary school students on rater behaviors using the many-facet Rasch Measurement model. The research employed a single-group pretest-posttest design. Since all raters scored all students, the analyses were carried out in a fully crossed (s x r x c) pattern. There were three facets in the research: student, rater, and criteria. The study group consisted of 25 seventh-grade students at a public school in Ankara in the 2021-2022 academic year. All 25 students in the study group were instructed to write compositions. The compositions were examined by the researchers, and 10 were selected for peer assessment. Before the experiment, students were asked to evaluate their peers' writing skills according to the rubric developed by the researchers. Then, rater training was given to the students for four weeks. After the rater training, the students were instructed to re-evaluate the writing skills of their peers. In the research, four rater behaviors were examined: rater severity, rater leniency, differentiated rater severity, and differentiated rater leniency. When the research results were examined, it was observed that rater training contributed to reducing severity, leniency, and differentiated severity and leniency behaviors.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of missing data imputation methods, namely regression imputation (RI), multiple imputation (MI) and k-nearest neighbor (kNN) on differential item functioning (DIF). In this regard, the datasets used in the research were created by deleting some of the data via the missing completely at random mechanism from the complete datasets obtained from 600 students in Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the USA, New Zealand and Australia, who answered booklets 14 and 15 from the PISA 2018 science literacy test. Data imputation was applied to the datasets through missing data using RI, MI and kNN methods and DIF analysis was performed on all datasets in terms of language and gender variables via Lord's X[superscript 2] method, Raju's area measurement method and item response theory likelihood ratio method. DIF results from the complete datasets were taken as a reference and they were compared with the results from other datasets. As a result of the research, values close to 10% of accurate imputation were achieved in the RI method depending on language and gender variables. In MI and kNN methods, results closest to the complete datasets were obtained at a rate of 5% depending on the language variable. In the MI method, inaccurate results were obtained in all proportions in terms of the gender variable. For the gender variable, the kNN method gave accurate results at rates of 5% and 10%. [The page range (445-462) listed on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 445-463.]

The purpose of this research is to determine whether PISA 2018 mathematical literacy test items show a differential item functioning across countries. For this purpose, only the items in booklet number three were examined using the MIMIC method with Latent Class Analysis (LCA) approach. PISA 2018 tests are mostly developed in English. Therefore, in DIF analyses, the reference group is the UK, while the focal groups consist of the other countries examined in the research (Türkiye, Finland, Japan, and the USA). According to the results, of the 23 test items, statistically significant DIF was observed in eight items in the UK-Türkiye sample, in seven items in the UK-Finland sample, in eleven items in the UK-Japan sample, and in three items in the UK-USA sample. It is seen that the effect and size of DIF in non-homogeneous groups differ between groups and these effects can be examined in more detail with the LCA method.

Test development is a complicated process that demands examining various factors, one of them being writing items of varying difficulty. It is important to use items of a different range of difficulty to ensure that the test results accurately indicate the test-taker's abilities. Therefore, the factors affecting item difficulty should be defined, and item difficulties should be estimated before testing. This study aims to investigate the factors that affect estimated and perceived item difficulty in the High School Entrance Examination in Türkiye and to improve estimation accuracy by giving feedback to the experts. The study started with estimating item difficulty for 40 items belonging to reading comprehension, grammar, and reasoning based on data. Then, the experts' predictions were compared with the estimated item difficulty and feedback was provided to improve the accuracy of their predictions. The study found that some item features (e.g., length and readability) did not affect the estimated difficulty but affected the experts' item difficulty perceptions. Based on these results, the study concludes that providing feedback to experts can improve the factors affecting their item difficulty estimates. So, it can help improve the quality of future tests and provide feedback to experts to improve their ability to estimate item difficulty accurately.

This study aims to develop a knowledge test to assess secondary school students' awareness of scientists. After determining the topics that the questions in the test would measure, 50 multiple-choice questions were prepared and presented to six experts in the field. Following the experts' feedback, the number of questions in the test was reduced to 44 due to issues related to question clarity, alignment with the curriculum, and cognitive appropriateness. The 44-question test underwent item analysis. The prepared test was subjected to a preliminary pilot application with 222 secondary school students. As a result of the preliminary pilot application, two questions with discrimination indices of 0.19 or lower were removed, and the final version of the test was arranged to consist of 42 questions for the pilot application. The pilot application was conducted with 211 secondary school students. In this application, secondary school students were administered the Knowledge Test of Scientists consisting of 42 questions, and item analysis was performed again. Two questions with discrimination indices of 0.19 or lower were removed from the pilot application. As a result of the pilot application, the Knowledge Test of Scientists had a KR-20 reliability coefficient of 0.94, and the Spearman Brown two-half test correlation coefficient was calculated as 0.92. The final version of the scale was arranged to consist of 40 items. These results demonstrate that the test is highly reliable, meaning that the test results accurately reflect the measured attribute and are replicable.

In the present study, the Teacher Formative Assessment Literacy Scale (TFALS), developed by Yan and Pastore (2022a), was translated into Turkish to examine the factor structure and psychometric characteristics of the scale in a Turkish sample. Data was collected from 318 teachers, of whom 168 were males and 150 were females, working in different state schools in a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Türkiye. As the first step, the scale items were translated and back-translated by experts in both English and Turkish. Afterward, experts were presented with the scale to check for consistency and accuracy based on the feedback received. A pilot study was carried out to establish the linguistic equivalence of the scale, followed by an examination of its structural validity in a Turkish sample. To demonstrate evidence of the confirmed factor structure of TFALS with 22 items, the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted. The CFA results demonstrated that the three-factor model of the TFALS-Turkishversion had adequate fit indices. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the total scale was found to be 0.93. The Cronbach's alpha for each of the dimensions of TFALS was 0.90 for the conceptual dimension (7 items), 0.86 for the practical dimension (8 items), and 0.88 for the socio-emotional dimension (7 items). Composite reliability coefficients of the dimensions ranged from 0.78 to 0.84. The results of this study provide important evidence for the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the TFALS, confirming that it has good psychometric properties in a Turkish sample.

This study was carried out to develop a test to assess algorithmic thinking skills. To this end, the twelve steps suggested by Downing (2006) were adopted. Throughout the test development, 24 middle school sixth-grade students and eight experts in different areas took part as needed in the tasks on the project. The test was given to 252 students attending the sixth grade who were selected through purposeful sampling. The content validity of the test was ensured by means of obtaining expert opinion, whereas the construct validity was ensured by performing an independent sample t-test on the difference between the lower and upper groups. As a result, the algorithmic thinking skills assessment test was finalized with 22 main items and 2 sample items, totalling 24 items. The KR-20 reliability analysis proved a quite reliable test based on the reliability coefficient of 0.83. As mentioned earlier, the independent sample t-test was applied to the difference of lower and upper groups for construct validation of the test. It was seen that the test items are significant in discriminating the students in the lower and upper groups (p<0.01).

Game-based learning has attracted great interest in science education as an effective way to increase student achievement. Most studies in this field have focused on digital or non-digital games. In the literature, some studies generally compare educational games with traditional teaching methods. More studies need to be conducted to compare the effects of digital and non-digital games on achievement. For this reason, the study's primary purpose is to examine the impact of different types of games, namely educational and digital games, and their combinations on students' academic achievement and views on the learning process. In this context, the researcher used three different methods to be applied to three experimental groups and one control group. The research was carried out on 77 5th-grade students studying in a public school in Turkey. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in the quasi-experimental design. Data were obtained through the 'Human and Environment Unit Achievement Test' and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that students in the educational and digital games sections were significantly better at science achievement than students in the textbook-oriented section. No significant difference was found between the digital game-based and educational game-based students in terms of achievement. The academic achievement of the group in which these two game types were used together was higher than the others. In addition, most students were satisfied with the using educational and digital games in science lessons and found the games fun and motivating.

In this study, a scale was created to measure the gamification ability levels of teachers. The rating system is a 5-point Likert scale. The scale has 36 items and 4 variables. The research's study group is made up of 526 instructors who are employed during the academic year 2022-2023 in kindergarten, primary schools, secondary schools, and high schools connected to the Ministry of National Education. By looking at the levels of exploratory and confirmatory component analysis, item discrimination levels, and meeting the goal, the validity of the scale was examined. Stability analyses and internal consistency coefficients were used to examine the scale's reliability. The investigation concluded that the scale is a viable and trustworthy measurement tool that may be used to assess teachers' degrees of self-efficacy with regard to gamification.

This study investigates the problem-solving strategies employed by ninth-grade students when addressing symbolic and real-world contextual problems involving trigonometric ratios. Conducted with 46 ninth-grade students from a Turkish public high school, this research employed a worksheet consisting of six problems aligned with the Turkish ninth-grade mathematics curriculum. Three of these problems were based on real-world contexts, while the other three were conventional symbolic problems. The findings indicate that students exhibited proficiency in identifying similarity ratios using side length ratios. Additionally, the results revealed that students were more adept at solving real-world mathematical scenarios compared to purely symbolic tasks. This study offers significant insights into the problem-solving strategies of ninth-grade students when confronted with trigonometric ratio problems. It underscores crucial implications for mathematics curricula and pedagogy, highlighting the importance of preparing ninth-grade students for success in their future academic and professional endeavors. The study emphasizes the necessity for a balanced approach in teaching, integrating both real-world and symbolic problem-solving tasks to enhance students' mathematical understanding and application. By identifying the strengths and areas for improvement in students' problem-solving strategies, this research contributes to the development of more effective educational practices that address the diverse needs of learners.