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Problem behaviors negatively affect the lives of special education students in different ways. Individuals with special needs may exhibit problem behaviors such as aggression, harming themselves or others, and excessive hyperactivity in general. It can be said that intervening, taking precautions, and changing these behaviors in a positive way before the emergence of problem behaviors are of critical importance in facilitating these children's lives. In this sense, the examination of postgraduate theses in the field of behavior management in special education is important in terms of describing the innovations, developments, current trends, and, if any, incomplete situations in the field of behavior management. Within the scope of the research, it is aimed to examine the studies on behavior management in the field of special education in Turkey between the years 2016-2022 in terms of various variables (type of publication, publication year, publishing university, research method, subject, study group). Document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods, was preferred in this study. According to the research findings, it was concluded that most master studies were done as postgraduate publications, the most publications were made in 2019, the university that made the most publications was Eskisehir Anadolu University and the most used research method in the studies carried out was the quantitative research method. It has been revealed that it is important for other universities to design behavior management studies in special education.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of 3D (3-dimensional) printing activities on pre-service teachers' self-efficacy in technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) and their views of 3D printing activities. The study sample consisted of 39 students of science education, classroom teaching and preschool teaching departments of the faculty of education. An exploratory sequential mixed method design was used. In the quantitative part, a one group pre-test post-test design was used, and data were analysed using statistical methods. In the qualitative part, phenomenology was used, and data were analysed using content analysis. Results showed that 3D printing activities improved participants' self-efficacy in TPCK. Participants stated that 3D printers helped them develop skills in many areas and that 3D printer teaching materials contributed to both learning and teaching. The majority of participants had positive views on the effect of 3D objects on learning. They stated that 3D objects turned abstract concepts into concrete visual representations, facilitated learning, made lessons enjoyable, provided learning retention, encouraged them to learn more about their fields, increased their interest, and helped them develop creative thinking and design skills, and thus, create different content-specific educational materials.

This study aims to explore middle school students' attitudes towards STEM fields and their interest in STEM careers in terms of gender. Furthermore, this study examines the relationship between middle school students' attitudes towards STEM fields and their interest in STEM careers. Seven hundred and seventy four students from 10 cities located in 6 geographical regions of Turkey completed the STEM Attitude Scale and STEM Career Interest Survey. It was determined that middle school students' attitudes towards STEM were not statistically significant in terms of gender. In addition, it was found that students' interest in STEM careers differed in terms of gender. When the scores of attitudes towards engineering and technology fields and the interest in careers in these fields were compared in terms of gender, significant difference in favor of male students was found. Furthermore, a positive correlation between the middle school students' attitudes towards STEM fields and their interest towards STEM careers was determined. Results indicate that approximately 43% of the total variance of interest towards STEM careers stems from attitudes towards STEM fields. The results obtained from this study will give an insight into how to shape the aims and applications of the future STEM education programs.

The aim of this study is to comparatively investigate the effects of hands-on models (HMs) and computer simulations (CSs) on teaching the phases and eclipses of the Moon. In this study, two different HMs were developed, and three different CSs were used. The research work group consisted of 100 pre-service science teachers. A quasi-experimental method with two groups (teaching through hands-on models [THM] and teaching through computer simulations [TCS]) was used in this study. The data for the study were obtained by using an open-ended questionnaire form. The data were acquired three times as pre-instruction, post-instruction, and long-after instruction (retention) and were analyzed through a content analysis technique. The analyses were implemented in two stages (i.e., a question-by-question analysis and an integrated analysis) by evaluating the answers given to all questions together. As a result of the analyses, it was determined that both methods are effective in teaching the phases and eclipses of the Moon. However, when the retention data were examined, it was observed that more students in THM group answered correctly than TCS group. Besides, upon the integrated analysis, it was concluded that THM, as opposed to TCS, led more pre-service teachers to the "scientific" model. From this point of view, it has been proposed to popularize the usage and production of HMs in astronomy education. Finally, the conditions that must be taken into account in order to overcome some alternative thoughts identified in the phases and eclipses of the Moon are noted.

It has given importance to the development of 21st century skills in every aspect of life. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education has played an important role to improve these skills and teachers are expected to be able to organize learning environments accordingly. The purpose of this research is to examine the pre-service science teachers' views on STEM education practices. The case study method was used in this research and participants of the research are 7 pre-service science teachers (4 female, 3 male). In the research STEM activities were applied during 8 weeks. The data of this research were collected through semi-structured interviews. The content analysis was used for data analysis and data were converted to the tables. During the interviews, it was noted that the pre-service science teachers wanted to apply STEM education when they become teachers; they wanted to get advanced knowledge about STEM education. In addition, pre-service science teachers have expressed their opinions on the basic rationale, benefits and limitations of STEM education, and have made proposals for the development and dissemination of STEM education. Pre-service science teachers learned about STEM education and how to implement it, by the help of STEM education practices that was conducted within the scope of this research. Pre-service teachers who are future teachers need to be informed and trained about STEM education.

This study focuses on structured and guided inquiry instruction regarding question asking behaviors and curiosity of elementary students in Turkey. 177 sixth graders in 8 science courses were randomly assigned to treatment groups. Analysis of the data revealed that students in the guided inquiry groups asked higher-cognitive level questions and were more encouraged to go beyond retaining a given body of information or simply following instructions compared with others. Students in the guided inquiry groups were found asking questions about electric circuits and providing explanations for their observations and testing hypotheses related to their observations. Through these experiences, students were afforded opportunities to think creatively and cultivate their imaginative spirits. These are seen as initial steps in attracting students to doing real science. Students became more curious about phenomena; conversely their counterparts in the structured inquiry groups asked lower cognitive level questions and exhibited only slight curiosity about phenomena.

This study examined the similarities and differences among 171 Grade 7-12 science teachers from three different countries (54 U.S, 63 Bolivian, and 54 Turkish) with respect to their attitudes toward environmental education (EE) and instructional practices. The instrument employed explored how teachers' knowledge, instructional practices, decision-making process, and cultural features influenced their EE attitudes and praxis. The instrument, which was translated into Spanish and Turkish and then back into English, contained a personal data form that included demographic questions and a three-part questionnaire. Based on the analysis completed, significant differences were found between these three countries with respect to 1) teacher's knowledge about global environmental issues, 2) teachers rationales for including environmental education in their science classroom instruction, and 3) while there were no significant differences in the importance of religion in the teachers lives, there were significant differences in the extent to which teachers reported religion influencing instructional decisions. In addition, there were differences regarding the resources that teachers reported drawing on as they included EE in their classrooms. There were no significant differences found when comparing the three countries with respect to extent to which each country reported including technological and/or environmental problems in science classroom instruction. Finally, generally there was agreement regarding teachers' goals and objectives in science classrooms with respect to EE and the most important global environmental problems/threats. (Contains 8 tables and 3 figures.)

This study describes the development of an instrument to investigate the extent to which student-centered actions are occurring in science classrooms. The instrument was developed through the following five stages: (1) student action identification, (2) use of both national and international content experts to establish content validity, (3) refinement of the item pool based on reviewer comments, (4) pilot testing of the instrument, and (5) statistical reliability and item analysis leading to additional refinement and finalization of the instrument. In the field test, the instrument consisted of 26 items separated into four categories originally derived from student-centered instruction literature and used by the authors to sort student actions in previous research. The SACS was administered across 22 Grade 6-8 classrooms by 22 groups of observers, with a total of 67 SACS ratings completed. The finalized instrument was found to be internally consistent, with acceptable estimates from inter-rater intraclass correlation reliability coefficients at the p less than 0.01 level. After the final stage of development, the SACS instrument consisted of 24 items separated into three categories, which aligned with the factor analysis clustering of the items. Additionally, concurrent validity of the SACS was established with the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol. Based on the analyses completed, the SACS appears to be a useful instrument for inclusion in comprehensive assessment packages for illuminating the extent to which student-centered actions are occurring in science classrooms. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)

This research investigated the impact of teacher questions, question types, and interaction patterns that coincide with high and low levels of constructivist teaching practices. Through both quantitative and qualitative methods the findings revealed that teachers facilitating classrooms with high levels of constructivist teaching practices (HLCTP) were very active as they asked a significantly greater number of questions compared to teachers facilitating classrooms with low levels of constructivists teaching practices (LLCTP). In addition, teachers facilitating with HLCTP used a significantly greater number of open-ended questions when compared with other types of questions (closed-ended questions and task-oriented questions). Closed-ended questions were found in the HLCTP classrooms as teachers were concerned with focusing students on completing investigations, but open-ended questions were more often found with the aim of promoting student actions attuned to knowledge construction. (Contains 3 tables and 8 figures.)

In this extended biology, ecology, and earth science activity, students construct hands-on models of natural wastewater treatment and wastewater treatment facilities to achieve an understanding of wastewater treatment process in nature and wastewater treatment facilities. During this simulation activity, students have opportunities to learn science as inquiry and the nature of science as expressed in the National Science Education Standards.

In this extended earth science activity, students create a hands-on model of a volcano to achieve an understanding of volcanic structure, lava flows, formation of lava layers, and the scientific work of archaeologists and geoscientists. During this simulation activity, students have opportunities to learn science as inquiry and the nature of science as expressed in the "National Science Education Standards." (Contains 4 resources.)

The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of Science-Technology-Society approaches on student attitudes toward science and creativity. Seven Korean Physics teachers (two middle school and five high school) who participated in a 4-week intensive summer Iowa Chautauqua Professional Development Program at the University of Iowa and their 591 students in 14-class section were participants in this study. Students who were taught with Science-Technology-Society approaches showed significant improvement in the development not only of more positive attitudes toward science, but also of their creativity skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated the impact the level of constructivist teaching practices had on student actions emerging in science classrooms. Twenty-two K-12 in-service teachers from north-central Iowa involved in a one-year professional development project, Iowa Chautauqua for Current Reform (ICPCR), were asked to share a videocassette of their instruction of a unit developed as part of the project. Fourteen videos were collected and rated using the Expert Science Teacher Educational Evaluation Model developed by Burry-Stock (1995). Two groups were formed using the two highest and two lowest rated tapes. Student actions emerging from the groups were qualitatively analyzed. Student actions in the group rated highest were more often found exhibiting outcomes suggested in Pennick and Bonnstetter's (1993) goals for students in science, including: 1) using knowledge learned to identify and solve problems, 2) developing creativity, 3) communicating science effectively, 4) given opportunities to recognize the applicability of acquired knowledge, and 5) taking actions based on evidence and knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the rise in international piracy since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. The author feels that the decline in an international naval presence caused by naval reductions by Russia and the former communist countries has allowed piracy to flourish. A discussion of the political and economic situation of Somalia, the "Maritime Silk Road," and the United Nation's Law of the Sea Convention is presented.

Ultrathin films of ZnS were grown on Au (111) substrates using a novel, simple co-deposition method and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-visible spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammograms were used to determine approximate deposition potentials for co-deposition. XRD shows that the material growth is highly preferential with (111) orientation. Both AFM and XRD data indicate that the ZnS growth mechanism starts by the formation of rounded nanoparticles at the surface and then continues by lateral and vertical growth to form flat square crystallites of ZnS. UV-vis spectra taken for the ZnS thin films with various thicknesses, which is related to deposition time, shows that the band gap of the ZnS decreases as the film thickness increases.