The aim of this research is to adapt the Student Academic Support Scale (Mazer & Thompson, 2011) to Turkish and to examine its psychometric properties. The research was conducted on 550 university students. Results of confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that this scale yielded 4 factors, as original form and that the model was well fit (x2= 246.07, df= 80, RMSEA= .083, CFI= .99, IFI= .99, GFI= .94, AGFI= .91, SRMR= .044). Internal consistency coefficients of subscales varied between .81-.91 and test-retest reliability coefficients varied between .77-.83. Corrected item-total correlations ranged .50 to .75. Thus Student Academic Support Scale can be used as a valid and reliable instrument in education.

Keywords: Academic support, validity, reliability, confirmatory factor analysis
[HTML]

The current study was carried out to investigate the effect of Educational Program of Readiness for Reading and Writing (EPPRW) on the print awareness of children, on their phonological awareness and the level of reading-writing skills levels. In the research, the techniques of pre-test, post-test, a semi-experimental design with a control group were used. In order to assess the effect of the education given to the children in the test group pre-test and control group, post-test and follow up studies were carried out in the research. As data collection tool, the scales called "Preschool Word and Print Awareness Assessment", "Marmara Scale of readiness for Primary Education", "Phonological Awareness Scale", "Writing Skill Scale" , "Observation Form of Mechanical Reading Skill" and "The Scale of Understanding What is Read" were used. In the statistical analysis of the data, the effect of (EPPRW) on the writing awareness of the children was examined through "Mixed Design Anova" statistical results, while “Independent Sampling t-test" was used in order to compare the scores of the children they obtained from the test for the follow up studies of the test and control groups. Depending on the findings of the research, it was determined that that the Educational Program of Preparation for Reading and Writing had a positive effect on the writing awareness, sound awareness and their reading-writing skills of children in the future.

Keywords: Educational program of readiness for reading and writing, print awareness, phonological awareness, reading-writing skills, understanding what is read
[HTML]

Vertical Scaling is a kind of linking which is used to determine how much the students of adjacent grades or ages have improved in the subject areas such as Maths and Language. The purpose of this research is, as a result of vertical scaling, to establish the pattern of students’ improvement in certain levels as class grade increases. The data in this research were obtained from the Achievement Exam (OBBS) results for Turkish primary school students of the 6th, 7th and 8th grades in 2005. Vertical Scaling was conducted based on Classic Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT). Thurstone (1938) scaling method was used based on CTT, and Expected A Posteriori (EAP) scaling method was used in IRT estimation. As an evaluation criteria of vertical scaling, mean, standard deviation and effect size figures in academic growth were used. At the end of the research, in Thurstone Scaling, standard deviations in Maths and Turkish Tests rise as class levels increase. In the conducts of CTT and IRT, it can be said that standard deviations increase free from the increase or decrease of means.

Keywords: Vertical scaling, test equating, linking, sample size, academic growth
[HTML]

The aim of this study to state the relation between the exam anxiety of the university students and their learning strategies. Also the usage extent of the different learning strategies, the number of the semesters and the departments are analyzed in respect of the gender perspective and the demand of the university students for learning strategies are discussed. The research results indicate that the students who are anxious about the first term and exams demand the education for the learning strategy intensely. Also it has been found out that the students who feel anxiety about the exams estimate their learning achievement in a pessimistic way.

Keywords: The learning strategies, exam, test anxiety
[HTML]

This study examines the relationship between ethical leadership and workplace bullying and the mediating roles of psychological safety and psychological contract fulfillment on that relationship in higher education. The sample of this study is composed of 591 faculty members along with their deans from 9 private universities chosen by random method in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Kayseri, Konya and Gaziantep in 2011-2012 spring semester. Faculty members’ perceptions of psychological safety and psychological contract fulfillment were measured using the scale developed by Kahn (1990) and psychological contract fulfillment scale developed by Robinson and Morrison (1995). Brown, Treviño, and Harrison’s (2005) ethical leadership scale and Einarsen and Hoel’s (2001) the Negative Act Questionnaire-Revised scale were used to assess faculty member’s perception of the ethical leadership and workplace bullying respectively. The results revealed a significant negative relationship between ethical leadership and bullying and mediating roles of psychological safety and psychological contract fulfillment on that relationship.

Keywords: Ethical leadership, workplace bullying, psychological safety, psychological contract fulfillment.
[HTML]

The aim of the present study was to determine the learning styles of preclinical medical students and to investigate the interrelationships among the learning style variables. In order to determine the learning styles, Vermunt’s Inventory of Learning Styles (1994) was administered to the 289 students. Chi-square test, factor analysis and multiple regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. In factor analysis, four learning styles were identified among students, named as meaning-, application-, reproduction- and un-directed learning. The results of multiple regression analyses showed that significant predictive variables for the deep and concrete cognitive processing strategies were “self-regulation” and “constructivist” and “pragmatist” learning approaches; for stepwise cognitive processing was “external regulation” and “passive reproductive” learning approach”; for self-regulation was “constructivist”, for external regulation was “passive reproductive” and lastly, for lack of regulation was “passive reproductive” learning approaches. With further studies, it is important to investigate different patterns of students’ learning processes and to develop process-oriented medical education programs that are compatible with learners’ properties.

Keywords: Learning strategies, learning orientations, process-oriented instruction.
[HTML]

This study investigates how teachers implement the listening texts existing in teachers’ book of Turkish Language courses in 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grades. In the study utilising qualitative data collection methods and data analysis, 12 teachers working in the central districts of Adana and their students were benefited as samples. An interview form was administered to 12 teachers and these teachers’ practices in their classes and the reactions of their students were observed. Data analysis was based on the interview form and the observation. The results of the research reveal that the teachers of Turkish Language teach the listening texts in the teachers’ books in compliance with the instructions, the course book is used as the material, the listening texts are performed by both the teacher and the students, the students’ point of views are asked by some questions about the listening texts and the participation of the students changes according to the type of the text as well as the interests and needs of the students.

Keywords: Listening skill, listening texts, listening training, teacher of Turkish.
[HTML]

Knowing special methods of history as a discipline is an important tool to understand and evaluate the past. Next to focusing on study skills of the historian procedural concepts of history which have a great effect on historical thinking and understanding should be given as well. In this study outcomes/sample activities/explanations part of the 9th grade history curriculum has been analyzed according to procedural concepts of history as defined by Sexias (2006). The study has been conducted with document analysis method which is one of the qualitative research methodologies. Outcomes/sample activities/explanations part of the 9th grade history curriculum has been encoded by the researcher and a specialist in the area. As a result of the study is has been found that although concepts of historical significance, evidence, cause and consequence, change and continuity and historical perspective take place they have been emphasized quite less. Furthermore it has been specified that moral dimension of historical interpretations is given no place in the curriculum. Finally suggestions have been made in regard to emphasizing procedural concepts of the discipline of the history in the future updating of the history curriculum.

Keywords: History curriculum, procedural concept, historical thinking
[HTML]

The purpose of this study was to examine the current situation of counseling skills training in the United States and Turkey. In accordance with this purpose, national and international literature was reviewed within the scope of counselor education and counseling skills training. Afterwards, the place of counseling skills in counselor education, several descriptions and classifications of counseling skills, numerous systematic and structured counseling skills training programs and the current situation of counseling skills courses aiming at teaching counseling skills to counselor trainees at universities were described. Consequently, the results obtained from the study were discussed in the lights of national and international literature and some suggestions were proposed regarding counseling skills training in Turkey.

Keywords: Counselor education, counseling skills training, counselor trainees.
[HTML]

The purpose of this study is to determine the efficiencies of the state universities by using data envelopment analysis (DEA) which is a performance measurement method for increasing the efficiency of educational institutions. Furthermore, state universities are ranked with the help of super-efficiency model. For this purpose, the number of professor the number of associate professor the number of assistant professor, the number of research assistants and total budget expenses are used as input variables, the number of undergraduate and graduate students, the number of graduate students, the number of projects, the number of international publications are used output variables for 52 state universities in Turkey for year of 2009-2010. The results show that Çukurova University, Dokuz Eylül University, Galatasaray University, Gazi University, Karadeniz Technical University, and Middle East Technical University are super-efficient for the academic year 2009-2010. Besides, Cumhuriyet University is the most inefficient state univeristy in Turkey. Furthermore, Yıldız Technical University, Dumlupınar University, Marmara University, Muğla University, Ankara University, Mustafa Kemal University, Istanbul Technical University, Erciyes University, Istanbul University, Gazi University, Sakarya University, Afyon Kocatepe University, Hacettepe University, Atatürk University, Anadolu University, and Ondokuz Mayıs University are found to be efficient for the academic year 2009-2010. In conclusion, the overall average efficiency of the state universities is low which means that the universities are technically inefficient. This can be interpreted as the higher education sector performing equally not well for the academic year 2009-2010.

Keywords: State university, efficiency, productivity, performance, data envelopment analysis
[HTML]

In this study, it is aimed to examine to what extent individuals’ responsibility attitudes and perceived social support from their family predict and effect their social anxiety. Participants of the study consist of 681 students enrolled in education faculties of Eskisehir Osmangazi, Anadolu and Uşak Universities in 2012-2013 school year. Participants were administered Interaction and Audience Anxiousness Scale (Leary, 1983) to determine social anxiety levels, Responsibility Attitude Scale (Salkovskis et. al, 2000) for responsibility attitude levels, and Perceived Social Support from Family Scale (Procidano & Heler, 1983) to identify the social support they receive from their families. Data of the study were analyzed through Pearson moment correlation, multiple linear regressions, and path analyzes techniques. Results of the study manifested that participants’ responsibility attitudes and perceived social support from family predicted social anxiety at significant level. Results also indicated that participants’ responsibility attitudes had significant impact on social anxiety both directly and over social support they receive from their families. Social support has direct effect on social anxiety as well.

Keywords: Social Anxiety, Responsibility Attitude, Perceived Social Support from Family
[HTML]

Participating in activities such as book reading before learning to read makes it easier to learn the letters’ names, shapes, and sounds. Individuals who have difficulty in recognizing letters experience problems in decoding words in the future. This study aims to analyze the differences between the knowledge of early literacy experiences of parents whose children are typically developing (TD) 5-6 year-olds and children who have language impairment (LI), and between children’s existing phonological awareness skills and early literacy experiences. The sample of the study consists of a total of 20 preschoolers aged 5-6 (3 girls and 7 boys with LI, and 4 girls and 6 boys with TD). Ankara Development Screening Inventory was used to determine the developmental performance of children. The children were assessed by using the Phonological Awareness Checklist. Family Literacy Questionnaire is used in order to collect information about the characteristics of home literacy environment. The results from the study reveal that children with TD and children with LI differ in terms of phonological awareness and early literacy experiences within the family. It also reveals that children with LI and their families display lower performance in the related skills (p<.05).

Keywords: Phonological awareness, literacy, language impairment.
[HTML]

In this study, 113 participants’ (N= 113) perceptions of a specific Interactive Multimedia Environment (IME) (i.e. World Talk English software) and any differences between their perceptions in terms of gender, age, job and Foreign Language Learning (FLL) period were investigated thoroughly in the spring of 2012. The study was both quantitative and qualitative in nature. The results were analysed with SPSS (i.e. Mean, Std. Deviation, Independent Samples t Test, ANOVA, Chi-square). The results revealed that the language learners (LLs) were overwhelmingly in favour of the use of the IME for FLL. The LLs believed that not only did the IME benefit them in different ways, but it also contributed to the enhancement of their learning. They also felt that the IME could and should have been further improved. Moreover, the results revealed that there were some significant differences between their perceptions in terms of gender, age and job.

Keywords: Multimedia, language software, CALL, perceptions, language learners
[HTML]

Knowledge in the field of educational administration and supervision forces the school principal to change. As well as management actions force the principals to change, supervision actions have an active role for the principals to develop and modify themselves. The purpose of this study is to reveal the principals’ problems with the supervision process in Turkey through the views of the principals working at primary and secondary schools. In this qualitative study, maximum diversity sampling method was used for in depth exploration of the rich states. As the study group, six primary and four secondary school principals from each of Adıyaman and Sivas provinces in Turkey, thus, a total 20 principals have been interviewed. Descriptive analysis technique was used for the data analysis. School principals stated that supervision generally focused on the supervision of structural condition and documents and they added that there wasn’t an in depth supervision regarding supervision process. They should be carried out by using an approach which includes long term, detailed and problem based activities

Keywords: Supervision ,management, education supervision ,supervision problems
[HTML]

Context-based approach aims to develop and sustain a sense of wonder and curiosity in young people about the natural world. Students are required to induce meanings by using contexts, thus justifying a “need-to-know” approach to content. Thus, their interest and attitudes towards physics have been increased. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate context-based physics studies accessed in databases by using a previously constructed matrix. Thirty-two context-based physics studies are included in the study and reviewed thematically in accordance with the matrix which examines the papers in terms of their needs, aims, methodologies, findings, general knowledge claims and implications. According to in depth analysis, studies are mostly done in a need to create recognizable contexts that can be interesting for the students and to provide for a real-life scenarios basis for meaningful learning. This review will emphasize the missing parts of the approach, implications and suggestions for future studies. And also, it is thought that this review paper could be helpful for researchers in terms of gathering the context-based physics researches together.

Keywords: Context-based approach, physics education, thematic review, science education
[HTML]

Digital divide, is a concept which could be defined as the inequality of individuals existing in access to ICT and ICT literacy according to demographic variables such as gender, parents’ education level, and geographic region. Within the framework of this study, it was intended to determine the current status of the digital divide of 7th and 8th grade students in terms of their ICT access and ICT literacy level. In the framework of the descriptive and relational study method, the working group of the study consisted of 979 students who attend 7th and 8th grades of elementary school during the 2010-2011 school year from 28 cities. According to the results in terms of ICT access, it can be said that there is a digital divide due to the geographical regions. There is also a digital divide in terms of ICT literacy between “monthly income, geographic region” and “mother’s education level”.

Keywords: Digital divide, ICT, ICT access, ICT literacy.
[HTML]