Argumentation has received an over increasing attention from science education research community. However, in the Turkish science education context, studies mostly focus on investigating students’ and preservice science teachers’ practices of, attitudes towards and perceptions of scientific argumentation; while neglecting the science teachers’ views of this scientific practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate Turkish middle school teachers’, who work at 67 different cities, views of scientific argumentation. Three hundred fifty-seven middle school science teachers (219 female and 138 male) participated in the study. Data was collected using an online “argumentation view form” consisting of five multiple choice and three open-ended questions. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for the multiple choice items. Open-ended questions were analyzed by the researchers employing content analysis. The teachers indicated that they use discourse and argumentation in their classess frequently, they mostly utilize experiments to promote argumentation, and physics subjects are the most suitable subjects for argumentation. The most frequently stated views on the open-ended questions were argumentation is important for motivating students towards learning science, classroom management is a challenge for implementing argumentation, and socioscientific issues should be used to support argumentation in science classrooms. Implications for professional development programs were discussed.

Keywords: argumentation, views, middle school science teachers, science education

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017030137 [HTML]

Behavioral regulation abilities are one of the most important predictors of child adjustment and school readiness. Thus, factors facilitating and impeding behavioral regulation abilities have attracted attention of researchers. Within those factors, variables related to family and school environment as well as background variables are powerful predictors of behavioral regulation. Considering the recent enactment incorporating kindergarten in the compulsory education system in Turkey, it is imperative to focus on the effects of schools, especially kindergartens as a surrounding context, on the behavioral regulation abilities. Therefore, current study investigated the effects of school type (i.e., public vs. private) on the behavioral regulation of preschoolers by controlling the effects of demographic variables and parenting attitudes. The participants of the current study were 143 public and private school children (80 boys and 63 girls) aged between 53 months and 78 months and their mothers. Head Toes Knees Shoulders Task (HTKS) as a measure of behavioral regulation was administered to children. Mothers filled demographic Form and Parenting Attitude Research Inventory (PARI). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that education level of mothers and parenting discipline predicted behavioral regulation abilities. Besides, after controlling for parenting and background variables school type significantly predicted behavioral regulation abilities.

Keywords: behavioral regulation, parenting attitude, school type, early childhood

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017027050 [HTML]

The purpose of this research is to show the relationship between the music lesson attributions and school exhaustion levels. The study group of this research executed as a descriptive study in the relational screening model consists of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th class students receiving education in secondary schools selected randomly from the districts of Muratpaşa, Konyaaltı, Kepez of the province of Antalya in 2015 – 2016 educational year. Data in the research is collected through the use of “Music Lesson Attribution Scale”, “School Exhaustion Scale” and “Personal Information Form” prepared by the researcher. A total of 600 students participated in the research; however, the research was executed with 577 students as some of the papers were found to be deficiently filled. As a result of correlation analysis, negative and low level relations were found between the music lesson attribution levels of the students and their school exhaustions, and the relations found as significant are stated. Besides, in the results of the multiple regression analysis, it was observed that musical lesson attributions of the students significantly predict their school exhaustions whereas their school exhaustions also significantly predict their musical lesson attributions. Through the Multiple Regression Analysis, the most important factor explaining the music lesson attribution levels of the students was observed to be the depersonalization and personal accomplishment levels on their school exhaustions. Moreover, it was observed that the most important factor explaining the school exhaustion levels of the students was the attributions made to the music lesson learning environment in the music lesson attributions.

Keywords: Music Lesson Attributions, School Exhaustion, Music Education

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017029313 [HTML]

Time capsules in education are intended to help people understand how their contents and how much they have changed during the time of its close. The use of time capsules is important in acquiring the achievements related to the "time, continuity and change" learning strand in primary school social studies curriculum. In this respect, this study was carried out in a secondary school located in the province of Ordu and the time capsule which was prepared with 21 students and closed in 2015 was opened in 2016. Using the mixed research design generally, in the first phase of the study, the attitude scale of the “social studies” course was applied as pretest and posttest to determine the effect of the time capsule application on the students' attitudes towards the course. In the qualitative part of the study, students’ thoughts about the time capsule application were recorded with the first and second interview forms performed before and after the application. The obtained data were subjected to content analysis, one of the qualitative analysis methods. As a result of the research, it was seen that the application of “Time capsule” contributed positively to the perception of the students’ historical viewpoints and “time, continuity and change”.

Keywords: Time capsules, social studies, “time, continuity and change” learning strand.

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017030470 [HTML]

Knowledge is built on existing knowledge by means of association. Accordingly, any misconception or error should be diagnosed and corrected so that new knowledge is not constructed on previously created misconceptions. Misconceptions and errors can be diagnosed by various means. Among them is the “Diagnostic Branched Tree” (DBT) method which can be used to identify students’ learning in a given subject as well as the misconceptions they have or the errors they make. This method aims to reveal all the false associations, erroneous strategies and finally the misconceptions in the cognitive knowledge networks of students. There aren’t any studies in the area which use DBT to diagnose student misconceptions, although it is reported in the relevant literature that DBT method can be used to reveal such misconceptions. The aim of the study is to diagnose student misconceptions and errors in relation to complex numbers topic by means of DBT method. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach where students of Anatolian High Schools in Burdur province are given the “Complex Numbers Diagnostic Test” as the initial step and they are asked to complete the “Complex Numbers DBT Test” after an interval of 3 weeks. Descriptive statistics and analysis methods are adopted for the purposes of analyzing the data. Misconceptions and errors revealed by the diagnostic test have been reiterated by the DBT test, as well. The rate of the number of questions answered correctly in DBT test has turned out to be higher than that of the diagnostic test. Due to the low number of studies that employ DBT method as a tool for learning and evaluation, this study is expected to contribute to the literature and help teachers who implement the program.

Keywords: diagnostic branched tree, complex number, student error, misconception, diagnostic test

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017030356 [HTML]

In this study, physical education and sport teacher candidates’, studying in physical education teaching program and alternative teacher certification program, use of teaching styles and their value perceptions of teaching styles by teacher education program and sex were examined. Participants were 182 teacher candidates in alternative teacher certification program and 187 teacher candidates in physical education and sports teaching department. “Physical education Teachers’ Use of Teaching Styles and Perceptions of Styles Questionnaire” was used as data collection tool. Obtained data were examined by descriptive statistics, MANOVA and Chi-square tests. Teacher-centered approaches were mostly used and mostly valued styles for both groups. Although sex did not affect the use and value of styles perceptions, teacher education program affected them. Examination of participants’ using preferences of teaching styles revealed that participants in physical education department prefer to use all styles more except for “Command” and “Practice” styles comparing to participants in alternative teacher certificate. It is suggested that instructors should focus on implementations of special teaching methods and subsidize alternative teacher certification programs by field expert for professional development of physical education teacher and designate instructional programs efficiently.

Keywords: Teacher education, alternative teacher certification, physical education, teaching styles, teaching methods

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017027901 [HTML]

This study examines the relationship between benevolent leadership and interpersonal deviance and the mediating effects of psychological capital and psychological ownership on that relationship in higher education. The study sample included 1190 faculty members along with their department chairs in 13 universities selected by the cluster random-sampling method in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Antalya, Adana, Bursa, Samsun, Kayseri, Erzurum and Gaziantep. It was completed in January - February 2017. Faculty member’s perceptions of psychological capital, psychological ownership and benevolent leadership were measured using “the Psychological Capital Questionnaire” developed by Luthans, Youssef, & Avolio (2007), “the Psychological Ownership Scale” developed by Avey, Avolio, Crossley, & Luthans (2008) and Cheng, Chou, & Farh’s (2000) “Benevolent Leadership Scale” respectively. Bennett and Robinson’s (2000) “Interpersonal Deviance Scale” was used to assess department chair’s perception of the interpersonal deviance. Results revealed a significant negative relationship between benevolent leadership and interpersonal deviance and fully mediating effects of psychological capital and psychological ownership on that relationship.

Keywords: Benevolent leadership, interpersonal deviance, psychological capital, psychological ownership

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017031015 [HTML]

In this study, a comparative study was conducted on metacognitive learning strategies and teacher self-efficacy perceptions of pedagogical formation program students and Faculty of Education undergraduate students. The study group consists of 468 students, 190 of which receive Pedagogical Formation Education, and 278 of which study in the final year of the Faculty of Education, at Muğla University, in the Spring Semester of 2014-2015. Correlation survey model was adopted in the study. The data of the study were collected with "Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale" and "Bilkent Learning Strategies Scale". According to the findings, Students have high levels of teacher self-efficacy perception and using metacognitive learning strategies. It was determined that the teacher self-efficacy perception changes according to gender. Metacognitive learning strategies vary by program, gender and department. It was found positive significant correlations between teacher self-efficacy perception and metacognitive learning strategies.

Keywords: Metacognitive learning strategies, teacher efficacy perception, pedagogical formation, preservice teachers

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017028409 [HTML]

The aim of this study is to evaluate teaching practice course in terms of student teachers. The study was conducted in accordance with sequential exploratory mixed method design. Sample of the study was selected in two stages. The quantitative data was collected from 1129 student teachers in four education faculties. As for qualitative data, they were obtained by focus group interviewing with 24 student teachers training in Yüzüncü Yıl University. A survey and a focus group interview form were used as data collection tools. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data was analyzed using descriptive technique. Some of the results are like that: The time allotted for teaching practice is not enough, schools in which teaching practice was applied don’t have appropriate conditions, partners of teaching practice don’t have enough qualifications and the student teacher weren’t provided enough information prior to the teaching practice process. For all that, teaching practice course has generally led to positive outcomes.

Keywords: teacher education, teaching practice, curriculum evaluation, student teacher. CIPP

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017030313 [HTML]

The aim of this study is to find attainability of aimed behavioral objectives in Police Ethics Course Curriculum at Police Vocational Colleges (PVC), effect of program on students’ affective characteristics and opinions of teachers as to the program. Descriptive study model was employed in this research. The study group composed of 767 pupils and police ethics lecturers in 28 PVC. “Police Ethic Proficiency Exam”, “Police Ethic Affective Characteristics Scale” and “Police Ethic Questionnaire” were used to collect data. In the results, it was found that there was a statistically difference between school levels considering realization rate of aimed behaviors. The difference was in favor of A PVC among B and D PVC; between C and B PVC it was in favor of C PVC and the difference was in favor of D PVC between D and B PVC. It was found that the program was effective on affective characteristics of students at C and D PVC but it was not effective on students at A and B PVC. The effect of program on affective characteristics for different schools was statistically significant. The difference was in favor of D PVC among A PVC, B PVC and C PVC; between A PVC and B PVC the difference was in favor of A PVC and the difference was in favor of C PVC between C PVC and B PVC. The analysis of data revealed that although participant police ethics lecturers have moderately positive opinions on components of the police ethics program, they still think there are inefficient points of Police Ethics Course Curriculum at PVC that need to be revised and developed.

Keywords: Curriculum evaluation, police ethics course curriculum, ethics education, attainability of objectives

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017027900 [HTML]

The present study's objective is to determine the misconceptions of primary school teachers about learning disabilities and their removal through trainings. In order to collect data in the study were used as pre-test and post-test Word Association Test and Learning Disabilities Knowledge Test. Participants of the study consisted of 102 primary school teacher who were employed in the Uşak Eşme district selected by using the appropriate sampling method from non-random sampling methods. Pre-test was applied, firstly. Two weeks after pre-test, 5 hour awareness training was given. Two weeks after the awareness training, the final test was applied. The total number of repetitive words in the pre-test before the awareness training is 538, the number of repetitive words in the final test after the awareness training is 2599. The number of answer words associated with key concepts has increased significantly after training. There is also a reduction in misconceptions. A statistically significant difference was found in favor of post-test between pre-test and post-test. In conclusion it has been found that primary school teachers have conceptual misconceptions about learning disabilities and that the given awareness education is effective in eliminating this misconception.

Keywords: learning disabilities, misconceptions, primary school teachers

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017027934 [HTML]

Professional development is the backbone for teachers’ to sustain their professional lives without coming to a stop and they need a considerable amount of solid support in this process. The purpose of this study is to investigate what contributions self-reflection and peer review made on teachers’ professional development within the scope of professional studies based on Understanding by Design (UbD), an instructional design model. The study was carried out through action research. The participants of the study were 10 EFL teachers working at a state university in Istanbul, Turkey. Within the framework of the study, the teachers received training about UbD, formed groups and made unit designs and implemented them in their classes as part of the action research. As data collection tools, self-reflection and peer review forms were used. The collected data were analyzed through the content analysis. The findings of the study indicated that self-reflection and peer review made considerable contributions to the teachers’ professional development throughout the study. With the help of self-reflection and peer review, the teachers had the opportunity to revise their unit designs and implementation process and their awareness raised about their strengths and weaknesses.

Keywords: Understanding by Design (UbD), professional development, unit design, peer review, self-reflection.

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017030461 [HTML]

While research demonstrates that foreign language anxiety (FLA) has both facilitating and debilitating effects on achievement in the foreign language learning process, there are no data on the mentioned issue in the Turkish context regarding children who learn English as a foreign language (EFL). Therefore, this study aims to investigate the levels of FLA among Turkish children who learn EFL at school settings. The sample group in the study consisted of 494 Turkish EFL learners enrolled at primary and secondary schools. The data collection instruments consisted of a background questionnaire and the Children’s Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (CFLAS). The frequencies, mean scores and standard deviations were calculated. The results indicated that examinations and grammar-based language activities are the sources of a moderate level of anxiety. Unpreparedness before speaking, fear of making mistakes, unfamiliar topics, negative evaluation by other students and fear of failing are other sources of a high level of FLA among children. Given that FLA constitutes a considerable problem in the Turkish EFL context regarding children, several practical recommendations are given.

Keywords: English as a foreign language, foreign language anxiety, children

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017028070 [HTML]

Considering that first-year students are in the process of adapting to the university, examining the relationships between their depression levels, perceived social support and problem-solving skills becomes crucial in terms of planning psychological counseling and guidance services that will be offered to them. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between university students’ personal difficulties they have during an academic year, depression levels, perceived social support and problem-solving skills. The study sample is comprised of 319 first-year students selected by proportional sampling method out of 3700 first-year students attending four faculties of Ömer Halisdemir University. 150 students out of 225 students who stated that they had personal difficulties during an academic year got help from a friend. Beck Depression Inventory, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and Problem-Solving Inventory were administered to the participants. The data were analyzed using simple and multiple linear analysis. In the preliminary analysis, it was found that depression scores of students who stated that they had personal difficulties in an academic year were higher, and women perceived themselves positively in problem solving. It was seen that personal difficulty experience was important predictors of perceived problem-solving skills and perceived social support. Furthermore, it was determined that problem-solving skills were partial mediators in the relationship between perceived social support and depression.

Keywords: depression, personal difficulty experience, perceived social support, problem solving, university students

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017027085 [HTML]

This study aimed to investigate the school satisfaction levels of Romani children with respect to variables are gender, levels of hope, perceived social support, perceived teacher behavior. The participants included 60 Romani primary school students (Female 32, Male 28) attending a state school in Samsun at 2015-2016 academic year. Following were employed to obtain data: Overall School Satisfaction Scale for Children, Perceived Teachers Behaviors Scale, Children’s Hope Scale and Social Support Appraisals Scale to Be Used with Children and Adolescents. The research data were analyzed by Mann Whitney U and Spearman Brown Correlation tests. The research results showed that Romani students have high level of school satisfaction and there is no significant difference between the school satisfaction levels with respect to gender. The research results showed that there is significant positive relationship between school satisfaction and hope and its sub dimensions. Besides it was found that there is no significant relationship between school satisfaction levels and perceived social support levels and there is significant positive relationship with respect to sub dimension is family support levels to the contrary. However it was found that there is no significant relationships between the school satisfaction levels and perceived teachers behaviors of Romani children.

Keywords: Romani, School Satisfaction, Hope, Social Support, Teacher

DOI : 10.16986/HUJE.2017029312 [HTML]