The cognitive learning style is an indispensable variable in the composite of the teaching-learning process. Pedagogically, it can be useful if instructors explore what type of learners they are in addition to the mode of learning preference their students depict. This can bridge the gap between training and evaluating procedures. The study addresses the relationship between English instructors’ learning styles and assessing the thinking levels suggested in Bloom’s Taxonomy. A sample of 67 professors in both language/linguistics and literature was studied and samples of their tests were analyzed. A significant correlation between learning style and the prioritizing of the six learning objectives is found. Another result shows that 70% of literature instructors turn out to be assimilators and accommodators while 67.5% of language/linguistics ones prefer the diverger and converger modes.

Keywords: cognitive, learning, style, test, English , instructor, Kolb
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The aim of this study is to identify misconceptions of some 7th grade students about physical, chemical changes, and controlling students’ logical thinking and reading comprehension skills, to compare effects of cooperative learning approaches to traditional teaching on their understanding of subject. Research was administered to 46 7th grade students in Gümüşhane-Taşlıca Vali Şimşek and Cumhuriyet Primary Schools; and completed in four weeks in the first term of 2003-2004. As research design, pre-post-test control group design was used. In experimental group, lessons were taught with cooperative learning; however, in control group, with traditional approaches. MDYT, OAYT and FKDT were administered as pre-tests; and FKDT was re-administered in the end. According to FKDT results, misconceptions were identified and with the interviews applied to 12 students, students’ ideas on subject were investigated in detail. Controlling other factors, cooperative learning was found more effective than traditional teaching approach on students’ understanding the subject.

Keywords: science education, physical and chemical change, misconception, cooperative learning
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The literature on teachers’ beliefs and ideas suggest that there is a direct relationship between teachers’ beliefs and their classroom practices. In particular, mathematics teachers’ beliefs and ideas about teacher’ role and mathematics teaching shape learning activities in real environments. This study aimed to determine how pre-service teachers perceive teachers’ role and what the meaning of teaching according to them. For this purpose, semi-structured survey form applied to senior pre-service teachers from Elementary and Secondary Mathematics Education Department at K.T.U. In the form, several job names were given to teacher candidates and they were asked to arrange those names in the order that best fit into their teacher model. Then, pre-service teachers explained the reasons for their arrangements. In this way, teacher model building in their’ minds tried to be revealed. Some conclusions were drawn about how pre-service mathematics teachers profile matched with the one provided by new curriculum.

Keywords: preservice teachers, teachers’ role, beliefs and ideas, new curriculum
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The purpose of this study was to investigate job satisfaction of academics working at state universities in Ankara. Various studies have examined job satisfaction of academics. However, only few studies have used the two-factor model of Herzberg while investigating job satisfaction of university faculty members. The sample of this study was consisted of 203 academics. The Job Satisfaction Scale for Academics (JSSA) developed by Kelecioğlu, Bilge and Akman (2006) and the Personal Information Form were administered. The results showed that factors such as age, seniority, academic experience abroad, status, and work experience had a positive relationship with intrinsic satisfaction. On the other hand, academics in the fields of social sciences reported lower extrinsic satisfaction than those in areas of science and engineering.

Keywords: Academics, academic status, job satisfaction, position, seniority.
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This study has been designed to analyse the potential use of the Bracken Basic Concept Scale-Revised developed by Bracken (1998) in order to assess the concept development of Turkish children. For the validity and reliability analyses, the scale was administered to six-year old children. The validity of the scale was analysed by means of criteria validity and the reliability was analysed by the Kuder Richardson 20 coefficient and the test-retest correlation. The results of the reliability analysis indicate that the subtests of the scale have the scores between .54 and .91 for the Kuder Richardson 20 coefficient. To evaluate whether the scale provides time-dependent measurements or not, the test-retest correlation was calculated and the school readiness correlation was found to be .84, and the total concept score was .87. For the criteria validity of the scale, teacher assessments were taken as the basis and it was determined that those children whose concept development was poor and good according to the Bracken Basic Concept Scale-Revised, was also poor and good according to the teachers. The findings obtained clearly state that this scale is a valid and reliable tool to analyse the development of concept in Turkish children.

Keywords: Bracken Basic Concept Scale, concept, concept development.
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Reponses collected as a result of questioning students (9-11 years) about the nature, age and formation of the fossil reveal the presence of students’ representations do not always appear to approximate to a scientific principles of the palaeontology (Ault, 1982). In this article, the term alternative conception is used to describe any conceptual difficulties, which is different from or inconsistent with the accepted scientific definition. From acting this point, this study aims to research about fossils how to develop student’s alternative conceptions and underline how important is to educate teachers as scientist, who will carry out this development in the most healthy way. In this study; firstly, alternatives concepts of 105 students (9-11 years) which were revealed by survey about fossils were analysed. According to the analysis results, the activities which would be applied to students were planned. Then, a sample constructivist education module for teachers to teach fossil concept which would be used for planning activities was developed. And the model was applied on 124 candidates and 126 teachers-totally a group of 250 people. The strategy used in the study has made it possible to use a system of thinking on teaching geological concepts and to contemplate a constructivist-based pedagogical practice.

Keywords: fossil teaching strategy, teacher education, teaching module
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In this research, the effects of the creative approach in the science teaching on achievement and attitude were examined. The research was carried out on two different groups of the sixth class pupils of Suzan Gürcanlı Primary School in Eskişehir. Pre and post-test with control group design were applied in the research. While the conventional teaching approach was implemented in the control group, the creative approach was implemented in the experimental group. In the analysis of the quantitative data, mean, standart deviation and the t test in independent groups were used. The findings can be summarized as follows: A significant difference was found in the means of the tatal gain scores between the creative approach treated in the science course experimental group and the conventional teaching approach treated in the science course group. The means of the experimental group was better than the control group.

Keywords: creative approach, achievement, attitude, science
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The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the new primary school Science and Technology curriculum in practice based on teachers’ opinions. For that aim, a 32 item Likert style Science and Technology Curriculum Scale was developed. The population includes 383 classroom teachers working at 64 pilot schools where the new Science and Technology Curriculum was trialled in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Kocaeli, Van, Hatay, Samsun and Bolu cities. The data were analyzed by using independent samples t test, one way ANOVA, Kruskall Wallis H, Mann Whitney U and LSD tests. According to the results obtained from the study, it was determined that the learning attainments, content, teaching-learning activities and evaluation were effective at “much” level. While statistically significant difference was found among the teachers’ views in terms of city variable, no significant difference was found in terms of student number variable.

Keywords: primary school, science and technology curriculum, curriculum development
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Currently, schools have been considered to be successful in providing equal opportunity for all students by enhancing ability of students on an individual basis as well as providing the best suitable instruction for each student. The purpose of this research is to find out the views of teacher candidates toward individualized instruction in primary schools. Mainly, individualized instruction emerged from taking student needs in teaching learning process to provide an opportunity on their own pace. This is where the individualized instructional studies developed and implemented. This study aims at determining candidate teacher’s views on the model. A measurement tool developed by Güven, (2003) and data collected from 158 seniors in the four programs of the department of elementary education. The data analyzed with the SPSS program and findings interpreted, presented in tables. Findings are evaluated based on the results. Finally suggestions are presented.

Keywords: individualized instruction, teacher candidates, instruction
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The aim of this study is to determine the science teacher candidates’ attitude towards chemistry, which is among the field lessons, and to search whether there is a relation between the attitude and the academic success. In addition, the aim is to examine the relations with gender and school status of these factors. The research has the comparison features and was realized on 147 teacher candidates studying in the Faculty of Education, Department of Science-teaching of Cumhuriyet University; in 2005-2006 school year, spring season (Semester II). “Attitude Scale towards Chemistry Lesson for the Teacher Candidates” (ÖAKTÖ) has been applied as the tool of supplying data. The analysis of Pearson’s correlation coefficient has been used to determine the part of the relation between attitude points and academic success points. As a result of the study, it’s observed that there are differences in respect of gender and high schools from which they graduated but in general there is an average relation between their attitude towards chemistry and their academic success level. (r=0,623 p<0,01) Keywor

Keywords: attitude, attitude scale, academic success, gender
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A Structural Equation Modeling has been used in this study which intends to investigate the relationship between self-regulated learning strategies (task value, extrinsic goal oriantation, goal setting, rehearsal, self-reflection, selfefficacy, effort regulation, peer learning, time management) and achievemet of students in computer programming courses.A Self-Regulated Learning Strategy Scale was developed by the researchers based on MSLQ (Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire) which was developed by Pintrich and colleagues in 1991. Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling were used for analysis of the data. The findings of the study indicate that 71% of the achievement could be explained by the students self-regulated learning strategies such as task value, extrinsic goal oriantation, goal setting, rehearsal, self-reflection, self-efficacy, effort regulation, peer learning and time managament.

Keywords: Self-regulated learning, self-regulated learning strategies, structural equation modeling, academic achievement
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This study aims at analyzing supervisory talk and student- teachers’ interpretations of it in order to find out the qualities that characterize successful supervision which leads to a change in student- teachers’ beliefs. To achieve this, supervisory feedback sessions with four supervisors were recorded, transcribed and then analyzed for linguistic and interactional features that appeared in conversations in these sessions. To have a deeper understanding of how the studentteachers perceive the feedback sessions, they were asked to fill in a feedback form after each session. The student-teachers were also interviewed regarding the effectiveness of their feedback sessions with their supervisors. By triangulating the data gathered from the analysis of transcriptions with student-teachers’ interpretations compiled from feedback forms and interviews, key conversational features with specific reference to speech acts associated with successful supervision were identified. In addition, supervisor behaviors that student-teachers view as most contributing to the success of the supervisory feedback sessions were also discussed.

Keywords: successful supervision, student-teachers, supervisory talk.
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Many of the reigning theoretical assumptions on which contemporary testing and assessment are based on behaviorist views of cognition and development. In 1990’s it was realised that new, alternative ways of thinking about learning, assessing learning, measurement and evaluation were needed. One of these methods for evaluating students’ performances are the portfolios and its evaluation. In this research it has been put great importance on what student portfolios are, which have a very great important role for evaluating students’ performance on their learning and development. At the same time, it has been expressed what materials can be included in a students’ portfolios, its types, properties and application, its advantages and disadvantages, in what way it can be used and evaluated. As a result, importance of using students’ portfolios for our country and educational process has been emphasized.

Keywords: portfolio assessment, show case, teacher-student interactive portfolios, alternative teacher portfolios, documentation portfolio, process portfolio
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The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of creative drama method on developing, make and execute a work with a group, begin and carry on a relationship, and self control social skills in development and learning lesson. This research was designed according to one experimental and one control group experimental modeling with 74 teacher student taking development and learning lesson. Randomly one of the thirty-seven students assigned as the traditionally designed teacher centered approach used control group the other assigned as the creative drama method implemented experimental group. In the experimental group, creative drama activities were used to develop social skills of students as a treatment during 12 weeks. Social Skills Evaluation Scale (SBDÖ) developed by the researchers, was used to measure social skills. Collected data from pretest and posttest was processed by using independent t test. Consequently findings indicated that creative drama method had significant effect on make and execute a work with a group, begin and carry on a relationship, self control social skills.

Keywords: creative drama in education; social skills; social skills instruction
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Student-based teaching approach has superseded teacher-based one in the science teaching. Hence, new methods must be used in teaching. Cooperative learning is one of the methods in which students learn by trying and experiencing themselves. They also become more active. The goal of this research is the effect of “Force and Motion” subject on student success, which takes place “Meeting of Force and Motion-Energy” unit at primary school class 7. The research is conducted at two primary schools, class 7. There is a test and control group in the research where pretest and posttest is used. In the test group there are 80 students and in the control group there are 74 students. Classical method is used in the control group while cooperative method is used in the research group. The research took 9 weeks. In the research it is perceived that in the science lesson at primary school class 7 when teaching “Force and Motion” subject, cooperative learning is more effective due to making student more successful at knowledge, understanding, practice and general level than classical method.

Keywords: science, cooperative learning method; student success, together learning technique, primary school
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The purpose of this study is analyzing whether teachers’ place in ICT integration process varied according to their age, aducation level, ICT use and ICT training. The population of the study was 590 teachers from Basic Education Project schools in Ankara. Data were collected through a survey developed by the researchers. Frequency, percentage distribution, t-test and one-way variance analysis (ANOVA) were used in analyzing data. The results of the study revealed that there were significant differences among the teachers’ ICT integration into teaching-learning process in terms of their age, education level, duration of ICT usage and ICT training. It was found that while teachers mostly use word processing and Internet applications in their basic, administrative, and instructional tasks, they rarely use databases, graphic and drawing programs. In addition, the lack of computer and Internet technologies in classrooms and lack of knowledge on how to use ICT in teaching are the most important obstacles expressed by teachers.

Keywords: ICT, integration, teachers, schools
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In this article, we’ve treated the usage of the poetic texts in the courses of the French as a foreign language. First, we enumerated the contributions of a poetic text on the language courses (because of the fact that this one is an aesthetic, artistic and creative language, it creates an effect with the games of sounds and the language games), then we’ve studied the analysis methods for the poetic texts. We’ve chosen two poems of a same poet, written with eight years of gap: "Fall song" and "It cries in my heart" of Verlaine. We’ve proposed a poetic analysis at the level of form, of meaning and of enunciation. After this small analysis, we compared them and we showed the resemblances and the differences between them. Finally, we disclosed the fact that, in contrast to the narrative texts, in the poetic texts, the poets don’t consider the cohesion and the coherence.

Keywords: poetic language, form, meaning, situation of enunciation, Verlaine
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The first purpose of this research was to investigate school counselors’ thoughts and practices about career guidance and counseling. The second purpose was to understand if there are any differences among counselors with respect to their age, gender, working years, working schools or Guidance Research Centers (GRCs), graduated program and having bachelor’s or master’s degree. For this purpose, a questionnaire developed by researcher was sent to 141 counselors via GRCs around Ankara. According to results %25 of counselors did not take any career counseling course. Just one third of them thinks that career counselor services prolong life long. Taking demographic variables into consideration, it was found that female counselors and younger counselors are more sensitive to career guidance and counseling. No differences were found between counselors who graduated counseling or related programs and the ones who did not. According to another finding, counselors mostly obtain information support from the internet. Additionally they need some programs and scales about career guidance and counseling.

Keywords: school counselors, vocational counseling, career counseling, counselor education
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There is growing recognition that models play a fundamental role in the comprehension of science concepts. This paper aims at enhancing students’ understanding and thinking by model construction. Seventh grade middle school students from an urban public school participated in this study as a part of their weekly science club that met after the regular school hours. During the course of the study, the students investigated several common environmental factors about animals by collecting data, made drawings, constructed objects, and wrote journals. The use of journals allowed them to reflect on their experience and the abstract concepts. It also allowed the researchers to have indirect access to the models underlying the meanings students were making every week. Students developed initial models, came up with analogies, and constructed newer models by improving the initial ones. The findings show that model criticism and modification processes are promising activities for science education.

Keywords: model construction, inquiry teaching, science education
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IRT models’ advantages can only be realized when the model fits the data set of interest. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate which IRT model will provide the best fit to the data obtained from ÖZDEBİR ÖSS 2004 D-II Exam Science Test. In goodness-of-fit analysis, first the model assumptions and then the expected model features were checked. In the model assumption part unidimensionality, local independence, equal discrimination indices, minimal guessing, and nonspeeded test administration was investigated. In the expected model features part the invariance of ability parameter estimates and invariance of item parameter estimates were analyzed. In addition, item characteristics curves (ICC) and item information functions (IIF) were analyzed. The results suggested that the most appropriate model data fit was achieved by two parameter logistic model.

Keywords: item response theory, model data fit analysis, person and item statistics
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This study investigates how/whether the emergence and function of Turkish Tense Aspect Modality (TAM) markers that are used in narratives by children from 3 to 9 plus 13-year-olds show differences relative to the age of the narrator both quantitatively and qualitatively. The data were collected, by using Mayer’s (1969) wordless picture book Frog, where are you?, crossectionally from 112 Turkish monolingual children from 3 to 9-year-olds, 13-year-olds and 14 adults, as normative group. The quantitative analysis of the data shows that there are significant differences in the preference of TAM markers relative to age. While younger narrators anchor to –mIş, older ones prefer –(I)yor as the dominant TAM marker. The qualitative analysis of the data renders results showing that the clause level function of each TAM marker differs from its text level function in narratives produced by children.

Keywords: narrative production, narrative development in children, cognitive development
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A living language is present with all its dimensions in the daily communication. Since we aim at an effective teaching of French as foreign language in an institutional and non-francophone environment, we have to analyze it under all its aspects. The subjectivity, property of the man and language, take up an important space in the human communication. The theory of utterance, that introduces the term of the subjectivity in contemporary linguistics, constitutes our departure point. With the contribution of the works realized by Émile Benveniste and Catherine Kerbrat-orecchioni in the domain of linguistics and subjectivity, we will try to identify the linguistic brands explaining the subjectivity. We count study the description and the progression of the subjectivity in our corpus Campus 1, 2 and 3 in order to understand to which level the subjectivity is present in this manual.

Keywords: utterance, subjectivity, French language teaching
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In this research, school readiness of children who had school readiness experiences and of children without experiences of school readiness were compared on the basis of scientific thinking skills in terms of age, gender, and socio economic status variables. The sample of the study consisted of 180 children with pre– school education, and 120 children without pre–school education in the ages of 5, 5.5, and 6 years old. The data were gathered through the survey form that comprise personal information and by using subtest of math which belongs to implementation form of the “Marmara Scale for Primary School Readiness”. The findings were analyzed using t test and variance analysis. Results indicated that there is a significant difference between getting pre-school education and children’s math skills. Children with pre-school education are more competent in terms of math skills than the children without pre-school education. In terms of gender, there was no significant difference regarding children’s math skills. In terms of age, children’s math skills were found to be different only with regards to sequencing and total score from the scale, and it was determined that in terms of math skills children of 5 years old are less competent than children of 5.5 and 6 years of age. The lower SES children were found to be disadvantageous in terms of primary school readiness regarding math skills.

Keywords: Pre school education, school readiness, math skills.
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This study aims to explore teachers’ knowledge and belief on how to teach grammar to Turkish learners of English as a foreign language. It is designed as a case study. Its data and findings are limited to the selected setting which is the Department of Basic English at Hacettepe University, Turkey. The research process was composed of two stages. Within the data collected during the first cycle of research, the most reoccurring theme was identified as ‘grammar instruction’ among the other themes on teacher knowledge. Therefore, in the second cycle of data collection, the scope of research was to elucidate the reasons of structure-based instruction and to gain teachers’ perceptions of the ‘ideal’ grammar teaching methodology for the students learning English in the above mentioned institution. The findings indicate that Turkish practitioners prefer functional teaching methods including student-centered and contextual teaching approaches.

Keywords: teacher knowledge, grammar, teaching, Turkey.
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The aim of this paper is to present an application of a sample lesson plan which aimed to develop critical thinking skills through educational games. The participants were 46 second year pre-service English Language teachers who were taking a course titled Advanced Reading and Writing II in the Faculty of Education. The lesson plan included a set of educational games on which the students worked together in groups to solve an educational problem they had set prior to their interaction through Compad educational package. In this paper, educational games and critical thinking relationship is discussed, the procedures of the application are described along with the tutors’ and researcher’s observation and the preservice English Language Teaching (ELT) teachers’ views on this application are shared. The findings show that although the students had been novice to educational games, they enjoyed the process and expressed that they recognize the value of such games in developing critical thinking skills while giving them a chance to develop their speaking skills by means of providing a real medium for interaction.

Keywords: critical thinking, problem based learning, English
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The aim of this study was to investigate 9th grade students’ difficulties and errors on operations, ordering numbers, solving equations and inequalities. The data were gathered by the questionnaire containing 10 open ended questions. The answers of the students were categorized according to 0-3 point’s schema. The results revealed that participants made many errors in arithmetic operations, in using distributive laws, and in solving equation and inequalities. Further, the detailed analysis of students’ responses revealed that students have many difficulties about constructing number sense, ordering rational or irrational numbers, and finding the solution of multi- inequalities.

Keywords: inequalities, equations, operations, ordering numbers, student’s errors and misconceptions
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Whether students are ready to learn is of great importance in terms of enabling them to gain initial reading and writing skills to a desired extent. Activities that prepare students for learning initial reading and writing take place at the first grade of primary schools during “the preparatory period for initial reading and writing”. Furthermore, a number of activities preparing children for initial reading and writing are also included in the curriculum of pre-school education, whose spread in our country is given priority. The aim of this study is to determine whether or not six-year-olds in pre-school establishments are ready to learn to write. The data were obtained through a scale developed by the researcher, by administering it individually to 64 six-year-olds in pre-school establishments in Ankara in 2003-2004 academic year. It was determined whether or not six-year-olds in pre-school establishments are ready to learn to write.

Keywords: initial reading and writing, readiness, six-year-olds.
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This study investigated the main tenets of constructivism which is one of the hot topics in education that has recently taken considerable attention in Turkey. It explicated on assimilation principle and offered an instructional design for mental construction of this principle through an application of an action research including the work of 45 prospective elementary teachers. In the article, the designed instructional sequence, its in-class application, and how such instruction affected teachers’ previously gained ideas about teaching and learning were investigated. As a result, helping teachers develop a sense for assimilation principle and its importance in teaching seems to be positively affected by three main activities: (1) Engaging learners in a situation in which they have to feel a need to go back to their prior knowledge and reflect on that situation, (2) Helping learners distinguish between different types of knowledge (social, physical, logicomathematical) and reflection over them, (3) Having learners analyze instructional designs (and their applications) that do not take into consideration the assimilation principle.

Keywords: assimilation principle, learning, constructivism, prospective elementary teachers
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In this study, grammar difficulties experienced by Turkish university students learning French in the process of foreign language teaching/learning and their causes were searched. In determining the difficulties, the written errors that were collected from Gazi University preparatory class students’ exam papers and grammar courses in 2002-2004 academic years were used. In the light of the findings, surveys were prepared and applied on the students and lecturers of Hacettepe, Gazi and Ankara University preparatory classes. In consequence, the findings were used. In the light of the findings, it was found that a significant amount of the difficulties stemmed from the syntactic and morphological differences between Turkish and French. Moreover, the highest frequency mistake types were examined with examples.

Keywords: teaching/learning of French, the difficulties of learning French, the errors of French, learning of French grammar, syntax, morphology
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