ASIAN JOURNAL OF INSTRUCTION

9-19

Authors: Murat GENÇ, Tülin GENÇ

The purpose of the study is to determine the candidate teachers’ attitudes towards environmental problems with respect to some variables. The descriptive survey method has been used in the research. This research was gone through with 45 candidate teachers who attend to the department of class teaching in Education Faculty. In this research, “Environmental Attitude Scale” is used a way of data collecting. Inner consistency is found α=.82. Five-likert scale was used for the survey. p<.05 meaningfulness level was taken into consideration for the test of meaningfulness of groups. The maximum grade which can be taken from the scale is 105, and the minimum is 21. For the analysis of the data was used percentage, mean, standard deviation, Anova statistics and t test to determine whether the candidate teachers’ attitude change meaningfully according to various differences. The surveyed students were 64.4% girls (n = 29) and 35.6% men (n = 16).. Students' "Environmental Attitude Scale mean score was 85.11 ± 8.92. Students were received the high points from scale items “The people who drop litter or spit must be obstructed (4.49)”, "in the ozone layer thinning all the people are threatening (4.40", “Meetings which protesting technology products that harm the ozone layer should be held (4.33)” and the low scores were determined of the items " Malnutrition in underdeveloped countries is a result of environmental problems (3.53)”, “the United Nations, including any corporations or institutions must not involved to country of its natural resources as they wish to use (3.67)", “Use of natural gas at home and offices cannot contribute to the solution of the air pollution problem ( 3.73)”. Consequently, what is confirmed is that the candidate teachers’ attitude towards the environmental problems do not show a meaningful difference according to gender, education level of mother and father, economic situation of the family, neighborhood where they lived the longest, whether they smoke or not. However, it was found that significant differences according to home where they live during their training. Key Words: Environmental education, candidate teachers, attitude towards environment.

30-41

Authors: Süleyman GÖKSOY

The main purpose of this study is to analyse the applications in Turkey and in European Union countries about compulsory education and the duration of compulsory education by comparing them. These topics have been argued densely in recent years by all parts of society, especially by politicians. This study includes historical developments of compulsory education, the duration of compulsory education, different phases of compulsory education and sample applications in various countries. European countries are making reforms in prolonging the duration of education to age 18 in order to provide their citizens the basic knowledge, skills and abilities, improve the quality of human resources and secure the national future. They are also encouraging the students about having a basic education certificate. 12 year full-time compulsory education applications are seen as an appropriate attempt for Turkey to participate in the race of improving the qualities of human capital in countries. As a result of the research about compulsory education, it is emphasized that 8-year compulsory education process in Turkey were less than the one in European countries and Turkey fell behind European countries in terms of compulsory education even in 2006. Extending the compulsory education process to 12 years will increase the quality of vocational and technical education. In order to provide more efficient and more qualified education, more material and human resources should be devoted and conditions should be improved qualitatively and quantitatively. It is also emphasized that necessary measures in 12-year compulsory education should be taken in advance in order not to encounter with the infrastructure problems which have been experienced in 12-year compulsory education. Thus, in order to provide Turkey's participation to the race of countries which aims to improve the quality of human capital, 12-year compulsory education applications are seen as appropriate and even belated attempts. In this context, Ministry of Education is holding some regulations, such as providing necessary infrastructure, physical place, educational material and equipment, training educational staff, adapting and improving educational programs. As long as these regulations, completions and restorations go on at the current speed, expected features in our children can increase. Key Words: Education, school, scmpulsory education.