Problems of Education in the 21st Century

693

Authors: Editorial Board

Contents, Vol. 79, No. 5, PEC, 2021

700-715

Authors: Meltem Akın Kösterelioğlu

Cognitive flexibility is one of the most important skills that school administrators should have in today's world of rapid change and transformation. This study aimed to explore whether emotional intelligence and self-leadership predicted cognitive flexibility. The study universe consisted of principals and deputy principals working in primary, secondary and upper-secondary schools affiliated with the Provincial Directorate of National Education in the center and districts of Amasya in the 2019-2020 academic year. The views of participating school administrators who voluntarily participated in the study (N=204) were analyzed in the framework of the study. Self-Leadership Questionnaire, Cognitive Flexibility Scale and Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire were used as data collection tools in addition to the Personal Information Form developed by the researcher. In the analysis the data was used for the multiple regression analysis conducted to determine whether self-leadership and emotional intelligence predicted cognitive flexibility. Based on the study results, it was concluded that self-leadership and emotional intelligence together -with all their dimensions- had a predictive effect on cognitive flexibility. Based on the results of the research, it can be said that training and practices that improve administrators’ emotional intelligence levels and provide them with self-leadership awareness will make an indirect contribution to cognitive flexibility skills. Based on the results of the research, it can be argued that offering training and practices that improve administrators’ emotional intelligence levels and provide self-leadership awareness will make an indirect contribution to the development of their cognitive flexibility skills.

728-750

Authors: Milica M. Gajić, Vera D. Županec, Snežana S. Babić-Kekez, Aleksandra R. Trbojević

Previous research of inquiry-based learning in natural science education indicates that there are different methodological trends and paradigms in the study of these issues. The aim of this research has been to analyze the selected relevant studies on inquiry-based learning in natural science education in order to assess their scope and limitations in the light of educational changes and reform initiatives. Directions of analysis of the relevant studies include considerations of the following: 1) Theoretical starting points and specific conceptual solutions, 2) Methodological design (research questions / problems, methods, techniques, and procedures), as well as 3) (Re)interpretation of the most significant findings. It could be stated that studies on inquiry-based learning in the field of natural sciences are rather insufficient, very diverse and heterogeneous, differing from each other both in terms of theory and conceptual solutions, research problems, methodological design, and implications for educational work. Even though experiments are very common in natural sciences, it has been found that triangulation is often used as a combination of qualitative and quantitative paradigms. The common thread that connects the selected studies in this field is the recognition of importance of inquiry-based learning as a very promising model of active teaching the natural sciences. It could be concluded that such studies require an interdisciplinary approach to the subject of study, both in empirical and theoretical field, providing better understanding of the future research directions of this phenomenon.

767-780

Authors: Pinar Mert

Women expose to barriers in their work-life that are not stated clearly. Although these invisible barriers occur in many sectors, they are common in the education sector. So, this study aimed to reveal the relation between the paternalistic leadership displayed by principals in traditional collectivist cultures and the glass ceiling syndrome experienced by female teachers. For this reason, the correlation survey model was used in the research. Female teachers living in Istanbul were selected with the appropriate sampling method due to the Covid 19 outbreak. “The Paternal Leadership Behaviors Scale of School Principals” and “Glass Ceiling Syndrome Scale for Female Teachers” were applied to 358 female teachers. Applied t-test, correlation, ANOVA, and regression analysis. As a result of statistical analysis, it saw that the benevolent, moral, authoritarian, and exploitative leadership behaviors perceived by teachers significantly predicted the perceptions of glass ceiling syndrome. Although benevolent, moral, authoritarian, exploitative paternalistic leadership behaviors mainly indicated teachers' perception of the glass ceiling, they were even low. Especially authoritarian and exploitative paternalistic leadership behaviors explained 5% of the total variance in teachers' perception of the glass ceiling syndrome.

804-825

Authors: Viera Šilonová, Vladimír Klein, Ivana Rochovská

The research focuses on the diagnostics and stimulation of socially disadvantaged children of a pre-school age, which is a crucial component of inclusive education. The aim of the research was to experimentally verify through input and output orientation diagnostics the effectiveness of the stimulation program for 5 to 6 year old socially disadvantaged children in kindergartens. The results of the input and output orientation screening of 5 to 6 year old children from the experimental and control groups were analysed. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the stimulation program intended for the training of areas of deficits of partial functions and symptoms in the experimental group was verified, and conclusions and recommendations for pedagogical theory and practice in the area of inclusive approaches at the pre-primary stage of the school system were formulated. The research demonstrated that the experimental group of children achieved statistically significantly better results in the post-test, focused on the area of symptoms measured by the t-test, than the control group. It was also confirmed that both groups of socially disadvantaged children (control and experimental) achieved statistically significantly better results in the post-test, focused on the area of deficits of partial functions, than in the pre-test.