Problems of Education in the 21st Century

491-492

Authors: Editorial Board

Cover page, Vol. 80, No. 4, 2022, PEC

494-498

Authors: Boris Aberšek

Science is the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence. Science includes scientific methods such as objective observation, which refers to measurement and data (possibly, although not necessarily, using mathematics as a tool), evidence, experiment, critical analysis, and verification. The four major branches of science are: mathematics and logic, biological science, physical science, and social science. The key words that best define science are thus: objective observation + evidence-based approach + application of scientific methods = general truths The basic problem of such an explanation of science lies in the very definition of what general truths are, what kind of evidence is required to prove them, and how to arrive to this kind of evidence through objective observation. The simplest premise to answer these questions would be: through logic and critical thinking.

516-530

Authors: Necati Çobanoğlu, Selçuk Demir

Education continues to be an area that is likely to completely affect the future of humanity. Countries are trying to raise the level of education and increase the quality of the education provided as much as possible. To ensure that the quality of education is improved, many studies look from the perspectives of educators and officials who determine education policies. This study examines teachers' classroom management and approaches to justice in the classroom through the eyes of students. This study aims to shed light on the relationship between educators’ justice in classroom management and students’ school engagement based on the perceptions of university students. The study is based on a correlational design that examines the relationship between variables. It was conducted with 283 students at Şırnak University. The sample was determined randomly. The data were collected via the "Perception of Justice in Classroom Management" scale and the "School Engagement of University Students" scale. As a result, there was a moderately positive and significant relationship between the perception of justice in classroom management and school engagement. Besides, as a result of the regression analysis, it was revealed that the perception of the educators towards justice in classroom management predicted students’ school engagement. It was observed that 19% of students' school engagement was explained by educators’ perceptions of justice in classroom management.

547-564

Authors: Tanja Maltar Okun, Majda Rijavec, Marko Ćaleta

The students’ attitudes towards school subjects may influence their behaviour and various educational outcomes. The research aimed to test students’ attitudes towards the subjects of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, and to examine the associations between those attitudes and students’ learning strategies and grades achieved. The study included 245 eighth-grade students from five schools in Koprivnica-Križevci County in the Republic of Croatia. Attitude scale towards science subjects and Learning strategies scale were employed. The results of the analysis of variance showed a significantly higher assessment of interest for Biology and Physics than for Chemistry, while the assessment of importance for Biology was significantly higher than for Chemistry and Physics. Attitudes toward Biology, Chemistry, and Physics were positively correlated with the grades achieved in those subjects. Results of the mediation analysis indicated that the learning strategies were mediators between the attitude towards the science subject and the grades achieved in those subjects. Students with a more positive attitude towards a subject employ a deeper approach to learning, which ultimately results in a higher grade.

588-601

Authors: Najwa Bakr Mursi, Mona Fawzi Sulaimani

The complexity of special education and the variability among students Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) require special education teachers to make a concerted effort to provide validated supports that contribute to their students’ learning outcomes. Among the most important considerations for teachers is the use of teaching practices supported as effective by evidence. There is a broad consensus that the use of Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) can lead to significant improvements for students with ASD and their families. The research to practice gap is widely recognised in special education in relation to the selection and implementation of EBPs, with several studies finding that teachers used unsupported teaching practices as frequently as those supported by empirical evidence. Thus, in order to utilise EBPs, teachers must first understand what EBPs mean and how a particular practice comes to be evidence-based. Aligning with this emphasis and the increasing introduction of EBPs in special education globally, this study explored special education teachers’ understanding of evidence, evidence-based, and EBPs in one centre of autism in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). In this study, a qualitative approach was used. Within this approach, a single case study design was adopted. The data were collected from six special education teachers of students with ASD using interviews. The findings revealed that teachers referred to their own individual experiences or the experiences of other teachers as evidence. In addition, they referred to their superiors’ advice as being evidence-based and the perceived EBPs as technical tools handed to them by the Centre. This indicated that teachers’ understanding of evidence-based, and EBPs was constructed based on the culture of the Centre. The findings of this study suggest several courses of action for future research, and policymakers and teacher education.

617-620

Authors: Editorial Board

End page, Vol. 80, No. 4, 2022, PEC