Open Journal for Educational Research

131-140

Authors: Isaak Papadopoulos

Translanguaging has been placed at the center of the research and teaching activity over the last decade, while teachers seem to promote the use of all the linguistic resources of their students in classrooms with linguistic and cultural diversity. Among the best practices for promoting translanguaging and the flexible use of the students’ resources, reading multilingual texts is proposed as an important activity for students who are daily bombarded with a great variety of diverse stimuli. To clarify it more, students tend to come into contact with “texts” in every mode, that are not only offered in their L1 but they usually include and are written in various linguistic codes known or not to them. However, limited research has focused on such issues of reading a text with multilingual wealth, thus this was a major factor and reason behind this research initiative. This paper presents a study that aimed at investigating young learners’ reading strategies when approaching a multilingual text. More specifically, 27 primary education students of Greek origin were provided with two different types of multilingual texts and they were asked to complete a specifically designed record protocol reflecting on their reading behavior. At first, the students came across a text, which was given both in another language and in Greek while at a second phase, the students were encouraged to read a text in which different languages were used. Within this context, an attempt was made to identify the strategies of students prior to reading, while-reading and upon reading with the purpose to shed light into the multidimensional framework of reading a multilingual text. Following the processing of the data derived from the multidimensional research, it was revealed that students employed a great variety of reading strategies before they begin to read the text. Nevertheless, they did not seem to use while-and post-reading strategies to a great extent, when a multilingual text is given to them inciting more interest in raising students’ reading strategies through implementing educational activities.

161-176

Authors: Mehmet Ali YARIM & Sabri ÇELIK

This study, which aims to examine the perceptions of teachers working in primary and secondary schools regarding organizational anomaly, was designed with a phenomenology study from qualitative research designs. The working group of the research consists of 16 teachers working in state schools in the central districts of Erzurum in 2020-2021. The data obtained with the measurement tool consisting of semi-structured open-ended questions prepared by the researchers were analyzed by content analysis method. According to the findings obtained in the study, the main causes of anomie experienced by teachers are corruption in working life, loss of values, lack of certain rules and norms, distrust of administrators, unwillingness, impossibility, dissatisfaction, inefficiency and loss of belonging. It has been concluded that it has consequences such as lack of discipline, self-interest and negligence, and that the teachers generally have uncertain and anxious thoughts about the personal and social future. In order to reduce anomaly in schools, a value-oriented human resources management based on the spirit of teachers and a transition to a merit and justice-based appointment system in manager appointments are the basic proposals.

193-206

Authors: Ahmet Demirel

Writing motivation is effective on writing behavior and writing habits. The aim of this study is to determine the factors that motivate pre-service teachers to write and thus support their writing habits. For this purpose, the research was designed in accordance with the phenomenological pattern from qualitative research designs. In the research, interviews were conducted with pre-service teachers through the semi-structured interview form prepared by the researcher. The data obtained from these interviews were analyzed by content analysis technique. Research findings showed that there were internal (internal) and external (external) factors motivating teacher candidates to write. According the findings, the main internal factors that motivated pre-service teachers to write were positive thoughts and beliefs about writing and writing skills, goals expected to be achieved by writing, and lastly, interest and desire for writing. Requirements and environmental expectations for writing, appreciation and support from family and readers, and the environment which is a positive role model in writing were external factors that motivated pre-service teachers to write. In the study, these factors and student views under these factors were discussed and what could be done to increase their motivation for writing was evaluated.

223-244

Authors: Tuğba Selanik Ay & Nil Duban

STEM is the abbreviation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and S-STEM is with the addition of the Social Studies discipline. It is thought that getting the views of teachers who have made practical studies on STEM about S-STEM will shed light on both policy-makers and researchers. The aim of the research is to get the views of the primary teachers about S-STEM. This research is a phenomenological study within the scope of basic qualitative research method. Participants of this study are eight primary school teachers. Telephone interviews were used in the interview technique used in this phenomenological study. The data obtained in the research were evaluated by qualitative data analysis. Results were obtained such as the definition of STEM, STEM implementations, dimensions which integrate to STEM, suggestions on integrating social studies to STEM, values and skills which handled with STEM, suggestions for effective S-STEM implementations.

255-274

Authors: M. Talha OZALP & Mehmet AKPINAR

In this study, Social Studies teachers tried to examine the questions in their exams according to their creative thinking skills. In the study document analysis and semi-structured interview methods were used for this purpose. A total of 2,065 questions were examined from the examinations prepared by 61 teachers working in 20 different schools in Ortahisar, which is in the central district of Trabzon. The exam questions were examined in terms of the question types commonly used in education, their class levels and their status for creative thinking skills according to their subjects. The SPSS program was used in the analysis of the questions and the findings were presented using frequency and percentage tables and graphs. Interviews with teachers were analyzed by descriptive analysis method. The themes were created from the data obtained from the interview answers. The themes were reflected on the tables according to the frequency of the teachers’ answers. For better understanding of the findings, examples of the teachers’ exam questions and direct quotations from teachers’ answers are given under the tables and graphics. As a result of the research, it was determined that the exam questions prepared by the social studies teachers were inadequate to develop and measure the creative thinking skills of the students.

289-302

Authors: İbrahim Halil ÖZDEMİR, Fırat SARSAR & Özge ANDİÇ-ÇAKIR

The usage of videos in undergraduate students’ engineering education has gained importance in recent years. Videos, which are used as a supportive tool in traditional engineering education, have become a source of information in online learning environments. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of educational videos on engineering undergraduate students’ laboratory applications and its examination of opinions developed within the scope of e-learning. For this purpose, the sample consisting of 50 undergraduate students from the civil engineering department has been used for this research. Pre-test and post-test process conducted within the scope of in this research were resulted in a meaningful difference after the analyses of Paired Samples t-Test (p=0.02) was made. This result shows that online learning platforms in engineering education and educational videos positively affect the students’ attitude. In addition, it is found out that educational videos affect the learning process as a useful educational source. Moreover, the instructors’ educational videos, which are Digital Learning Materials, positively impact the students’ motivation during the courses.

317-332

Authors: Dilara Akpınar & Sema Altun Yalçın

The research is aimed to explore the effect of STEM education on the motivations and epistemological beliefs related to science among talented and gifted students. A mixed research method was employed in collecting the data of the research. The sample of the research consisted of 20 5th and 6th grade students who were diagnosed to be talented. Before the activities, the Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire and the Motivation Scale for Science Learning were applied to the students. The reflective journals were asked to fill in reflective journals after each activity and individual interviews were conducted after all activities were completed. A significant difference was found between the Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire and the Motivation Scale for Science Learning pre-test and post-test scores at the end of the research. With the conducted interviews and results from the journals, positive changes were observed in students’ self-confidence, motivation, and attitudes towards science lessons in training.

353-364

Authors: Yasemin Kaplan & Selma Güleç

In the study, the correlation between cyberbullying and cyber victimization, which is included in the digital literacy skill in the Social Studies Curriculum, and self-confidence value was examined. From this point of view, the research aims to determine the degree and direction of the correlation between 8th grade students cyberbully/victim behaviors and their self-confidence value. As a data collection tool; The CyberBully/Victim Scale developed by Ayas and Horzum (2010); The Self-Confidence Scale developed by Akin (2007), and the Personal Information Form developed by the researcher were used to access personal information. The research sample consists of a total of 455 students studying at the 8th grade of public and private schools in the Nilufer, Yildirim, and Kestel districts of Bursa. Spearman’s Rho Correlation analysis was used in the analysis of the data. As a result of the study, a statistically significant moderate-level inverse correlation was found between students cyberbully/victim status and their tendency levels of self-confidence.

383-402

Authors: Mehmet Yavuz, Burak Bozak, Evgin Cay & Müzeyyen Eldeniz Çetin

This study aims to determine the problems experienced by parents of children with special needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The phenomenological patterns technique, which is a qualitative research method, was used in the study. Ten parents with children with special needs who were affected by different types of disabilities were included in the study. The data in the research were collected using interview forms consisting of open-ended questions and a semi-structured interview technique. After the data obtained from the interviews were decoded, they were analyzed with the descriptive analysis technique. At the end of the study, the findings of the problems experienced by parents of children with special needs during the epidemic, the problems they experienced with their children, and the problems and expectations related to the education of their children were discussed in detail within the framework of the literature.

11-24

Authors: Charalambos I. Konstantinou & Ioannis Ch. Konstantinou

The purpose of this article is to highlight the factors that decisively affect the effectiveness of the teacher in fulfilling his role, giving special importance to his pedagogical and didactic training. Initially, the role of the teacher is approached in relation to the mission of the school and the characteristics of an effective teacher. Subsequently, the content and the importance of pedagogical and didactic training for the exercise of the educational work are approached, as well as the additional reasons that impose it. In addition, the existing pedagogical and didactic training of current teachers is approached, in relation to the consequences of its absence for the educational process and the student. The article concludes with the final findings and remarks.

37-48

Authors: Osman Akhan

The purpose of this research is to determine perceptions of refugee middle school students in Turkey about history subjects taught in social studies classes. Accordingly, the study was designed in the phenomenology model, a qualitative research method. The sample included 58 middle school 7th and 8th grade Syrian students (28 female, 30 male) legally registered in Gaziantep province of Turkey in 2019-2020. Convenience sampling method was used to select the schools, and criterion sampling, a purposive sampling method, was used to select the sample from students in these schools. Research data were collected with a questionnaire form containing open-ended questions created by the researcher, and subjected to descriptive analysis. Considering the results of the research, one can say that the students could remember the history subjects they learned, and found Ottoman history subjects more interesting. However, they found history lessons boring, and studying history subjects was not effective in creating patriotic perceptions.

63-76

Authors: Murat Keskin

The study aimed to determine whether there is a difference between the perceptions of pre-service teachers’ problem-solving skills according to various factors. 297 pre-service teachers from Afyon Kocatepe University Faculty of Education in the province of Afyonkarahisar in Turkey participated in the study. The group hidden figures test was used to determine the cognitive styles of pre-service teachers. The problem-solving inventory was used to measure the perceptions of problem-solving skills. According to the findings, it was found that the perception of problem-solving skills of pre-service teachers was high. It was observed that the candidates also perceived themselves as having these approaches in all sub-dimensions. According to the research results, problem-solving perception does not affect the way of approaching the problem. Male and female candidates’ perceptions of problem-solving skills are not directly related to gender. Candidates’ perceptions vary according to the grade level.

91-104

Authors: Mehmet Özcan, Mustafa Kemal Yöntem & Ahmet Galip Yücel

This study aims to reveal the opinions of the senior students of education faculty about the anxiety of not being appointed. Phenomenological research design is used in this research. The convenience sampling method was used in the selection of the participants. The data of the study is collected through face-to-face individual interviews with the students. The research form consists of 2 parts. The questions in the first part are about the demographic information of the participants. The second part includes questions aiming to reveal the experiences of the participants regarding the anxiety of not being appointed. Each interview lasted 20 minutes on average. All interviews conducted within the scope of the research were recorded using a voice recorder with the permission of the participants. Descriptive analysis was used in the analysis of data. According to the findings, it was observed that family expectations affected all of the participants who had anxiety about not being appointed. All of the prospective teachers who experienced anxiety about not being appointed were found to catastrophize the situation. Five of the participants who had anxiety about not being appointed had physiological symptoms and that anxiety affected daily life. Three of the participants who experienced anxiety about preparation for appointment stated that they had no additional effort to be appointed. All of the participants stated that they used social support mechanisms for anxiety.