Mehmet MART
Necmettin Erbakan University, Ahmet Keleşoğlu Eğitim Fakültesi, Faculty Member
- Early Years, Early Childhood Literacy, Child Development, Preschool Education, Early Childhood Education, Children's Rights, and 26 moreTheory of Mind, Reggio Emilia, Day Care Centers, Outdoor Play and Learning, Autism, Outdoor Education, Okul öncesi Eğitim, çocuk Gelişimi Ve Eğitimi, Kindergarden, Science Education, Childhood studies, Outdoor Play, Risk, Dyslexia, The Benefits of Forest School, John Dewey, Forest School, Outdoor Learning, Early Childhood, Children's Outdoor Education, Cocuk Egitimi, Outdoor Education and Learning, Forest Schools, Research tools, Preschool, and Montessori Educationedit
Yapay zekâ günümüz teknolojileri ile hayatımıza girerek, gün geçtikçe kaçınılmaz ve vazgeçilmez olan, hayatın birçok alanında kullanılan bir araçtır. Bu çalışma ile okul öncesi öğretmen adaylarının yapay zekâya yönelik olan tutum... more
Yapay zekâ günümüz teknolojileri ile hayatımıza girerek, gün geçtikçe kaçınılmaz ve vazgeçilmez olan, hayatın birçok alanında kullanılan bir araçtır. Bu çalışma ile okul öncesi öğretmen adaylarının yapay zekâya yönelik olan tutum düzeyleriyle yapay zekâ okuryazarlığı arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu çalışma karma araştırma yöntemi ile tasarlanmıştır. Çalışmanın evreni okul öncesi öğretmenliği alanında lisans öğrenimi görmekte olan okul öncesi öğretmen adaylarından oluşmaktadır. Bu araştırmanın örneklemi, 235 gönüllü okul öncesi öğretmen adayından oluşturulmuştur ve bu örneklemin seçiminde basit rastgele örnekleme yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Bu çalışmada veri toplama araçları olarak, okul öncesi öğretmen adaylarının yapay zekâya yönelik tutumlarını belirlemek için Schuman ve Rodway (2020) tarafından geliştirilmiş olan ve Kaya ve diğerleri (2022) tarafından Türkçeye uyarlanmış olan ‘Yapay Zekâya Yönelik Genel Tutum Ölçeği’ ile beraber, okul öncesi öğretmen adaylarının yapay zekâ okuryazarlık düzeylerini tespit etmek amacıyla Wang ve diğerleri (2023) tarafından geliştirilmiş olan ve Polatgil ve Güler (2023) tarafından Türkçeye uyarlanmış olan ‘Yapay Zekâ Okuryazarlık Ölçeği’ kullanılmaktadır. Araştırmada, ölçeklerin yanı sıra nitel veri toplama yöntemlerinden yarı- yapılandırılmış görüşme tekniğine de yer verilmiştir. Araştırma sürecinde 235 öğretmen adayı ile ölçeklere katılım gösterilmiş olup, içlerinden gönüllü olarak görüşme sorularına katılmak isteyen 9 öğretmen adayına da yarı-yapılandırılmış görüşme soruları uygulanmıştır. Elde edilen nicel verilerin analizi SPSS 29.0 paket programı ile elde edilmiş olup, nitel verilerin analizi ise Maxqda paket programı kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Çalışmanın analizleri sonucunda cinsiyet, yaş ve sınıf düzeyi bakımından farklı değişkenlere göre yapay zekâya yönelik tutum düzeyleri ve yapay zekâ okuryazarlığı arasındaki farklılıklar incelenmiş ve bu bulgular görüşme sorularına göre analiz edilmiştir. Sonuçlara göre, yapay zekâ araçlarının kullanımı ihtiyaca göre şekillenmekte olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır.
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Öğretmen yeterlikleri, öğretmenlik mesleği ile birlikte başlayıp yıllar içerisinde farklı çalışmalar ile eğitimdeki öneminden dolayı üzerinde durularak, geliştirilmesini sağlamak amacıyla üzerinde çalışmalar yapılan bir alandır.... more
Öğretmen yeterlikleri, öğretmenlik mesleği ile birlikte başlayıp yıllar içerisinde farklı çalışmalar ile eğitimdeki öneminden dolayı üzerinde durularak, geliştirilmesini sağlamak amacıyla üzerinde çalışmalar yapılan bir alandır. Öğretmenlik mesleği ile ilgili temel yeterlik alanları belirlenmiş olup, her bir öğretmenlik alanı için de özel alanlar belirlenmiştir. Bu çalışmada, okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin mesleki öz-yeterliklerini belirlemek üzere geçerli ve güvenilir bir değerlendirme aracı geliştirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Ölçeğin geliştirilmesi sürecinde öncelikle 55 maddelik soru havuzu oluşturulmuş ve bir maddenin anlaşılır olmaması nedeniyle çıkarılmasıyla kalan 54 madde uzman görüşüne gönderilip kapsam geçerliği belirlenmiştir. Lawshe yöntemi kullanılarak ölçeğin kapsam geçerlik indeksi 0.76 olarak belirlenmiştir. Daha sonra ölçek üzerinde sırasıyla açımlayıcı faktör analizi, doğrulayıcı faktör analizi ve güvenirlik için test tekrar test yöntemi uygulanmıştır. Bu üç analiz süreci için veriler ayrı ayrı oluşturulan ve okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin yer aldığı üç farklı çalışma grubundan elde edilmiştir. Açımlayıcı faktör analizi sonucunda 29 maddelik 4 boyuttan oluşan bir yapı belirlenmiştir. Doğrulayıcı faktör analizi sonucunda ise 5 madde ölçekten çıkarılmış ve 24 maddelik 4 boyutlu ölçeğin “kabul edilebilir” bir model uyum düzeyine sahip olduğu belirlenmiştir. Test tekrar test yöntemi ile belirlenen anlamlı ve 0.777 düzeyindeki korelasyon katsayısı ile ölçeğin güvenirlik özelliğine sahip olduğu belirlenmiştir. Geliştirilen ölçek ile okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin hizmet öncesi ve hizmet sürecindeki mesleki öz-yeterlik durumlarının belirlenmesi, çeşitli değişkenlere göre değerlendirilerek gerekli destek hizmetlerinin sağlanması önerilmektedir.
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Değerler eğitimi aileden başlayıp, okulda devam ederek çevreyle iş birliğinde olduğu için sadece sınıf içi süreçleri ile sınırlı olmayacak kadar önemlidir. Değerler eğitimi, kişilik gelişiminde önemli bir yeri olan erken çocukluk... more
Değerler eğitimi aileden başlayıp, okulda devam ederek çevreyle iş birliğinde olduğu için sadece sınıf içi süreçleri ile sınırlı olmayacak kadar önemlidir. Değerler eğitimi, kişilik gelişiminde önemli bir yeri olan erken çocukluk döneminden başlanılarak okul öncesi dönemde farklı yöntem ve tekniklerle okul dışı süreçlere taşınabilir. Okul öncesi dönemde yapılan araştırmalarda değerler eğitimi okul dışı öğrenme ortamlarına doğrudan yer verilmezken, okul dışı öğrenme merkezlerinde uygulanan etkinlikler sonucu değer kazanımı gerçekleşmektedir. Farklı yaş grubuyla yapılan çalışmalarda ise doğrudan okul dışında değerler eğitimine yer verilmektedir. Bu çalışma okul dışı öğrenme ortamları ve değerler eğitimi ile ilişkili olan çalışmaları sistematik literatür taraması ile analiz ederek; (1) okul dışı öğrenme ortamları ve okul öncesinde değerler eğitimi içeren araştırmaların yöntemsel özelliklerinin (2) araştırmalarda kullanılan okul dışı ortam ve ele alınan değerlerin incelenmesi (3) okul öncesinde değerler eğitimi kapsamında ele alınan etkinlik türleri ve hangi değerlere yer verildiğinin incelenmesini amaçlamaktadır. Sistematik literatür taraması dahilinde YÖK Tez, TRDizin, Google Scholar ve DergiPark veri tabanları taranarak 28 araştırma irdelenmiştir. Verilerin analizinde Maxqda 2022 programı kullanılmıştır. Araştırmaların 17’si nitel yöntemle tasarlanmış; katılımcı grubu olarak öğrencilerle çalışılmış olup sınıf içinde ve dışında yer alan değer türleri birbirine benzer olarak bulunmuştur. Okul dışında ele alınan değerler on kök değer yanında kültürel ve tarihi mirasa duyarlılık, barış, çevreye farkındalık, hoşgörü, bilimsellik, estetik gibi değerlere yer verilmiştir. Okul öncesinde ele alınan değerler saygı, sorumluluk, sevginin yanında cesaret değeri de bulunurken etkinlikler sınıf içi ortamla sınırlı kalmıştır. Değerlere yer verme durumu açısından okul dışında yapılan çalışmalarda ve okul öncesi eğitim ile ilgili yapılan çalışmalarda benzer değerler bulunurken yöntem ve teknikler açısından da sınıf içinde uygulanan eğitsel oyun, drama, gözlem gibi tekniklerin okul dışında da kullanıldığı görülmüştür.
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Children’s right to play is enshrined in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 1990). The early childhood period is a time when children’s... more
Children’s right to play is enshrined in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 1990). The early childhood period is a time when children’s values and dispositions towards outdoor play and environments are formed. Children have an intrinsic drive and natural curiosity to explore the world around them and outdoor environments are a key context for this exploration. Outdoor play and learning provide significant benefits for all aspects of children’s development - physical, cognitive, social and emotional (Brussoni et al., 2015).
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Outdoor play and learning (OPL) is emphasised differently across countries, and cultural aspects influence these practices. There are ongoing debates around outdoor learning in early years, and the communication of the value,... more
Outdoor play and learning (OPL) is emphasised differently across countries, and cultural aspects influence these practices. There are ongoing debates around outdoor learning in early years, and the communication of the value, effectiveness, and applicability of OPL across schools has encountered obstacles due to various factors. The diversity of implementations within different cultures is obvious, and there are even some variations within the same country in terms of practices and understanding of the philosophy of OPL. The current case study contributes to the gap in mapping OPL practices using a comparative approach in two types of case schools in three countries: England, Greece, and Türkiye. This study offers insights from both teachers’ and head teachers’ perspectives in addition to considering observation notes. Several themes emerged from the analysis, including ‘components of schools’ daily life outdoors, forest trips and excursions, from break time to their time, and the question of training’. In conclusion, school culture and the selected educational philosophy appear to have a more significant impact on OPL practices than environmental features alone. However, the findings indicate that schools lack a strategic and systematic approach to the deployment of OPL into the school philosophy. In terms of focusing more on the outdoors, personal values play a significant role, as does the support of stakeholders. The practical similarities and differences highlighted in this study can support the development of OPL practices and inform stakeholders in the early years to reconsider their contexts and potentially introduce transformative changes.
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The so-called Forest School (FS) approach is increasingly common globally, but different practices occur under this title. While FS has been claimed to fulfil the needs of children holistically, practices differ in terms of interpretation... more
The so-called Forest School (FS) approach is increasingly common globally, but different practices occur under this title. While FS has been claimed to fulfil the needs of children holistically, practices differ in terms of interpretation of FS in the UK context, so it is likely that opportunities for children vary, yet often both FS practice and outcomes are discussed only in general terms. This research aimed to focus on the analysis of practice in two cases from one common perspective, 'interaction'. Focusing on interactions in different FS helps us to examine more closely pedagogical aspects of this educational phenomenon. With case study methods, we investigated two schools' practices through interviews, observations and document analysis. The collected data was analysed thematically, and 11 emergent codes were synthesised into themes related to 'interaction'. Using a theoretical framework of six forms of children's interaction (with adults, peers, environment, affordances, self and time), we explored the two English cases and made comparisons in terms of similarities and differences. The participating schools differed in the nature and prevalence of identified interactions because of their physical locations, cultural stances and notably, their pedagogical focus. We conclude that it is important to consider schools' focus in the forest rather than simply accepting nominal affiliation to FS.
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Çocuklar için mekânda konum kavramlarının kazanımı erken yıllarda başlayarak, okul öncesi dönemde eğitimin etkisi ile hızlı bir ilerleme kaydetmektedir. Bu çalışmada, okul öncesi eğitime devam eden 83 çocuğun mekânda konum kavramlarını... more
Çocuklar için mekânda konum kavramlarının kazanımı erken yıllarda başlayarak, okul öncesi dönemde eğitimin etkisi ile hızlı bir ilerleme kaydetmektedir. Bu çalışmada, okul öncesi eğitime devam eden 83 çocuğun mekânda konum kavramlarını kullanımları incelenmek için örnek bir resim kullanılmıştır. Çalışmaya dört farklı ilde eğitim gören 43 kız ve 40 erkek çocuk katılmış olup, resimde görülen dokuz farklı kişinin yerleri tarif edilerek, alınan cevaplar kaydedilip, daha sonra araştırmacıların analizleri sonucu, her bir kişi için dört farklı (mekanda konum ifadeleri kullanarak tarif edenler, mekanda konum ifadelerini kullanmadan doğru tarif edenler, mekanda konum ifadelerini kullanarak yanlış tarif edenler ve mekanda konum ifadelerini kullanmadan yanlış tarif edenler) başlık ortaya çıkarak, bu başlıklara göre değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda, çocuklar mekânda konum ifadelerini kullanarak doğru tarif edenler olduğu kadar mekânda konum ifadelerini kullanmadan doğru tarif eden cevaplar da olduğu görülerek, genel olarak çocukların doğru cevabı bildikleri fakat kavramsal gelişimlerin yeterli olmadığı görülmüştür.
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Daily plans are the key tool for teachers to ensure their delivery meets the expectations of the programme, and math activities are one of the important activities required to be offered daily in the early years to form the foundations of... more
Daily plans are the key tool for teachers to ensure their delivery meets the expectations of the programme, and math activities are one of the important activities required to be offered daily in the early years to form the foundations of future math knowledge. As outdoor environments provide various learning opportunities, assessing the math activities offered in daily plans is necessary, in part to review teachers’ practices. Therefore, analysing the preschool teachers’ daily plans was the aim of this research. Semi-structured interviews with preschool teachers and some shared daily plan examples were used to collect data. The findings show a discrepancy between teachers’ statements and the plans used. Although the participating teachers pointed to the use of the outdoors for math activities, the shared daily plans were limited in practice in their use of the out-of-classroom opportunities. The daily plans that teachers offered were mainly paper-based classroom activities instead of illustrating a broad use of various learning environments and opportunities. This finding indicates that preschool teachers might benefit from professional development courses that encourage them to address the early mathematics needs of children in their daily plans and through pedagogic practices that use a wide range of outdoor learning environments.
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Teaching geometry in the early years emerges along with maths activities but might be neglected sometimes. This research aims to identify preschool teachers' opinions on geometry teaching via using semi-structured interviews, and... more
Teaching geometry in the early years emerges along with maths activities but might be neglected sometimes. This research aims to identify preschool teachers' opinions on geometry teaching via using semi-structured interviews, and collected data analysed using content analysis. Seven female and three male preschool teachers were participated in the study, who has BA and MA degrees. The data collected data were analysed by separately with each research as considering the aims of content analysis and had common findings. While the participating teachers considered themselves to have self-efficacy to teach geometry, their sufficiency to teach depends on various factors. In terms of shaped included in preschool education programmes, there is some common knowledge around it. In the case of teaching, some difficulties in teaching various shapes, and teaching in various activities are found, and this is related to used materials in teaching. The prominent finding is the participating teachers' opinions on children's geometric thinking levels, and some participants have inadequate knowledge about it, which might be the result of their insufficient undergraduate degree. This is also underlined by teachers as having ineffective modules in their undergraduate in terms of being only theoretical and fundamental information. Thus, it is important to provide some ongoing support for teachers to enhance their knowledge to support teaching geometry.
Research Interests: Early Years and Geometry
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Intentional approaches to designing and structuring learning environments apply outdoors as well as indoors, but the value of freedom and unrestricted play outside is well known. However, several factors influence teachers’ provision of... more
Intentional approaches to designing and structuring learning environments apply outdoors as well as indoors, but the value of freedom and unrestricted play outside is well known. However, several factors influence teachers’ provision of freedom within outdoor activities, and it is important to reflect on these variables and appropriate degrees of freedom. As these variables depend partly on the cultural context, cases of early years contexts in England and Turkey were compared in this study. Interviews and observation notes were used to collect data, together with images from observations for further reflection. Findings indicate the impacts of national policies, spatial qualities, and pedagogical values of teachers on how ‘freedom’ is managed and children’s opportunities for autonomous action are enacted within activities.
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This series on international perspectives of ECEC is designed to offer a window into what is happening in other countries in the hope of fostering a process of reflection. This month, early years in Turkey.
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The aim of this study is to examine the perceptions of five English and five Turkish early years/kindergarten teachers concerning outdoor activities. In this study, five Turkish and five English teachers, each one from a different school,... more
The aim of this study is to examine the perceptions of five English and five Turkish early years/kindergarten teachers concerning outdoor activities. In this study, five Turkish and five English teachers, each one from a different school, were chosen. These teachers were selected to investigate their perceptions to outdoor activities with regard to teaching experiences and culture. To achieve this, the semi-structured interview was employed. The study found no relationship between the length of teaching experience and the amount of time spent on outdoor activities. Although there were some similarities in some factors in terms of the cultural aspect such as implementation of some similar activities, some differences in the kinds of activities were identified in this research such as the usage of different materials. The reasons for such differences were clarified like budget, and the space for outdoor activities. Some of these findings are consistent with the previous literature while others are not; for instance, regarding culture, this study has produced findings consistent with Tobin, Hsueh and Karasawa (2009), but not consistent with Urmson's (2003) findings about the effect of teaching experiences. As a result, it is suggested there is a need to improve the materials, budgets and amount of school space for outdoor activities and to the getting consent from parents for outdoor activities.
Research Interests: Ethics, Education, Special Education, Teacher Education, Early Years, and 15 moreOutdoor Education, Dispositions, Outdoor Play and Learning, Nature, Kindergarden, Outdoor Learning, Forest School, Outdoor Education and Learning, Teachers, Leuven scales, EYFS, Kindergarten, Children and Nature, The Benefits of Forest School, and Teacher Perceptions
The aim of research is to produce the influence of outdoor themed lessons in universities to practices of teachers.Some research such as Mart and Bilton (2014) exhibited the less usage of outdoor,and Yurt,Cevher-Kalburan and Kandir (2010)... more
The aim of research is to produce the influence of outdoor themed lessons in universities to practices of teachers.Some research such as Mart and Bilton (2014) exhibited the less usage of outdoor,and Yurt,Cevher-Kalburan and Kandir (2010) suggested in their research the necessity of courses for university students to improve environmental awareness. Imposing figures on outdoor play such as Froebel, Montesori, Rousseau, Pestalozzi and Dewey(Wellhousen, 2002) have emphasized that children learn through nature and should have a chance to explore,observe and experience the natural setting. ECE teachers have a significant roles to provide opportunities for children to benefit from outdoors. Supporting teachers to acquire knowledge and understand the importance of developing environmental conscious in early years is crucial (Yurt, Cevher-Kalburan & Kandir, 2010). Vygotsky's (1978) Sociocultural theory was used to frame the research as it emphasises teacher's role in scaffolding children's learning during outdoor play. Qualitative research with interpretive approach was used in this research.10 pre-school teachers in Turkey were interviewed and data is analysed using Content Analysis.During the constructing of ethical issues, EECERA’s Ethical code(EECERA,2014) and Plymouth University Ethics Policy( Plymouth University, 2013) have been considered.Regarding them,all participants were informed about the confidentiality and anonymity of data. The research is still in progress. It is expected to find out the relationship between the studied lessons in universities and the practice of teachers so that the lessons in the universities can be used to increase the quality of outdoor activities. Regarding the findings ,an improvement for outdoor lessons in universities will be suggested to develop teacher candidates’ attitudes for carrying out qualified outdoor activities when they start working.
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Whether starting to learn a foreign or second language or being exposed to it increases the achievement in foreign language skills has been a matter of debate in the literature.The research findings, on the other hand, reveals both... more
Whether starting to learn a foreign or second language or being exposed to it increases the achievement in foreign language skills has been a matter of debate in the literature.The research findings, on the other hand, reveals both supportive and argumentative findings about exposing the small children to a foreign language. In the light of such a debate, Turkey has started to teach English as a foreign language in grade two in the primary school, after an educational reform, rather than grade four. It is expected that the children will be more successful on foreign language skills, but it can be important if those skills come to grade two having gained positive attitudes toward learning English. For that reason, pre-school teachers can play a crucial role in helping the children gain this positive attitude, and their perceptions become important as they are one of the main stakeholders in early years settings. As a result, this study aims to research preschool teachers’ perceptions in teaching English as a foreign language in early years settings. The research employs a questionnaire to 131 preschool teachers. In the end, the reseults show that the preschool teachers agree English to be taught as a foreign language, and perceive it as important to start at an early age. However, the research is far from making generalisations, and it is limited to some limitations.
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This is a study that has applied descriptive survey model. Descriptive survey model is a research approach which aims at describing a past or present phenomenon, an object or a person as realistically as it is. Convenient sampling was... more
This is a study that has applied descriptive survey model. Descriptive survey model is a research approach which aims at describing a past or present phenomenon, an object or a person as realistically as it is. Convenient sampling was applied to specify the study group. Within the scope of the study, 56 pre-school children from Turkey (28) and the UK (28) were reached. A Geometric Shape Form was used by the researchers as an instrument to collect data. In accordance with the focus questions, the children’s oral responses and the geometric shapes they drew were analyzed by the researchers. The analysis of data, which included percentages, frequency values and q-square tests, was conducted through SPSS 15 for Windows. The results showed that Turkish and English pre-school children both had similar characteristics in drawing and perceiving geometric shapes, in general. However, in recognizing rectangles and shape-corner perceptions, there was statistically significant difference.
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The aim of this study investigates the views of preschool teacher candidates on applications of educational activities in preschool education. This research is the screening model research and 110 teacher candidates attending the third... more
The aim of this study investigates the views of preschool teacher candidates on applications of educational activities in preschool education. This research is the screening model research and 110 teacher candidates attending the third and fourth grades in the Department of Preschool Teaching in Faculty of Education in Giresun University and filling out the form constitute the working group of this study. 'A Semi-Structured Interview Form ' is used to gather the data of the study. With this aim, the form, was shaped by the researchers, took its last form after two experts examined them and following the necessary changes. This form includes four demographic questions and seven open ended questions. In the first place, teacher candidates are asked about their views on activities in preschool education. They are asked to select one of the following options; 'I enjoy them', 'I am reluctant', 'I have difficulty', 'I get bored'. Later, th...
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The aim of this study investigates the views of preschool teacher candidates on applications of educational activities in preschool education. This research is the screening model research and 110 teacher candidates attending the third... more
The aim of this study investigates the views of preschool teacher candidates on applications of educational activities in preschool education. This research is the screening model research and 110 teacher candidates attending the third and fourth grades in the Department of Preschool Teaching in Faculty of Education in Giresun University and filling out the form constitute the working group of this study.'A Semi-Structured Interview Form' is used to gather the data of the study. With this aim, the form, was shaped by the researchers, took its ast form after two experts examined them and following the necessary changes. This form ncludes four demographic questions and seven open ended questions. In the first place, teacher candidates are asked about their views on activities in preschool education. They are asked to select one of the following options; 'I enjoy them', 'I am reluctant', 'I have difficulty','I get bored'. Later, they are asked to...
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Drawings by children are key to understanding their experiences in various aspects such as perceptions of playgrounds and the events that happen in them. This study aims to reveal Syrian refugee children's perceptions of... more
Drawings by children are key to understanding their experiences in various aspects such as perceptions of playgrounds and the events that happen in them. This study aims to reveal Syrian refugee children's perceptions of playgrounds. In the study, drawings of children who live in two different cities in Turkey were collated. The results showed that children draw slides, swings, and seesaws as playground tools, as well as trees, sun, clouds and flowers as natural materials. Additionally, children draw some human figures, other children, himself/herself, and adults (mother, father and teachers). Finally, it was interpreted that children also draw flags, houses, shelter, walls, and planes as other objects in their drawings about the playground. The children's drawings were influenced by their ages and genders, and the city's geographical structure, where they live and their family backgrounds. Besides, it is seen that children's social skills/development are reflected in children's drawings. Finally, it is seen that the play materials that children use in their drawings are the playground materials they use the most in daily life. While building playgrounds, the opinions of the children both refugees and locals, could be considered in order to support children's learning skills and imaginative world.
Research Interests:
Okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin sınıf dışı etkinlikler kapsamındaki bilişsel gelişim inançlarını incelemeyi amaçlayan bu çalışma nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu araştırmanın çalışma grubunu... more
Okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin sınıf dışı etkinlikler kapsamındaki bilişsel gelişim inançlarını incelemeyi amaçlayan bu çalışma nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu araştırmanın çalışma grubunu Konya ilinde görev yapmakta olan okul öncesi öğretmenleri oluşturmaktadır. Konya ili merkez ilçelerinde çalışmakta olan 35 okul öncesi öğretmeni basit seçkisiz örnekleme yöntemi ile seçilmiştir. Çalışmada araştırmacılar tarafından oluşturulan yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme tekniği veri toplama aracı olarak kullanılmış ve gönüllülük esasına dayalı olarak çalışmaya katılmış olan öğretmenlerden 2020-2021 eğitim-öğretim döneminde örgün eğitim yapabildikleri döneme ait günlük planları istenerek doküman incelemesinden yararlanılmıştır. Sonuç olarak, bilişsel gelişim ve sınıf dışı etkinlik algısı, sınıf dışı uygulamalar ve okul öncesi eğitim programı, planlama yaklaşımları ve uygulamaya yönelik engeller olmak üzere dört temel başlık ön plana çıkmıştır.
Research Interests:
Intentional approaches to designing and structuring learning environments apply outdoors as well as indoors, but the value of freedom and unrestricted play outside is well known. However, several factors influence teachers’ provision of... more
Intentional approaches to designing and structuring learning environments apply outdoors as well as indoors, but the value of freedom and unrestricted play outside is well known. However, several factors influence teachers’ provision of freedom within outdoor activities, and it is important to reflect on these variables and appropriate degrees of freedom. As these variables depend partly on the cultural context, cases of early years contexts in England and Turkey were compared in this study. Interviews and observation notes were used to collect data, together with images from observations for further reflection. Findings indicate the impacts of national policies, spatial qualities, and pedagogical values of teachers on how ‘freedom’ is managed and children’s opportunities for autonomous action are enacted within activities.
Research Interests:
Okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin sınıf dışı etkinlikler kapsamındaki bilişsel gelişim inançlarını incelemeyi amaçlayan bu çalışma nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu araştırmanın çalışma grubunu... more
Okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin sınıf dışı etkinlikler kapsamındaki bilişsel gelişim inançlarını
incelemeyi amaçlayan bu çalışma nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması
kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu araştırmanın çalışma grubunu Konya ilinde görev
yapmakta olan okul öncesi öğretmenleri oluşturmaktadır. Konya ili merkez ilçelerinde
çalışmakta olan 35 okul öncesi öğretmeni basit seçkisiz örnekleme yöntemi ile seçilmiştir.
Çalışmada araştırmacılar tarafından oluşturulan yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme tekniği veri
toplama aracı olarak kullanılmış ve gönüllülük esasına dayalı olarak çalışmaya katılmış olan
öğretmenlerden 2020-2021 eğitim-öğretim döneminde örgün eğitim yapabildikleri döneme
ait günlük planları istenerek doküman incelemesinden yararlanılmıştır. Sonuç olarak,
bilişsel gelişim ve sınıf dışı etkinlik algısı, sınıf dışı uygulamalar ve okul öncesi eğitim
programı, planlama yaklaşımları ve uygulamaya yönelik engeller olmak üzere dört temel
başlık ön plana çıkmıştır.
incelemeyi amaçlayan bu çalışma nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması
kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu araştırmanın çalışma grubunu Konya ilinde görev
yapmakta olan okul öncesi öğretmenleri oluşturmaktadır. Konya ili merkez ilçelerinde
çalışmakta olan 35 okul öncesi öğretmeni basit seçkisiz örnekleme yöntemi ile seçilmiştir.
Çalışmada araştırmacılar tarafından oluşturulan yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme tekniği veri
toplama aracı olarak kullanılmış ve gönüllülük esasına dayalı olarak çalışmaya katılmış olan
öğretmenlerden 2020-2021 eğitim-öğretim döneminde örgün eğitim yapabildikleri döneme
ait günlük planları istenerek doküman incelemesinden yararlanılmıştır. Sonuç olarak,
bilişsel gelişim ve sınıf dışı etkinlik algısı, sınıf dışı uygulamalar ve okul öncesi eğitim
programı, planlama yaklaşımları ve uygulamaya yönelik engeller olmak üzere dört temel
başlık ön plana çıkmıştır.
Research Interests:
The importance of outdoor activities for children should not be overlooked, and teachers and parents as stakeholders have an influential role in providing learning opportunities (Elliott, 2015). Teachers are dependent on parental... more
The importance of outdoor activities for children should not be overlooked, and teachers and parents as stakeholders have an influential role in providing learning opportunities (Elliott, 2015). Teachers are dependent on parental reciprocity because of potential for harm (Maynard, 2007), and parents can limit activities because of various reasons such as traffic, weather and getting hurt (Cevher-Kalburan, 2014; Yılmaz, 2016). Therefore, identifying parental perceptions of outdoor activities is a significant aspect of supporting children’s opportunity to engage in them. In this research, semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, as a way to understand participating parents’ views in detail (Fife, 2005). Data collection was carried out by the author and NVivo 12 software programme was used to analyse data from 30 participants. Six main themes emerged from the interview questions in the data analysis, which are presented in this paper. While participating parents overall were positive about promoting outdoor activities both at out-of-school and in schools, their preferences for their children were mostly for indoor activities. Thus, there was conflict between what they claimed for outdoor activities and what they most preferred for their own children. This apparent tension suggests the need for further research.
Research Interests:
Drawings by children are key to understanding their experiences in various aspects such as perceptions of playgrounds and the events that happen in them. This study aims to reveal Syrian refugee children's perceptions of playgrounds. In... more
Drawings by children are key to understanding their experiences in various aspects such as perceptions of playgrounds and the events that happen in them. This study aims to reveal Syrian refugee children's perceptions of playgrounds. In the study, drawings of children who live in two different cities in Turkey were collated. The results showed that children draw slides, swings, and seesaws as playground tools, as well as trees, sun, clouds and flowers as natural materials. Additionally, children draw some human figures, other children, himself/herself, and adults (mother, father and teachers). Finally, it was interpreted that children also draw flags, houses, shelter, walls, and planes as other objects in their drawings about the playground. The children's drawings were influenced by their ages and genders, and the city's geographical structure, where they live and their family backgrounds. Besides, it is seen that children's social skills/development are reflected in children's drawings. Finally, it is seen that the play materials that children use in their drawings are the playground materials they use the most in daily life. While building playgrounds, the opinions of the children both refugees and locals, could be considered in order to support children's learning skills and imaginative world.
Research Interests:
Professional development is a key skill for all teachers and needs to be promoted. However, there are quite different practices within countries because of different qualification requirements [Moss, P., G. Dahlberg, S. Grieshaber, S.... more
Professional development is a key skill for all teachers and needs to be promoted. However, there are quite different practices within countries because of different qualification requirements [Moss, P., G. Dahlberg, S. Grieshaber, S. Mantovani, H. May, A. Pence, S. Rayna, P. Oberhuemer, I. Schreyer, and M. Neuman. 2010. Professionals in Early Childhood Education and Care Systems: European Profiles and Perspectives. Opladen: Barbra Budich Publishers]. To decrease the practical gap between the countries, early years teachers in one developing and one developed country have been chosen to use social media as a way of interacting with each other and furthering their professional development. Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model has been adapted as a theoretical underpinning for the research. To identify the impact of the model, interviews and observations have been used to collect data. Findings show that there have been positive outcomes that support professional development for the participating teachers.
Research Interests:
Her bireyin olduğu gibi çocukların da eğlenerek yaptığı etkinlik olan oyun, hayatımız her aşamasında var olup, süreç hayat boyu devam etmektedir. Oyun, insanlığın var olduğu günden beri var olan ve doğum ile başlayarak yaşam boyunca... more
Her bireyin olduğu gibi çocukların da eğlenerek yaptığı etkinlik olan oyun, hayatımız her aşamasında var olup, süreç hayat boyu devam etmektedir. Oyun, insanlığın var olduğu günden beri var olan ve doğum ile başlayarak yaşam boyunca gelişmektedir. Oyun, çocuğun farklı ilgi ve ihtiyaçlarına cevap veren ve çocuğun en çok haz aldığı, en doğal etkinliktir. Oyun genel olarak, çocukların kendi gelişimlerini desteklemek için ortamda var olan nesneler (oyuncaklar gibi) ile neler yapabileceklerine odaklanarak, kullanmasıdır. Oyunlar çocukları ilerleyen yıllardaki hayatlarına hazırlamasından dolayı dikkatle göz önünde bulundurulması, çocukların hayata hazırlanabilmesi için önemlidir. Bu önemli etkinlik, toplumların yaşadığı süreçlerden etkilenmektedir ve COVID-19 pandemi süreci çocukların oyun alışkanlıklarından farklı yaşantılarla yüzleşmelerine sebep olmuştur. Bu yüzden de çocukların evde ailesi ile birlikte zaman geçirdikleri dönemdeki oyun durumlarının tespiti önemlidir. Araştırma için Necmettin Erbakan Üniversitesi Sosyal ve Beşeri Bilimler Bilimsel Araştırma ve Yayın Etik kurulunun 23.07.2020 tarihli toplantısında 76 toplantı sayı ve 2020/61 karar sayısı ile etik kurul onayı alınmıştır. Araştırmada COVID-19 pandemi sürecinde ailelerin evde oyun oynamaya ilişkin düşünceleri ayrıntılı bir şekilde belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemini 2019-2020 eğitim öğretim yılında çocuğu okul öncesi eğitim kurumuna devam eden 1298 ebeveyn oluşturmaktadır. Veri toplama aracı olarak “Evde Oyun Oynamaya İlişkin Görüş Anketi” kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın verileri çevrimiçi ortamda toplanmıştır. Elde edilen veriler araştırmacı tarafından Microsoft Excel programına aktarılmış ve anket formunda bulunan her bir madde için yüzde/frekans değerleri hesaplanmıştır. Bu süreçte de ebeveynler için temel bilgi kaynağı öğretmenler olduğu ve özellikle çocukların sanal oyunları oynama sürelerinin arttığı ortaya konmuştur.
Research Interests:
This research aimed to identify teachers’ knowledge on the preschool education programme as it is substantial for the programme development process (Göle and Temel, 2015). The checking teachers’ practical approaches to programme regularly... more
This research aimed to identify teachers’ knowledge on the preschool education programme as it is substantial for the programme development process (Göle and Temel, 2015). The checking teachers’ practical approaches to programme regularly provide in depth information about the practicability of the programme. Therefore, this research focused on forty preschool teachers in a county of Osmaniye in order to determine teachers’ knowledge on the programme. For this reason, two different methods were used to collect the data over a year gap so as to cross-check their responses, which are group interviews and survey as mixed method (Cohen, Manion, and Morrison, 2011). As a result, the research shows that there are some conflicts to be solved in terms of practicability of the programme such as having a centralised programme, lack of information on programme and beliving in that they can achieve everything without reading the programme. Thereofore, an action list for future is suggested to be considered.
Research Interests:
Professional development is a key skill for all teachers and needs to be promoted. However, there are quite different practices within countries because of different qualification requirements [Moss, P., G. Dahlberg, S. Grieshaber, S.... more
Professional development is a key skill for all teachers and needs to be promoted. However, there are quite different practices within countries because of different qualification requirements [Moss, P., G. Dahlberg, S. Grieshaber, S. Mantovani, H. May, A. Pence, S. Rayna, P. Oberhuemer, I. Schreyer, and M. Neuman. 2010. Professionals in Early Childhood Education and Care Systems: European Profiles and Perspectives. Opladen: Barbra Budich Publishers]. To decrease the practical gap between the countries, early years teachers in one developing and one developed country have been chosen to use social media as a way of interacting with each other and furthering their professional development. Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model has been adapted as a theoretical underpinning for the research. To identify the impact of the model, interviews and observations have been used to collect data. Findings show that there have been positive outcomes that support professional development for the participating teachers.
Research Interests:
The aim of this research is to investigate the preschool teachers' use of school gardens in Turkey. The reason for this is that outdoor areas are the unique learning and developing environments for children due to yielding children to... more
The aim of this research is to investigate the preschool teachers' use of school gardens in Turkey. The reason for this is that outdoor areas are the unique learning and developing environments for children due to yielding children to have developmental and learning opportunities (Bilton, 2010). However, outdoor activities are not enough emphasised in the latest preschool education programme, and such activities are left to teachers' initiatives (Ministry of National Education, 2013). To this end, the descriptive survey model was used to collect data from 156 preschool teachers from the different regions of Turkey via questionnaire. These collected data was analysed via SPSS 18 for windows. As a result, it was found out that there are some points with regard to using school garden, and there are also some significant factors, which lead teacher not to use school garden more such as lack of materials, types of grounds.
Research Interests:
This series on international perspectives of ECEC is designed to offer a window into what is happening in other countries in the hope of fostering a process of reflection. This month, early years in Turkey.
Research Interests:
The aim of this study is to examine the perceptions of five English and five Turkish early years/kindergarten teachers concerning outdoor activities. In this study, five Turkish and five English teachers, one teacher from one school, were... more
The aim of this study is to examine the perceptions of five English and five Turkish early years/kindergarten teachers concerning outdoor activities. In this study, five Turkish and five English teachers, one teacher from one school, were chosen. These teachers were selected to investigate their perceptions to outdoor activities with regard to teaching experiences and culture. To achieve this, the semi-structured interview was employed as qulitative research. The study found no relationship between the length of teaching experience and the amount of time spent on outdoor activities. Some differences in the kinds of activities were identified in this research such as the usage of different materials. The reasons for such differences were clarified like budget, and the space for outdoor activities. Some of these findings are consistent with the previous literature while others are not; for instance, regarding culture, this study has produced findings consistent with Tobin, Hsueh and Karasawa (2009), but not consistent with Urmson's (2003) findings about the effect of teaching experiences. As a result, it is suggested there is a need to improve the materials, budgets and amount of school space for outdoor activities and to the getting consent from parents for outdoor activities.
Research Interests:
"The aim of this study investigates the views of preschool teacher candidates on applications of educational activities in preschool education. This research is the screening model research and 110 teacher candidates attending the... more
"The aim of this study investigates the views of preschool teacher candidates on
applications of educational activities in preschool education. This research is the screening
model research and 110 teacher candidates attending the third and fourth grades in the
Department of Preschool Teaching in Faculty of Education in Giresun University and filling out
the form constitute the working group of this study. 'A Semi-Structured Interview Form' is used
to gather the data of the study. With this aim, the form, was shaped by the researchers, took its
last form after two experts examined them and following the necessary changes. This form
includes four demographic questions and seven open ended questions. In the first place,
teacher candidates are asked about their views on activities in preschool education. They are
asked to select one of the following options; 'I enjoy them', 'I am reluctant', 'I have difficulty', 'I
get bored'. Later, they are asked to write the reasons of their choices. Then, the teacher
candidates are asked about 'doing good or doing no good' in these activities. They are asked
choosing on the following options; 'I think I do good' and 'I do not think I do good'. Then, they
are asked to write about the reasons of their choices. In data encoding, 'encoding pertinent to
the notions gotten from data' is used. It is clear that the activities in which the participants have
the most difficulty are free play, science and math, and preparations for literacy activities. It is
clearly seen that 48.1% of the teacher candidates get bored during the free play activities. Such
teacher candidates stated that the most important reason for this is that they have too much
free time. It can be seen that teacher participants do not think (56.3%) that they do good in free
play activities. What they stated as the most important reason for this is that the school has
limited opportunities, so it is seen that the teacher candidates (53.6%) have difficulty in science
and mathematics activities. They also stated that the most important reason for this is that
'they do not know which activities they should use'. "
applications of educational activities in preschool education. This research is the screening
model research and 110 teacher candidates attending the third and fourth grades in the
Department of Preschool Teaching in Faculty of Education in Giresun University and filling out
the form constitute the working group of this study. 'A Semi-Structured Interview Form' is used
to gather the data of the study. With this aim, the form, was shaped by the researchers, took its
last form after two experts examined them and following the necessary changes. This form
includes four demographic questions and seven open ended questions. In the first place,
teacher candidates are asked about their views on activities in preschool education. They are
asked to select one of the following options; 'I enjoy them', 'I am reluctant', 'I have difficulty', 'I
get bored'. Later, they are asked to write the reasons of their choices. Then, the teacher
candidates are asked about 'doing good or doing no good' in these activities. They are asked
choosing on the following options; 'I think I do good' and 'I do not think I do good'. Then, they
are asked to write about the reasons of their choices. In data encoding, 'encoding pertinent to
the notions gotten from data' is used. It is clear that the activities in which the participants have
the most difficulty are free play, science and math, and preparations for literacy activities. It is
clearly seen that 48.1% of the teacher candidates get bored during the free play activities. Such
teacher candidates stated that the most important reason for this is that they have too much
free time. It can be seen that teacher participants do not think (56.3%) that they do good in free
play activities. What they stated as the most important reason for this is that the school has
limited opportunities, so it is seen that the teacher candidates (53.6%) have difficulty in science
and mathematics activities. They also stated that the most important reason for this is that
'they do not know which activities they should use'. "
Research Interests:
This is a study that has applied descriptive survey model. Descriptive survey model is a research approach which aims at describing a past or present phenomenon, an object or a person as realistically as it is. Convenient sampling was... more
This is a study that has applied descriptive survey model. Descriptive survey model is a research approach which aims at describing a past or present phenomenon, an object or a person as realistically as it is. Convenient sampling was applied to specify the study group. Within the scope of the study, 56 pre-school children from Turkey (28) and the UK (28) were reached. A Geometric Shape Form was used by the researchers as an instrument to collect data. In accordance with the focus questions, the children’s oral responses and the geometric shapes they drew were analyzed by the researchers. The analysis of data, which included percentages, frequency values and q-square tests, was conducted through SPSS 15 for Windows. The results showed that Turkish and English pre-school children both had similar characteristics in drawing and perceiving geometric shapes, in general. However, in recognizing rectangles and shape-corner perceptions, there was statistically significant difference.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The aim of this research is to deduce the approaches of teachers to interaction in outdoor activities. This research is based on the Dewey's constructivist approach of interaction to improve or refine the purposes (Dewey, 1929), and can... more
The aim of this research is to deduce the approaches of teachers to interaction in outdoor activities. This research is based on the Dewey's constructivist approach of interaction to improve or refine the purposes (Dewey, 1929), and can be also related to Waite et al.'s (2013) research about social interactions in outdoor areas. Interaction is not only treated as a natural part of mankind but it is also the way to gain the analytical and coherent ethos (Dewey,1929, Biesta,2010).Interaction occurs in the ways of questioning, observing and supporting children.These ways help teachers to define the aspects to learn children’s interests, exploration of children’s thought, attracting children’s attentions, comfortableness, flexibility etc. as well as engaging with environment and various opportunities(Fenwick,2001) because “… practitioners co-construct knowledge with a group of children” (Waller,2007,p.405).Also, “…we, as adults, can also learn from the interaction between children…”(Waite et al.,2013,p.272). Observations and interviews, as an ethnographic research, were used to collect data in southern Turkey and south-west of England. Ethical guidelines of Plymouth University(2013) and EECERA(2014) were considered during the design of research, and consents were collected from the participants, and there was no faced ethical issues during the research. The participating English teachers applied as they stated that they had small group interactions with question and answers to identify children’s learning. But, the Turkish participants applied completely different activities, which was more about adult-directed communications, question and answers comparing to their perceptions. The requirement of policy development and active learning opportunities for teachers have been identified.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The aim research is to reveal the different understanding of drawbacks in the implication of outdoor with the example of England and Turkey. Previous research, Mart and Bilton(2014) shows the differences in outdoor activities in these... more
The aim research is to reveal the different understanding of drawbacks in the implication of outdoor with the example of England and Turkey. Previous research, Mart and Bilton(2014) shows the differences in outdoor activities in these countries.Tobin, Hsueh and Karasawa(2009) also pointed the cultural differences in three countries. On the contrary of some significant benefits of outdoor such as providing learning through natural, observation, exploration of environment(Wellhousen,2002), there are some obstructive factors such as attitudes, funding (Waite, 2009), risk and bureaucracy, teacher training, schools, costs, centres(Dillon, 2010), government (Waite,2010), getting permission and equipment(Kandır, Yurt&Cevher Kalburan,2012).Çelik (2012) also states that the outdoor areas of schools are not used effectively because of having inadequate physical arrangement, or being overlooked of arranging outdoor areas. Observations, interviews and group discussions were used to collect data as a part of qualitative research method in southern Turkey and south-west of England. EECERA’s Ethical code(EECERA,2014) and Plymouth University Ethics Policy(Plymouth University,2013) have been considered for ethical considerations. Regarding them, all participants were informed about the confidentiality and anonymity of data. Regarding the initial findings of research, there are some similarities as general such as weather and space. However, the context of these varies considering the cultural aspects.In the practice, there is also considerable drawbacks but these are not seen by teachers. Regarding the findings, it is aimed to provide a different perspectives to drawbacks during outdoor activities, so that they can find a way to achieve such problems.Also, policy makers can improve the policies considering these drawbacks.
Research Interests:
This research aims to find out the relationships between teachers' perceptions and implementation of roles in outdoor in England and Turkey.This research is related to roles in outdoor activities from Wood et al(2009).Outdoor activities... more
This research aims to find out the relationships between teachers' perceptions and implementation of roles in outdoor in England and Turkey.This research is related to roles in outdoor activities from Wood et al(2009).Outdoor activities emerge in two ways as child-initiated and adult-initiated activities(Wood,Baxter&Bruce,2009).In child-led activities, children organize and direct the activities without any disruption by adults but adults still get involved in activities as a group member.In adult-led activities, adults are in charge and they administrate and affect activities.As outdoors provide child-directed activities, Aasen,Grindheim and Waters’(2009)research shows that children are likely to play outside rather than inside in the case of preferred play area.Semi-structured interview and observation tools were used to collect data from English and Turkish participants.The reason is that semi-structured interviews enable the researcher to collect data via open-ended questions (Cohen,Manion&Morrison, 2007)and Creswell(2012,p.213)claims that “observation is the process of gathering open-ended, firsthand information by observing people and places at a research site”.This qualitative research was conducted in south-west of England and Southern Turkey. Ethical approval from Plymouth University and consents from participants have been collected regarding EECERA Ethical codes (EECERA,2014).There is a difference in the roles of teacher and children between these countries.In England, the activities are mostly child-led and occasionally adult-led.However,the Turkish teachers prefer to conduct with activities as they are in charge.Additionally,the intervention and questions are different in these countries.The expectations from children and children’s behaviours changes regarding the situations. Regarding the finding, in-service teacher training may be provided to improve them.
Research Interests:
Outdoor areas are titled as children’s favourite places by Wells (2000). Although this statement is from children’s perspectives, it obtains its power from the developmental contribution to children because it enables children to improve... more
Outdoor areas are titled as children’s favourite places by Wells (2000). Although this statement is from children’s perspectives, it obtains its power from the developmental contribution to children because it enables children to improve their health (Waters & Maynard, 2010), intellectual (Azlina & Zulkiflee, 2012), moral (Gair, 1997), cognitive, linguistic, emotional, social and physical development (Bilton, 2010). Therefore, the roles of children and teachers are important to gain the most beneficial outcomes from outdoor activities. In this case, it is necessary to avoid the domination of adults during outdoor activities (Waller, 2007) in order to provide freedom to children. Associatively, it is obviously known that the outdoor experiences of children to some extent depends on adult behaviours because of having the responsibility for the classroom and being an organizer to adjust the environment (Ernst & Tornabene, 2012).
Related to such explanations, this research focuses on English and Turkish early years/kindergarten teachers’ perspectives on the implementation of outdoor activities, so that it aims to reveal the potential training requirements of this. For this, interviews have been used to gather data from teachers in the south-west of England and southern Turkey. To conduct this qualitative research, EECERA’s Ethical code (EECERA, 2014) and Plymouth University Ethics Policy (Plymouth University, 2013) have been considered for ethical considerations. Regarding them, all participants were informed about the confidentiality and anonymity of data.
In this case, there are some differences in terms of assigning a meaning to the outdoors for them. These are about the meaning of outdoor, the roles of materials for them and drawbacks to apply outdoor activities.
In conclusion, teachers’ viewpoints vary between the countries, so this means that some aspects during teacher training are overlooked. That is why, via the help of these differences an international training could be included in teacher trainings.
Related to such explanations, this research focuses on English and Turkish early years/kindergarten teachers’ perspectives on the implementation of outdoor activities, so that it aims to reveal the potential training requirements of this. For this, interviews have been used to gather data from teachers in the south-west of England and southern Turkey. To conduct this qualitative research, EECERA’s Ethical code (EECERA, 2014) and Plymouth University Ethics Policy (Plymouth University, 2013) have been considered for ethical considerations. Regarding them, all participants were informed about the confidentiality and anonymity of data.
In this case, there are some differences in terms of assigning a meaning to the outdoors for them. These are about the meaning of outdoor, the roles of materials for them and drawbacks to apply outdoor activities.
In conclusion, teachers’ viewpoints vary between the countries, so this means that some aspects during teacher training are overlooked. That is why, via the help of these differences an international training could be included in teacher trainings.
Research Interests:
The purpose of this paper is to investigate preschool teachers' use of school gardens in Turkey. There is some research about activities outside of the classroom such as Ramazan, Ozdemir and Beceren (2012) and Tandon et al (2013).... more
The purpose of this paper is to investigate preschool teachers' use of school gardens in Turkey. There is some research about activities outside of the classroom such as Ramazan, Ozdemir and Beceren (2012) and Tandon et al (2013). Children's developmental aspects (physical, cognitive and social) are strongly related with the quality of preschool centres and the quality of staff (Sylva et al 2003). Besides this, Barton (2007) has indicated that children are required to play accurately, so they can play more accurately out of the classroom than indoors. Also, in terms of developmental aspects, some philosophers (Froebel, Montessori and Dewey) have supported play either indoor or outdoor (Morrison; 2003). Because of these, preschool centres, staff and being out of the classroom have an important role in children's developmental aspects. The descriptive method is used to collect data because descriptive study represents the data sets without having an influence on data (Oppenheim; 1992).Therefore, a questionnaire developed by researchers is used to collect data from participants working in different cities in Turkey. Ethical considerations are made by informants’ agreement and the required information has been given at the beginning of questionnaire. This study is still in progress. However the aim is to find differences in the usage of school gardens in terms of age, gender, experience and educational background. The expected differences will be discussed regarding previous research and some useful points for Turkish preschool education have been found. The outcomes from this study will impact on the quality of provision, and additional in-service courses will be provided to teachers.
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This is a study that has applied descriptive survey model. Descriptive survey model is a research approach which aims at describing a past or present phenomenon, an object or a person as realistically as it is. Convenient sampling was... more
This is a study that has applied descriptive survey model. Descriptive survey model is a
research approach which aims at describing a past or present phenomenon, an object or a person as
realistically as it is. Convenient sampling was applied to specify the study group. Within the scope
of the study, 56 pre-school children from Turkey (28) and the UK (28) were reached. A Geometric
Shape Form was used by the researchers as an instrument to collect data. In accordance with the
focus questions, the children’s oral responses and the geometric shapes they drew were analyzed by
the researchers. The analysis of data, which included percentages, frequency values and q-square
tests, was conducted through SPSS 15 for Windows. The results showed that Turkish and English
pre-school children both had similar characteristics in drawing and perceiving geometric shapes, in
general. However, in recognizing rectangles and shape-corner perceptions, there was statistically
significant difference.
research approach which aims at describing a past or present phenomenon, an object or a person as
realistically as it is. Convenient sampling was applied to specify the study group. Within the scope
of the study, 56 pre-school children from Turkey (28) and the UK (28) were reached. A Geometric
Shape Form was used by the researchers as an instrument to collect data. In accordance with the
focus questions, the children’s oral responses and the geometric shapes they drew were analyzed by
the researchers. The analysis of data, which included percentages, frequency values and q-square
tests, was conducted through SPSS 15 for Windows. The results showed that Turkish and English
pre-school children both had similar characteristics in drawing and perceiving geometric shapes, in
general. However, in recognizing rectangles and shape-corner perceptions, there was statistically
significant difference.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
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Whether starting to learn a foreign or second language or being exposed to it increases the achievement in foreign language skills has been a matter of debate in the literature.The research findings, on the other hand, reveals both... more
Whether starting to learn a foreign or second language or being exposed to it increases the achievement in foreign language skills has been a matter of debate in the literature.The research findings, on the other hand, reveals both supportive and argumentative findings about exposing the small children to a foreign language. In the light of such a debate, Turkey has started to teach English as a foreign language in grade two in the primary school, after an educational reform, rather than grade four. It is expected that the children will be more successful on foreign language skills, but it can be important if those skills come to grade two having gained positive attitudes toward learning English. For that reason, pre-school teachers can play a crucial role in helping the children gain this positive attitude, and their perceptions become important as they are one of the main stakeholders in early years settings. As a result, this study aims to research preschool teachers’ perceptions in teaching English as a foreign language in early years settings. The research employs a questionnaire to 131 preschool teachers. In the end, the reseults show that the preschool teachers agree English to be taught as a foreign language, and perceive it as important to start at an early age. However, the research is far from making generalisations, and it is limited to some limitations.