Teacher education at both pre-service and in-service levels is a crucial factor in terms of devel... more Teacher education at both pre-service and in-service levels is a crucial factor in terms of developing democratic schools. Pre-service education is the first step in the professional development of teachers. Perhaps democratic education should commence at this stage. For this reason it is important to know pre-service teachers’ opinions about democratic education and the characteristics of democratic schools. This study aims to investigate pre-service primary teachers’ perceptions about democratic education and the main characteristics of democratic schools. The study was designed within basic qualitative research approach. The study group consists of six primary pre-service teachers who attend the 4th year of teacher education programme at a faculty of education. A semi-structured interview form was used for data gathering. Data were analysed using the “content analysis” method. The findings of the study illustrate that pre-service teachers conceptualize the term of democracy with different words based on their experiences; what is more, pre-service teachers have not fully internalized the concept of democracy. The results of the study show that according to pre service teachers, democracy education can be realized through thematic learning and hands-on activities. It is recommended that policy makers should be aware of the atmosphere of democratic schools and that a curriculum should be designed thematically, which includes democracy in all attainment targets.
This study aims to examine classroom teachers' Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (T... more This study aims to examine classroom teachers' Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) on the basis of different variables. A total of 322 classroom teachers in the city of Trabzon participated in the study. An adapted Turkish version of the TPACK scale was used as the data collection instrument. The obtained data was analyzed using SPSS 15.0 software. Independent t-test, ANOVA and Mann Whitney U-tests were used for statistical analysis. The results indicate that there are meaningful relationships and significant differences between variables of gender, having an Internet connection and the use of an ICT lab in the school, the use of educational software and the sub-factors of the TPACK scale. It is recommended that more practical CPD (Continuous Professional Development) opportunities for classroom teachers be provided in order to exploit the pedagogical benefits of ICT in primary schools.
Öz: Bu çalışmada, oyunlaştırma unsurlarının öğretim etkinliklerine dahil edilmesinin, öğrencileri... more Öz: Bu çalışmada, oyunlaştırma unsurlarının öğretim etkinliklerine dahil edilmesinin, öğrencilerin derslere karşı ilgi, motivasyon ve ders katılımı üzerindeki etkileri hakkında öğrenci görüşlerinin tespit edilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmada nitel yaklaşım benimsenmiş olup, araştırma durum çalışması deseninde tasarlanmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemini bir Mesleki ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi, Bilişim Teknolojileri Bölümünün ikinci sınıfında (10. Sınıf) öğrenim gören toplam 27 öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmada " Sayı Sistemleri " ve " Mantıksal Kapı Devreleri " konuları 4 hafta boyunca dersin öğretmeni tarafından öğrencilerle işlenmiştir. Daha önceleri geleneksel öğretim yöntemleri ile yürütülen ders içerisine, çeşitli oyunlaştırma etkinlikleri dahil edilmiştir. Oyunlaştırma süreçlerinde öğrencilerin verilen görevleri yerine getirmelerine bağlı olarak sergilemiş oldukları performanslar, sınıf içinde çeşitli materyallerle (yıldız, rozet, lig tablosu gibi) ve sınıf dışında elektronik grafiksel sunumlar halinde sosyal medya aracılığıyla kendileriyle sürekli paylaşılmıştır. Bu süreçte öğrenciler, yarı yapılandırılmış gözlem formlarıyla gözlenmiş ve performansları kayıt altına alınmıştır. Ek olarak 4 haftalık uygulama sonunda rastgele seçilen 7 öğrenci ile bire-bir mülakatlar yapılmış ve oyunlaştırma ile işlenen dersler hakkındaki görüşleri alınmıştır. Analiz sonuçlarına göre, oyunlaştırma unsurlarının katıldığı derslerde öğrencilerin derslere karşı ilgi ve motivasyonlarının yükseldiği ve derse katılımları konusundaki isteklerinin arttığı bulgularına ulaşılmıştır. Çalışma sonunda öğretmenlere ve araştırmacılara oyunlaştırma uygulamalarının derslerde etkin kullanılmasına yönelik çeşitli öneriler sunulmuştur. Anahtar Kelimeler: Oyunlaştırma, öğretim ve öğrenme, ilgi ve motivasyon, öğrenci görüşleri Abstract: This study aimed to examine high school students' views about effects of gamification on their interests, motivation towards and participation in to lessons. Case study designation within qualitative research approach was adopted in the study. The study was carried out in a Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School with 27 students who attend to Information Technologies Department at that school. " Number Systems " and " Logical Gate Circuits " topics were instructed by the teacher for 4 weeks and some gamification elements were included in the lessons. Formerly module was taught by using traditional teaching methods but this time some of the gamification elements such as based on students' performances some materials (stars, badges, league tables etc.,) and electronic result graphs were shared with students both in the class and on the Internet vis social media. Within the process students' actions in the class were observed and recorded through semi-structured observation forms. At the end of 4 weeks randomly selected 7 participated students were interviewed about the learning activities which included gamification. According to data analysis results it is found that gamification elements increases students' interests and motivation towards computer lessons and makes them more active in terms of participating into lessons. At the end of the study some recommendations about effective use of gamification in lessons were made for researchers and teachers.
This study aims to investigate science student teachers' attitudes towards physics lessons an... more This study aims to investigate science student teachers' attitudes towards physics lessons and computer assisted physics teaching. Data obtained through survey method and an attitude questionnaire was applied to 300 science student teachers. Results of the study show that depending on gender variable thereis a meaningful difference between attitudes of students towards physics lessons and computer assisted physics teaching. Based on students' first preference of science teaching profession, a meaningful difference was found in their attitudes towards computer assisted physics teaching. No meaningful difference was found in student teachers' attitudes towards both physics lessons and computer assisted physics teaching. It is suggested that in order for students to develop more positive attitudes towards physics lessons, computer aided instruction (CAI) activities should take more place during primary and secondary education.
The aim of this study is to find out the effects of implementation of computer developed material... more The aim of this study is to find out the effects of implementation of computer developed material on students' academic achievements and on their perceptions about computer assisted instruction (CAI). The study is based on experimental approach which involved experimental and control groups, and has been conducted with 60 high school students. An achievement test was applied to both groups as means of pre-and post-test. In addition a questionnaire which would determine experimental students' perceptions about physics lessons and CAI. The obtained data analyzed through the use of SPSS software. The results of study indicate that CAI is more feasible than the traditional approach in terms of cognitive and affective behaviors. Students' perceptions before and after the applications have significantly changed about physics, and CAI. This can be considered as a positive change indicating that students gain self-confidence in terms of individual learning in the applications co...
Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 2014
The present study aims to examine the usefulness of 47 stories which were developed as learning m... more The present study aims to examine the usefulness of 47 stories which were developed as learning materials within the scope of the ALIS-T (Alternative Communication System – Design) Project. This project aims to develop a graphical symbolic system which is relevant to Turkish social and cultural systems of understanding. In the study, stories were developed (generated) by a Turkish Language and Literature academic taking the objectives of primary 1st year life science, Turkish, and mathematics curricula into account. Stories, which consist of a setting, characters, and plot were developed. The stories were presented to 5 teachers who teach to hearing impaired students in order to check the appropriateness of each. Those teachers’ views were taken into account about the positive/negative effects of stories in the learning and teaching activities. On the other hand, all stories were elaborated by teachers in terms of whether they met the objectives of curriculum and were useful in developing the literacy skills of hearing impaired pupils. Teachers were asked to do any alterations or corrections needed to make stories compatible with curriculum objectives. Obtained data were analyzed descriptively. All participants stated that each of the stories were beneficial and usable for teaching and learning activities. They emphasized that sentences should be short, clear, and comprehendible and found that stories which were too long should be corrected. On the basis of teachers’ feed-back, 39 stories were re-designed and corrected. 8 stories which were found to be unsuitable were excluded from the study.
This study investigates pre-service teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)... more This study investigates pre-service teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) levels based on different variables. A total of 609 final year student teachers who are trained in five different subject areas (elementary teaching, social science teaching, science teaching, mathematics, and Turkish Teaching) of an education faculty participated in the study. The study was carried out in the spring semester of the 2014-2015 academic year. An adapted Turkish version of the TPACK Scale was used as the data collection instrument. The data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software. An independent t-test, ANOVA, Mann Whitney-U, and Kruskal Wallis Tests for non-parametric data were used for statistical analysis. The results show, in the current state, participants have good levels of TPACK. It is also found that there are meaningful relationships and significant differences between some variables such as gender, program attended, having a personal computer and Internet connection, and sub-factors of the TPACK scale. It is suggested that more practical opportunities should be facilitated for pre-service teachers at education faculties to prepare them for 21st century schools.
Teacher education at both pre-service and in-service levels is a crucial factor in terms of devel... more Teacher education at both pre-service and in-service levels is a crucial factor in terms of developing democratic schools. Pre-service education is the first step in the professional development of teachers. Perhaps democratic education should commence at this stage. For this reason it is important to know pre-service teachers’ opinions about democratic education and the characteristics of democratic schools. This study aims to investigate pre-service primary teachers’ perceptions about democratic education and the main characteristics of democratic schools. The study was designed within basic qualitative research approach. The study group consists of six primary pre-service teachers who attend the 4th year of teacher education programme at a faculty of education. A semi-structured interview form was used for data gathering. Data were analysed using the “content analysis” method. The findings of the study illustrate that pre-service teachers conceptualize the term of democracy with different words based on their experiences; what is more, pre-service teachers have not fully internalized the concept of democracy. The results of the study show that according to pre service teachers, democracy education can be realized through thematic learning and hands-on activities. It is recommended that policy makers should be aware of the atmosphere of democratic schools and that a curriculum should be designed thematically, which includes democracy in all attainment targets.
This study aims to examine classroom teachers' Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (T... more This study aims to examine classroom teachers' Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) on the basis of different variables. A total of 322 classroom teachers in the city of Trabzon participated in the study. An adapted Turkish version of the TPACK scale was used as the data collection instrument. The obtained data was analyzed using SPSS 15.0 software. Independent t-test, ANOVA and Mann Whitney U-tests were used for statistical analysis. The results indicate that there are meaningful relationships and significant differences between variables of gender, having an Internet connection and the use of an ICT lab in the school, the use of educational software and the sub-factors of the TPACK scale. It is recommended that more practical CPD (Continuous Professional Development) opportunities for classroom teachers be provided in order to exploit the pedagogical benefits of ICT in primary schools.
Öz: Bu çalışmada, oyunlaştırma unsurlarının öğretim etkinliklerine dahil edilmesinin, öğrencileri... more Öz: Bu çalışmada, oyunlaştırma unsurlarının öğretim etkinliklerine dahil edilmesinin, öğrencilerin derslere karşı ilgi, motivasyon ve ders katılımı üzerindeki etkileri hakkında öğrenci görüşlerinin tespit edilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmada nitel yaklaşım benimsenmiş olup, araştırma durum çalışması deseninde tasarlanmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemini bir Mesleki ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi, Bilişim Teknolojileri Bölümünün ikinci sınıfında (10. Sınıf) öğrenim gören toplam 27 öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmada " Sayı Sistemleri " ve " Mantıksal Kapı Devreleri " konuları 4 hafta boyunca dersin öğretmeni tarafından öğrencilerle işlenmiştir. Daha önceleri geleneksel öğretim yöntemleri ile yürütülen ders içerisine, çeşitli oyunlaştırma etkinlikleri dahil edilmiştir. Oyunlaştırma süreçlerinde öğrencilerin verilen görevleri yerine getirmelerine bağlı olarak sergilemiş oldukları performanslar, sınıf içinde çeşitli materyallerle (yıldız, rozet, lig tablosu gibi) ve sınıf dışında elektronik grafiksel sunumlar halinde sosyal medya aracılığıyla kendileriyle sürekli paylaşılmıştır. Bu süreçte öğrenciler, yarı yapılandırılmış gözlem formlarıyla gözlenmiş ve performansları kayıt altına alınmıştır. Ek olarak 4 haftalık uygulama sonunda rastgele seçilen 7 öğrenci ile bire-bir mülakatlar yapılmış ve oyunlaştırma ile işlenen dersler hakkındaki görüşleri alınmıştır. Analiz sonuçlarına göre, oyunlaştırma unsurlarının katıldığı derslerde öğrencilerin derslere karşı ilgi ve motivasyonlarının yükseldiği ve derse katılımları konusundaki isteklerinin arttığı bulgularına ulaşılmıştır. Çalışma sonunda öğretmenlere ve araştırmacılara oyunlaştırma uygulamalarının derslerde etkin kullanılmasına yönelik çeşitli öneriler sunulmuştur. Anahtar Kelimeler: Oyunlaştırma, öğretim ve öğrenme, ilgi ve motivasyon, öğrenci görüşleri Abstract: This study aimed to examine high school students' views about effects of gamification on their interests, motivation towards and participation in to lessons. Case study designation within qualitative research approach was adopted in the study. The study was carried out in a Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School with 27 students who attend to Information Technologies Department at that school. " Number Systems " and " Logical Gate Circuits " topics were instructed by the teacher for 4 weeks and some gamification elements were included in the lessons. Formerly module was taught by using traditional teaching methods but this time some of the gamification elements such as based on students' performances some materials (stars, badges, league tables etc.,) and electronic result graphs were shared with students both in the class and on the Internet vis social media. Within the process students' actions in the class were observed and recorded through semi-structured observation forms. At the end of 4 weeks randomly selected 7 participated students were interviewed about the learning activities which included gamification. According to data analysis results it is found that gamification elements increases students' interests and motivation towards computer lessons and makes them more active in terms of participating into lessons. At the end of the study some recommendations about effective use of gamification in lessons were made for researchers and teachers.
This study aims to investigate science student teachers' attitudes towards physics lessons an... more This study aims to investigate science student teachers' attitudes towards physics lessons and computer assisted physics teaching. Data obtained through survey method and an attitude questionnaire was applied to 300 science student teachers. Results of the study show that depending on gender variable thereis a meaningful difference between attitudes of students towards physics lessons and computer assisted physics teaching. Based on students' first preference of science teaching profession, a meaningful difference was found in their attitudes towards computer assisted physics teaching. No meaningful difference was found in student teachers' attitudes towards both physics lessons and computer assisted physics teaching. It is suggested that in order for students to develop more positive attitudes towards physics lessons, computer aided instruction (CAI) activities should take more place during primary and secondary education.
The aim of this study is to find out the effects of implementation of computer developed material... more The aim of this study is to find out the effects of implementation of computer developed material on students' academic achievements and on their perceptions about computer assisted instruction (CAI). The study is based on experimental approach which involved experimental and control groups, and has been conducted with 60 high school students. An achievement test was applied to both groups as means of pre-and post-test. In addition a questionnaire which would determine experimental students' perceptions about physics lessons and CAI. The obtained data analyzed through the use of SPSS software. The results of study indicate that CAI is more feasible than the traditional approach in terms of cognitive and affective behaviors. Students' perceptions before and after the applications have significantly changed about physics, and CAI. This can be considered as a positive change indicating that students gain self-confidence in terms of individual learning in the applications co...
Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 2014
The present study aims to examine the usefulness of 47 stories which were developed as learning m... more The present study aims to examine the usefulness of 47 stories which were developed as learning materials within the scope of the ALIS-T (Alternative Communication System – Design) Project. This project aims to develop a graphical symbolic system which is relevant to Turkish social and cultural systems of understanding. In the study, stories were developed (generated) by a Turkish Language and Literature academic taking the objectives of primary 1st year life science, Turkish, and mathematics curricula into account. Stories, which consist of a setting, characters, and plot were developed. The stories were presented to 5 teachers who teach to hearing impaired students in order to check the appropriateness of each. Those teachers’ views were taken into account about the positive/negative effects of stories in the learning and teaching activities. On the other hand, all stories were elaborated by teachers in terms of whether they met the objectives of curriculum and were useful in developing the literacy skills of hearing impaired pupils. Teachers were asked to do any alterations or corrections needed to make stories compatible with curriculum objectives. Obtained data were analyzed descriptively. All participants stated that each of the stories were beneficial and usable for teaching and learning activities. They emphasized that sentences should be short, clear, and comprehendible and found that stories which were too long should be corrected. On the basis of teachers’ feed-back, 39 stories were re-designed and corrected. 8 stories which were found to be unsuitable were excluded from the study.
This study investigates pre-service teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)... more This study investigates pre-service teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) levels based on different variables. A total of 609 final year student teachers who are trained in five different subject areas (elementary teaching, social science teaching, science teaching, mathematics, and Turkish Teaching) of an education faculty participated in the study. The study was carried out in the spring semester of the 2014-2015 academic year. An adapted Turkish version of the TPACK Scale was used as the data collection instrument. The data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software. An independent t-test, ANOVA, Mann Whitney-U, and Kruskal Wallis Tests for non-parametric data were used for statistical analysis. The results show, in the current state, participants have good levels of TPACK. It is also found that there are meaningful relationships and significant differences between some variables such as gender, program attended, having a personal computer and Internet connection, and sub-factors of the TPACK scale. It is suggested that more practical opportunities should be facilitated for pre-service teachers at education faculties to prepare them for 21st century schools.
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