Hatice Sancar Tokmak

Teachers are the main foundations of the education system, and their professional development during their working life is vital in ensuring the success of any attempts to change that system. It is for this reason that in-service training is high on the agenda of most countries, although previous studies have shown that teachers are unable to transfer the knowledge they gain through in-service training to in-class activities, as more long-lasting help is required. One way in which teachers can be provided help in this regard is through the use of technology in line with a strong instructional design theory. This chapter aims to address this issue by showing how videos can be used in the professional development of teachers as part of an expertise-based training (XBT) program. The chapter is compiled in seven main parts: 1) Introduction 2) Background 3) Main Focus of the Chapter 5) Solutions and Recommendations 6) Future Research Directions, and finally, 7) Conclusions.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the Early Childhood program teacher candidates self confidence on their technological, pedagogical, content knowledge (TPACK). Moreover, the study aimed to examine whether the Early Childhood teacher candidates’ TPACK self confidence differs with respect to their genders and grade levels. The participants of this survey study were 154 teacher candidates who continued their education at the Mersin University Early Childhood Education program in their 2nd, 3rdand 4th grades in the Fall semester, 2011-2012 year. The data were collected through the “Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge Self-Confidence” scale developed by Graham, Burgoyne, Cantrell, Smith, and Harris (2009), translated into Turkish by Timur and Tasar (2011), and the “Demographics Questionnaire” developed by the researchers. According to the research study, it was found that the Early Childhood teachers candidates self confidence on their TPACK was high. Moreover, the ...

The aim of this case study was to examine pre-service science teachers’ (PSTs) perceptions of their Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) development after creating digital stories based on science topics drawn from the national curriculum. A total of 21 PSTs enrolled in Introduction to Computers II participated in the study. Data were collected through a demographics questionnaire, a TPACK diagram, an open-ended questionnaire, interviews, and observations. During the study, feedback was provided to participants during each step of the digital storytelling process: writing the stories, finding related pictures, matching the pictures to the stories; and preparing the digital files. The PSTs reported that their technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and content knowledge improved during the course.

This qualitative case study aimed to explore how novice instructional designers solved a real-world problem by proposing an instructional design model in Second Life. Twenty-one novice instructional designers who enrolled in a Distance Education course were tasked with proposing an instructional design model to solve the high drop-out rate problem in a Distance Education center. In the Second Life environment, an island was rented and a Distance Education center was built. The participants worked in teams to propose an instructional design model for solving the real-world problem by simulating themselves as distance education specialists in this virtual Distance Education center. The data were collected through interviews, open-ended questionnaires, system logs, and group reports regarding their problem-solving processes. The results showed that the novice instructional designers stated that carrying out the problem-solving process in the Second Life promoted their motivation and en...

The purpose of this case study was to explore prospective English education teachers' (PEET) experiences of digital storytelling (DST) through a flipped classroom approach. 36 prospective teachers who enrolled in a computer literacy course participated in the study. The data was collected through a demographic questionnaire, three open-ended questionnaires, and a semi-structured interview form. Four videos were prepared to give theoretical input in line with the DST phases described by Robin and presented asynchronously via Edmodo system. The results showed that PEETs described the DST process through a flipped classroom approach. described as entertaining, challenging, and instructive. Moreover, according to the results, PEETs learnt specific strategies about DST, were inspired, and had the opportunity to check their product quality, thanks to the flipped classroom approach. These results revealed insights about the design of a flipped classroom approach and the DST process.

This study aims to compare the social presence and motivation of students taking a database II course using either the virtual world Second Life (SL) or the Enocta learning management system (LMS)/Adobe Connect. The study group consisted of 60 undergraduate sophomore students enrolled in a fully online computer programming program. Students were divided into two groups of 30. The first group was the experimental group taking the course on Second Life and the latter was control group taking the course through the Enocta LMS/Adobe Connect. A matching-only pre- and post-test control group design was applied. The data were collected through the Perceived Sociability Scale of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Environments (Sociability Scale) and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). The results of the study showed significant differences in motivation and social presence scores in favour of the students taking the course through Second Life.

The Ministry of Education in Turkey utilizes a constructivist point of view as its philosophical framework for Curriculum. However, concerns exist among administrators, teachers, and families with regard to the successful application of the constructivist curriculum. This study investigated experienced teachers’ perceptions about these barriers. Ten K-12 teachers with between 15 and 29 years of experience were interviewed about barriers to the constructivist curriculum and suggestions for enhancing it. The collected data were transcribed, segmented, and coded. According to the results, 8 categories emerged as barriers that prevent successful implementation of a constructivist curriculum: huge content load, insufficient infrastructure, complexity of activities compared to children’s developmental stages, crowded classes, time limitation, insufficient in-service training, inappropriate parental support, and difficulty in assessment.

The current study investigated perceived development of pre-service teachers in their Instructional Material Design (IMD) competencies through the course Instructional Technology and Material Design, which is based on a technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework. A total of 22 Elementary Education pre-service teachers participated in the study. Five activities based on TPACK were designed by the instructors to provide students with specific teaching experience. Action research methodology was followed during the study, and each activity was part of the cycle of design. Data were collected through a questionnaire on pre-service teachers’ IMD competencies, their journals, assignments, open-ended questionnaires, teaching practice forms, observations, and software evaluation forms. The study revealed that pre-service teachers gained essential competencies in instructional material design. Moreover, the results showed that they experienced incorporating TPACK int...

This research study aims to investigate the usability issues of a computer game; regarding how people learn a new game. Because the user characteristic and the strategies they use while learning a new tool are important factors for usability, they were also taken into account in the study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the study. 16 participants played the computer game. They were also observed and their eye-movements were recorded by an eye tracking device. Results showed that participants learned a new game by trial and error and the insufficient instruction caused their placing numbers in wrong places as well as not realizing important tools that can help them to complete game.

Abstract: This study examines the effects of advanced organizers and postorganizers presented on computer as means for improving Primary-Grade students' comprehension of science concepts. A concept chain on computer was used as a self-study tool. It was made use of ...

"Background: South Africa is a developing country whose education system is experiencing a transformation constrained by a legacy of apartheid. The latest TIMSS results confirm the uneven distribution of achievement in mathematics and science. Chief among the problems is that there is a dearth of suitably qualified and experienced teachers to teach the subjects effectively. Moreover the many teachers are unfamiliar with learner-centred pedagogies espoused in the curriculum. Continuing teach professional development (CPD) in subject matter knowledge (SMK) and learner-centred pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is acknowledged to be a viable solution. However, for it to be relevant, CPD must be constantly informed by teacher needs and perceptions of self-efficacy. Aims: This study sought to compile teachers’ reflections on the effectiveness or otherwise of their inservice training and to seek feedback on how regularly they perceived themselves to be applying learner-centred constructivist pedagogy in their mathematics and science classrooms. The research questions which guided the study included: What were the teachers’ perceptions about their CPD programme in relation to the relevance of the content to the curriculum and the pedagogical approaches? To what extent did the teachers perceive themselves to be applying learner-centred constructivist approaches in their classrooms at the commencement of the 3-year CPD programme? Methodology: Eighty-nine teachers attending a CPD programme in early 2013 were asked to complete reflection journals on a daily basis for the duration of a two-week contact session. The reflection journals, as a participant-observer record of thinking critically and analytically about one’s learning experiences constituted the qualitative data sources for this study. The same teachers completed a 5- point Likert scale Constructivist Learning Environments Survey (CLES) questionnaire to evaluate the frequency with which they perceived themselves to be implementing constructivist teaching and learning approaches in their science and mathematics classrooms. The CLES results constituted a quantitative data source making the study a mixed-methods approach. Results of the Study: Teacher reflections on the suitability of their in-service showed an awareness of the need for a paradigm shift in the way mathematics and science are taught. They appreciated the usefulness of the workshop in enriching their SMK and PCK and showed a willingness to change their teaching practices to emulate the learner-centred approaches modelled by CPD facilitators. Questionnaire results showed that teachers perceived their learners to be only moderately interested in learning mathematics and science (a mean of 3.47), to moderately experience their learning as personally relevant to their out-of-school life (mean of 3.61) but showing a rather lacklustre interest in taking responsibility for their own learning (a mean of 2.65). They further perceived themselves to be offering high levels of support to learners (a mean of 4.31). A recommendation emanating from this study is to extend the CLES survey to learners’ perspectives for a more complete picture. Keywords: continuing professional development, pedagogical content knowledge, subject matter knowledge, mathematics and science education, constructivist learning."

This chapter presents a research study on mathematics education pre-service teachers' perceptions of competencies developed in an active learning course. During the course, the pre-service teachers designed web-based instruction (WBI) to teach mathematics to a targeted group of children. Data were collected through a demographic questionnaire, unstructured focus group interviews, open-ended questionnaires, and WBI design documents. WBI documents were analyzed according to Khan's (1997) identified components. The results of the study showed that, according to the mathematics education pre-service teachers, their internet search skills, content knowledge about distance education, web interface design skills, and technological knowledge increased or improved due to the WBI project. Moreover, participants observed how the constructivist philosophy did not apply to their designs. In addition, their designs were created from the perspectives of users rather than producers, as many components of WBI were not taken into account during or after the project.

This study aimed to examine the effects of creating digital stories (DS) on the self-confidence of foreign language education (FLE) pre-service teachers with regard to technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK). A one group pretest/posttest experimental research design was applied, supported by a qualitative approach. A total of 71 FLE pre-service teachers created DSs on a topic from the national foreign language program. Data were collected through a self-confidence TPACK scale, demographic questionnaire, open-ended question, and observations. Results showed positive significant differences between TPACK self-confidence scores before and after DS creation. Specifically, scores on technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) and technological knowledge (TK) improved significantly. The mean scores of technological content knowledge (TCK) also improved, but the change was not significant. Moreover, qualitative data showed that FLE pre-service teachers used TPACK-relevant adjectives to describe their DSs as instructive, consistent with aims, appropriate for target students, thought provoking, and creative.

This qualitative case study aimed to investigate Early Childhood Education (ECE) pre-service teachers’ perception of development in their technological, pedagogical, content knowledge (TPACK) after designing educational computer games for young children. Participants included 21 ECE pre-service teachers enrolled in the course, Instructional Technology and Material Design. The data were collected through focus group interviews, observations, and journals. The results indicated a perceived improvement in TPACK knowledge. Moreover, participants described initial difficulty designing educational computer games since they had limited technological knowledge (TK), design knowledge (DK), or experience designing educational computer games (TPACK). However, during game development, specific TPACK knowledge was disseminated, and participants reported increased abilities as using technology and designing an computer game for educational purposes.

This study investigated the effect of expertise-based training (XBT) on the quality of digital stories created by early childhood education (ECE) pre-service teachers. The participants of the study were 69 pre-service teachers from the ECE Department. The study was experimental, utilizing a static-group pre-test/post-test design, supported with qualitative data. Data were collected through analysis and evaluation of digital stories, open-ended questionnaire, and journals. During analysis, an independent t-test was conducted and open coding analysis was applied. The results showed that the XBT group teachers earned significantly higher scores on their digital stories than the traditional group. Moreover, the XBT group focused more on the details of digital story creation, such as emphasizing the purpose of the story during each component; choosing an appropriate tone of voice; using pictures, including characters as Pepe.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of curriculum-generated play instruction on the mathematics teaching efficacy of early childhood education pre-service teachers. The study used a one group pre-test/post-test experimental research design, supported by a qualitative approach. The participants of the study consisted of 35 pre-service teachers in the Early Childhood Programme who were registered for a Play in Early Childhood course. At the beginning of the study, the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (MTEBI) was administered. Then the curriculum-generated play instruction, which involved pre-service teachers teaching to their classmates, was applied during the course. At the end of the 16 week study, the MTEBI was again administered. During the study, qualitative data was gathered using open-ended questionnaires and observations. The results showed that the teaching efficacy of the pre-service teachers increased. In addition, the qualitative data supported the quantitative data, showing that the pre-service teachers felt they could teach mathematics more effectively after being taught the play instruction method.RÉSUMÉ: La présente étude a pour objectif d’évaluer l'effet de l'instruction de jeux basée sur programme d’études sur efficacité de l'enseignement des mathématiques par les enseignants préscolaires. Cette étude a adopté une approche expérimentale avec un groupe, utilisant un pré-test/post-test, soutenue par une approche qualitative. Les participants de l’étude se composent de 35 futurs enseignants spécialisés dans le Programme de la petite enfance ayant reçu un cours sur le Jeux au préscolaire. Au départ de l’étude, un Mesure d'auto-efficacité dans l'enseignement des Mathématiques (MTEBI) a été appliqué. Ensuite, ils ont reçu un cours sur l'instruction de jeux basée sur programme d’études à l'aide d'une méthode incluant que les fuutus enseignants devaient instruire leurs pairs. À la fin de l’étude, le MTEBI a été appliqué à nouveau. Au cours de l’étude, des données qualitatives ont été recueillies à l'aide d'un questionnaire à questions ouvertes et à l'aide d'observations. Les résultats de l’étude ont montré que l'auto-efficacité des futurs enseignants avait augmenté. De plus, les données qualitatives montrant qu'après avoir appris la méthode d'instruction de jeu, les futurs enseignants se sentaient mieux capables d'enseigner les mathématiques.ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Erforschung des Effektes vom lehrplangestütztem Spielunterricht auf die Selbsteffektivitätserwartung im Hinblick auf das Lehren von Mathematik von Studierenden der Frühpädagogik. Die Untersuchung verwendete ein experimentelles Ein-Gruppen-Vortest-Nachtest-Untersuchungsdesign. Untersuchungsteilnehmer waren 35 Frühpädagogikstudierende, die sich für einen Kurs ‘Spiel in der frühen Kindheit’ eingeschrieben hatten. Zu Beginn der Arbeit wurde das Instrument ‘Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (MTEBI)’ eingesetzt, das die Selbsteffektivitätserwartung im Hinblick auf Mathematikunterricht misst. Daraufhin wurde der lehrplangestützte Spielunterricht während des Kurses durchgeführt. Dieser beinhaltet, dass Studierende ihre Kommilitonen unterrichten. Am Ende des 16 Wochen langen Kurses wurde das MTEBI erneut eingesetzt. Während des Kurses wurden qualitative Daten mittels offener Fragebögen und Beobachtungen erhoben. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass die Selbsteffektivitätserwartung der Studierenden gestiegen war. Ferner wurde durch die qualitativen Daten das quantitative Ergebnis gestützt, dass die Studierenden Mathematik wirksamer lehren konnten, nachdem sie die Spielunterricht-Methode erlernt hatten.RESUMEN: Este estudio está dirigido (para) a investigar el efecto de la enseñanza del juego basada en el plan de estudios en la autoeficacía de educación en matemáticas de los candidatos (de) a maestros pre-escolares. En el estudio se utilizó la investigación experimental que contiene un grupo de pre- y post- ensayos además del enfoque cualitativo. Los participantes del estudio consisten (de) en los 35 candidatos (de) a maestros del programa educación pre-escolar que han cursado la materia del juego en pre-escolar. En el principio del trabajo se aplicó la Medida de Autoeficacía en Enseñanza de Matemáticas (MAEM). Después se aplicó la enseñanza basada en el plan de estudios en (lo) el cual los candidatos (de) a maestros enseñaron a sus compañeros de clase. Al final del estudio se aplicó la MAEM de nuevo. Durante el estudio se recolectó los datos cualitativos utilizando los cuestionarios abiertos y por observación. Los resultados del estudio (se) han mostrado que la autoeficacía de los candidatos (de) a maestros está incrementada. Además, los datos cualitativos apoyan los datos cuantitativos mostrando que los candidatos (de) a maestros sienten que ellos pueden enseñar matemáticas con más eficacia después de haber cursado el método de la enseñanza del juego.

“Fen ve Matematik Eğitiminde Teknolojik Pedagojik Alan Bilgisi (TPAB) Temelli Öğretim Tasarımları” başlıklı kitabımız, Fen Bilgisi ve Matematik Eğitimi Ana Bilim Dallarında eğitim alan öğretmen adaylarının günümüz teknoloji çağında sahip olmaları gereken teknolojinin öğretimle bütünleştirilmesi yeterliklerinin geliştirilmesi amacıyla tasarlanmış öğretim uygulamalarını içermektedir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, farklı yazarların titiz çalışması sonucu hazırlanmış olan kitap bölümlerinde, farklı teknolojilerin TPAB çerçevesi temelinde nasıl tasarlanabileceğine yönelik örnekler bulunmaktadır.

This quasi-experimental research study aimed to investigate the effect of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK)-based course design on mathematics, science, and literacy education pre-service teachers’ TPACK. Participants in the study consisted of 31 mathematics, 32 science, and 38 literacy education pre-service teachers who attended introduction to computers. To collect data, the technological pedagogical content knowledge self-efficacy instrument (TPACKSEI) developed by Graham et al. (2009) was applied before and after the course. The results showed significant improvements in all groups of pre-service teachers’ mathematics, science, and literacy education self efficacy on their TPACK. Moreover, there were no significant differences between natural science (mathematics and science education) and social science (literacy) for pre-service teachers’ TPACK. However, there were significant differences between natural science and social science pre-service teachers’ technological knowledge and technological content knowledge.