The purpose of this article is to identify the order of significance of the variables that affect science and mathematics achievement in middle school students. For this aim, the study deals with the relationship between science and math in terms of different angles using the perspectives of multiple causes-single effect and of multiple causes-multiple effects. Furthermore, the study examines and reveals how the reading skills, problem solving skills, cognitive and affective variables influence the math and science achievement. The data was collected from the results of Turkish students who participated in three international examinations; TIMSS 1999, PISA 2003 and PISA 2006. We analyzed the data using two data-mining methods (decision trees and clustering). The findings show that science or mathematics achievement is not influenced by the course-specific variable alone but also by other related variables. The following variables are the most important; the students' reading and problem-solving skills affected both mathematics and science achievement; the mathematics achievement affected the science achievement; and the science achievement affected the mathematics achievement. It is also found that the affective variables have almost equally significant effects on the science and mathematics achievement.
ABSTRACT. The purpose of the study is to investigate the creative thinking levels and the critical thinking disposition of freshman students at the Division of Elementary Teaching in terms of various variables and to determine whether there is a relationship between the creative thinking levels and the disposition of critical thinking of the students. The study is a descriptive study. In the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data related to the study, quantitative research method was used. The study was carried out with 103 students who were availability of access among the freshman students enrolled in at Hacettepe University Elementary Teaching Division. Torrance Creative Thinking Test was used in order to determine the creative thinking levels; and California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory was used to determine the critical thinking levels of the students. The data obtained in the study was analyzed using t-test, one-way variance analysis, Kruskal Wallis, Pearson and Spearman Brown correlation coefficient.
This study aims to analyse prospective teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs, teaching motivation, and attitudes towards teaching from the aspect of a number of variables. The research data were collected through “Teachers’ Sense of Self-efficacy Scale”, “Motivation to Teach Scale”, “Attitude Scale of Teaching Profession”. The study group was composed of 543 undergraduate students and taking teaching formation courses. Consequently, it was found that the prospective teachers who had chosen the department of study or graduation voluntarily had higher self-efficacy, motivation and attitudes than those who had not chosen the department voluntarily. The difference was found significant for both independent variables, but the interaction effect of the independent variables was not found significant for the dependent variables considered in this study. In addition to that, on examining the correlations between variables, it was found that the highest correlation was between intrinsic motivation and attitudes whereas the lowest correlation was between self-efficacy and motivation. The regression analysis performed indicated that attitudes had significant effects on self-efficacy and motivation. The findings suggested that such factors as attitudes, self-efficacy, and motivation should be taken into consideration in teacher training, and that other variables thought to have significant effects on teaching profession should also be analysed in studies to be conducted in the future.
This simulation study compared the performances (Type I error and power) of Mantel-Haenszel (MH), SIBTEST, and item response theory-likelihood ratio (IRT-LR) methods under certain conditions. Manipulated factors were sample size, ability differences between groups, test length, the percentage of differential item functioning (DIF), and underlying model used to generate data. Results suggest that SIBTEST had the highest Type I error in the detection of uniform DIF, but MH had the highest power under all conditions. In addition, the percentage of DIF and the underlying model appear to have influenced the Type I error rate of IRT-LR. Ability differences between groups, test length, the percentage of DIF, model, and the interactions between ability differences*percentage of DIF, ability differences*test length, test length*percentage of DIF, test length*model affected the SIBTEST methods' Type I error rate. In the MH procedure, effective factors for Type I error rate were: sample size, test length, the percentage of DIF, ability differences*percentage of DIF, ability differences*model, and ability differences*percentage of DIF*model. No factors were effective on the power of SIBTEST and MH, but the underlying model had a significant effect on the IRT-LR power rate.
In the study, it was aimed to examine the views of primary school teachers about electronic portfolio (e-portfolio). The purpose of the research was to seek answers to such questions; "what is the awareness of primary school teachers about eportfolio?", "what are the views of primary school teachers about the functions of eportfolio?" and "what are the views of primary school teachers towards the outcomes of the e-portfolio?" "Case study", one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. In the study, typical case sampling method, which is one of the purposeful sampling methods, was used to determine the participants. Based on the typical case sampling, 20 teachers who were Primary school teachers in one of the schools located in the city center of Ankara and İstanbul participated in the study on the basis of volunteering and also these schools did not exhibit any unusual feature. A standartized open ended interview form was prepared to collect the data of the research. In the research, 15 interview questions were used. Content analysis, which is one of the commonly used methods in qualitative research, was taken as the basis in the analysis of the data. In addition, the statements of the participants were quoted in terms of the objectivity of the study and the revival of the reader. As a result, when the codes emerging under the theme of teachers' awareness of using e-portfolio are examined, it is revealed that teachers' awareness is high. However, it was seen that some of them did not know about the use of e-pertfolio and did not consider themselves sufficient. When the teachers' views about the functions of the e-portfolio and the codes that emerged under these views were analyzed, they said that eportfolio has many aspects different from other methods and its advantages are more than its disadvantages. Finally, when the teachers' views about e-portfolio's outputs and the codes under the views are examined, it is seen that they think that they will contribute to the students in many dimensions and fields. This shows that teachers' views towards using e-portfolios are generally positive and there is no obstacle to use them when they have sufficient infrastructure and equipment.
Öz Bu araştırmada Uluslararası Öğrenci Değerlendirme Programı (PISA) 2009 kapsamında uygulanan öğrenci anketinin kültürlere göre değişen madde fonksiyonu (DMF) gösterip göstermediği Türkiye-Finlandiya, Türkiye-Rusya, Singapur-Yeni Zelanda ve Avustralya-Yeni Zelanda örneklemleri kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Araştırmada PISA'da yer alan 11 maddelik okumaya yönelik tutum maddeleri kullanılmıştır.Araştırmaya bu ülkelerin dâhil edilmesinde ülkelerin başarı sıralaması, dil ve kültür özellikleri dikkate alınmıştır. İlk olarak öğrenci anketinin faktör yapısı açımlayıcı faktör analizi ile incelenmiştir. Daha sonra DMF analizleri poly-SIBTEST, ordinal lojistik regresyon ve madde tepki kuramı olabilirlik oranı yöntemleri ile yapılmıştır. Farklı dil ve farklı kültüre sahip ülkelerde maddelerin %91'i DMF gösterirken, bu oran farklı kültür ve aynı dilde %82'ye, aynı kültür ve aynı dilde %37'ye düşmüştür. Bu çalışmada ortaya çıkan sonuç, dil fakından ziyade kültür farklılıklarının maddelerin DMF göstermesinde etkili olduğudur.
This study aims to determine the overt and covert patterns that teachers' and prospective teachers' views on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) instruments contain by using the method of data mining. The study group was composed of 192 prospective teachers attending a state university in Ankara, Turkey and 101 teachers working in Ankara-all of whom took part in the study on the basis of volunteering. Teachers' and prospective teachers' views were obtained by means of a scale. Clustering and association rules-algorithms for data mining-were applied to the data collected, and thus the frequently held patterns for teachers' and prospective teachers' views on ICT instruments were found. Consequently, cluster analysis suggested that prospective teachers considered themselves more competent than teachers in terms of computer skills but that teachers were the group having the most positive views. In addition to this, the results of association rules analysis indicated that the prospective teachers and teachers held the opinion that ICT instruments added variety to the teaching-learning process and ensured students' focusing their attention on lessons, also stated that using ICT instruments would increase students' participation in classes.
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