No abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of conceptual change texts (CCT) in REACT strategy on students" conceptions of solutions. Quasi-experimental method was used in the study. The study was carried out in the spring term of 2012-2013 academic year with 61 freshmen students (aged 18-20 years) studying in Elementary Education Department. To gather data, the Solutions Concept Test (SCT) was used as a pretest (PrT) and posttest (PoT) and the clinical interviews were used to increase the validity of the data obtained from SCT.In the experimental and control groups, REACT strategy was used as teaching strategy. In the experimental group, REACT strategy was enriched with CCTs. Three CCTs were used in the experiment group. According to the findings, there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups" PrT and PoT results. It revealed that REACT strategy was found successful at dealing with the alternative conceptions in solution chemistry. However, there was no significant difference was found between the groups" PoT results. On the other hand, qualitative analyses showed that, CCTs were found slightly effective in remediation of alternative conceptions in solution chemistry. This suggests that we may need to use more than one intervention model to effectively remedy the alternative conceptions in solution chemistry. This study may be helpful for diagnosing alternative conceptions and guide the researchers to remedy them. Hence, CCT can be designed for other chemistry topics and implemented in schools.

If the STEM approach appropriately addressed in early childhood education, it may provide opportunities for educators to involve children in activities appropriate to their interests and experiences. The purpose of this research is to investigate comparatively the views of preschool teachers and preschool teacher candidates about STEM. To collect data, 60 preschool teachers graduated from different universities in Turkey have different experiments and actively in the teaching profession in various schools in the years 2018 to 2019, and 65 preschool teacher candidates in the first, second, third and fourth grades in the 2018-2019 academic year at a state university in the region of the Black Sea randomly selected. To collect data, preschool teachers and teacher candidates ask to answer the questions in the Screening Form consisting of open-ended questions aimed at obtaining in-depth information about STEM education. The findings analyze in detail, and it seen that the answers of both groups can discuss under three main themes; (1) The effects of the STEM approach, (2) The applicability of the STEM approach in preschool education, and (3) The requirements of the applicability of the STEM approach in Turkish educational system. According to the findings, participants have positive views about implementing the STEM approach in their classes for the teachers and future professional lives for the teacher candidates. However, there are some limitations about implementing it arising from the infrastructure of the schools, the teachers themselves, and children’s young age.

Betimsel içerik analizi yöntemi, belirli bir konuda ya da alanda birbirinden bağımsız olarak yapılan nitel ve nicel çalışmaların derinlemesine incelenip düzenlenmesi anlamına gelir. Böylece o konu ya da alandaki genel eğilimler belirlenmektedir. Bu yöntemde elde edilen sonuçların, hedeflenen konulara yönelik olarak gelecekte planlanan çalışmalara yön göstermesi beklenmektedir. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, eğitim bilimleri alanında sıkça kullanılmakta olan betimsel içerik analizi yönteminin, diğer sosyal bilimler alanlarında da kullanılabilmesi için, analizin nasıl yapılacağına dair soruların giderilmesini sağlamaktır. Çalışmanın, sosyal bilimler alanında betimsel içerik analizini kullanmak isteyen akademisyenlere yön göstermesi, temel bir kaynak olması hedeflenmektedir. Betimsel içerik analizinde, özellikle incelenen çalışmaların amaçlarına, gerekçelerine, sonuçlarına ve önerilerine ait analizlerde nitel analiz yaklaşımlarına uygun olarak, kod havuzu oluşturup, bu kodlara uygun temalandırma/kategorilendirme yönteminin kullanılması, betimsel içerik analizi çalışmalarının nitelik açısından da zenginleşmesini sağlayacaktır. Ayrıca, yapılacak olan betimsel içerik analizi çalışmalarında, incelenen çalışmalar, standartlaşmış analiz aşamaları dışında, benzer konulardaki diğer betimsel içerik analizi çalışmalarından ayrılması adına, farklı yönlerden de analize tabi tutulması gerekmektedir.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of some variables (gender and year of study) on science student teachers' (SSTs) chemistry attitudes. An adapted version of Chemistry Attitudes and Experiences Questionnaire was administered to 983 SSTs drawn from four different universities in the region of Eastern Black Sea, Turkey. Significant differences between genders' mean scores of the CAEQ indicate that the females somewhat develop stronger positive attitudes towards chemistry than do the males. Furthermore, because the first year of the study generally had the highest mean scores of the three subscales of the CAEQ, it can be deduced that tertiary education lacks improving the SSTs' positive chemistry attitudes to a satisfied level and/or a large effect size. Hence, its attitudinal quality should be intimately inquired.