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This paper reports the development of critical thinking of urban high school students in an IT/STEM program-using information technology (IT) within the context of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The study used a quasi-experimental time-series design, involving 47 initial participants in an eighteen-month intervention period. Data were collected from the Test of Everyday Reasoning (TER), which provides an overall score on critical thinking skill (CTS) and five sub-scale scores (analysis, inference, evaluation, inductive reasoning, and deductive reasoning). Findings indicate that based on a mean score of 15.77, the average participant scored between the 16th and 19th percentiles at the beginning of the program compared to an aggregated national sample. Participants who completed the program and responded to all three time-series TER tests (14) significantly improved their critical thinking skills throughout the program. Program completers’ overall post-program CTS test score was more homogeneous than the pre-program scores with a 20.07 mean score. In addition, data showed significant improvement in inductive reasoning skills of the program participants during the first nine months with continuing improvement in the second nine months. In contrast, data presented improved inference skills during the first nine months with significant gains during the second half of the program. The study estimates the relative effects of IT/STEM experiences with technology-enhanced, inquiry and design-based collaborative learning strategies on CTS of urban high school students

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The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between preservice teachers' Web 2.0 competencies and their critical thinking disposition (CTD). The study employed an associational research design using California Critical Thinking Disposition-Inventory (CCTD-I) and a Web 2.0 competency questionnaire including items related to Web 2.0 awareness, Web 2.0 use, and educational use of Web 2.0 tools. Five different Web 2.0 tools included in the study: (a) blogs, (b) wikis, (c) social networking websites, (d) YouTube, (e) podcasts. A total of 1335 preservice teachers completed the survey. Findings indicated that participants had a medium level internet use, Web 2.0 awareness, Web 2.0 use and Web 2.0 skills while their educational Web 2.0 use level was low. In terms of competencies on certain Web 2.0 tools, their blog, wiki and podcast competencies were at a very low level, whereas their social networking and YouTube competency levels were high. Findings also showed that there were significant relationships between preservice teachers' Web 2.0 competencies and their critical thinking disposition. The results highlighted that the use of different Web 2.0 tools can be complementary to each other during certain instructional activities to improve different dimensions of critical thinking disposition.

ÖzetGünümüzde yükseköğretimde köklü dönüşümü gerekli kılan pek çok faktörden söz edilmektedir. Bunların başında değişen öğrenci profilleri ve iş dünyasının gereksinimleri doğrultusunda şekillenen yeni profesyonelleşme ve mesleki uzmanlaşma anlayışı gelmektedir. Bu anlayış 21. yüzyıl becerileri olarak adlandırılan eleştirel düşünme, problem çözme, işbirliğine dayalı çalışma, etkili iletişim kurma, yaratıcı ve yenilikçi düşünme gibi becerilerle birlikte belirli bir alana yönelik temel bilgilerin aktarılmasının ötesinde bir profesyonelleşmeyi yansıtmaktadır. Bununla birlikte esas amacı bilimsel bilgi üretmek ve bilim eğitimi vermek olan üniversitelerin bir mesleğin nasıl icra edileceğine ilişkin yetiştirme adı verilen eğitime yönelmedeki yetersizliği mezunların gerçek iş yaşamındaki koşullara hazır olamamalarına neden olmuştur. Sonuç olarak Kitlesel Açık Çevrimiçi Dersler gibi farklı arayışların ortaya çıkması bu sorunların bir sonucu olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Bu değişim rüzgârının öğretmenlik mesleği eğitimine yönelik mevcut anlayışı da etkilemesi kaçınılmazdır. Bu nedenle Türkiye'de öğretmen yetiştirmede geçmişten miras kalan sorunlarla birlikte kuramsal bilgi ağırlıklı eğitim, öğrenci sayısındaki artış ve buna bağlı öğretim elemanı yetersizlikleri, öğretim elemanı profilleri, mezunların istihdam sorunları, öğretmenlik mesleğine yönelik algı gibi konular mevcut öğretmen yetiştirme anlayışında köklü değişiklikler yapılmasını gerekli kılmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, yükseköğretimde dönüşümü ivmelendiren etmenlerle birlikte Türkiye'de öğretmen yetiştirmenin sorunlarını mevcut alanyazın ışığında tartışarak çözüm olarak taslak bir öğretmen yetiştirme modeli önermek ve modeli paydaşların tartışmasına sunmaktır. TEACHER TRAINING PROBLEMS OF TURKEY ON THE THRESHOLD OF HIGHER EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION AND A SUPPORT MODEL AbstractIn today's society, a number of factors have emerged requiring radical transformations in higher education. Foremost among these factors are the changing profiles of students and growing demands of the business world on the changing nature of professionalization and expertise. This reflects a further training need beyond gaining basic knowledge and skills, but rather integrating 21st century skills of critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication, creativity, decision making, innovative thinking and as such. As the places for creating scientific knowledge, universities fail to sustain effective training approaches that fulfill their graduates' needs to be ready for real world jobs. Consequently, seeks for alternative approaches together with technological advances reveal new ways to fulfill these needs such as Massive Open Online Courses. Inevitably, teacher education programs are to be affected by these pressures as well. The literature highlights the unsolved problems of the Turkish teacher education programs such as programs heavily based on theoretical information, increasing numbers of students and inadequate numbers of teacher educators, roles and profiles of teacher ...

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