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ABSTRACT. This research examined the environmental awareness and environmental sensitivities of prospective teachers in terms of some variables. These are secondary education Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Sociology, Geography, History, and primary Science teachers. Obtaining the research data, the instrument developed by Yeşilyurt, Gül & Demir (2013) in order to assess prospective biology teachers' environmental awareness and sensitivity, was used in our study. Research was conducted using data gathered from 242 prospective teachers. Results of the study show that there was not statistically significant difference between the branches and genders according to environmental awareness and sensitivities of the prospective teachers'. Whereas, from the viewpoint of sub-dimension named environmental sensitivity, statistically significant difference was found between the branches. According to related literature, further educational implications and suggestions recommended.

-The purpose of this research is to examine the perceptions of genetically modified food by the teacher candidates in different branches in Turkey through metaphors. The study was conducted with 133 teacher candidates from three different branches. In the study "Genetically modified food ... looks like, because ..." data was collected with the sentence pattern. This study is a qualitative research in case studies. As a result, the teacher candidates produced 75 different metaphors. These metaphors are grouped under four categories. The category "threat" (68.4%) is in the first rank, "uselessness" (11.3%) is in the second rank, "advantage" (11.3%) is in the third rank and "need" (9%) is in the fourth rank. As a result, the majority of teacher candidates have no positive perception of genetically modified food. In addition, the metaphorical perceptions of the genetically modified food according to the gender and branches of the teacher candidates do not differ significantly. Studies aiming to reveal the reasons why teacher candidates have negative holdings against GDG can be done. Another research question is how the negative perceptions of the teacher candidates towards GDG are in teachers.Key words: Genetically modified food, metaphor, teacher candidate, perception. SummaryGenetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be described as organisms (ie plants,

In this study, teachers' perceptions of prospective Turkish teachers (that is,

Analogical reasoning is both an innate ability and a basic learning mechanism that can be improved. In classrooms, it is an important tool used by teachers, especially when explaining difficult or abstract issues. In addition to its use in all aspects of our lives, analogical reasoning is commonly used in textbooks. This research examines the extent to which analogies are used in high school science textbooks, the subjects of the examination being high school physics, chemistry, and biology course textbooks used by students between 14 and 17 years of age. A total of 15 textbooks (four biology books, five physics books, and six chemistry books) were reviewed. Ninety-two analogies were identified in these books. These analogies were classified based on a scheme developed by Curtis and Reigeluth. Findings are discussed in the context of previous related studies.

I S S N : 1 3 0 8 -7 1 7 7 C i l t / V o l u me : 3 2 0 1 4 -3 S a y ı / I s s u e : 2 K ı ş / Wi n t e r 2 0 1 4 U l u s l a r a r a s ı H a k e m l i D e r g i I n t e r n a t i o n a l R e f e r e e d J o u r n a l

This study investigated the environmental literacy levels of middle school students in general. In particular, environmental literacy levels of students were compared in terms of different variables. The research was carried out with the participation of 1248 students studying in public and private schools in the province of Isparta, located in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. In this study, the “Environmental Literacy Scale” developed by Yavuz et al. (2014) was used. As a result, the general environmental literacy of middle school students can be regarded in a good level. The environmental literacy level of female students is at a better level than males’. Environmental literacy hasn’t displayed a significant difference statistically among class levels. However; there is a significant difference between public and private school students in favor of public schools. Moreover; the environmental literacy scores of students living in city center were detected higher than the ones living in villages. The environmental literacy level of ones following magazines about environment is significantly higher than the ones who haven’t. Similarly, the environmental literacy level of ones following edition about environment through social media or television is significantly higher than those who haven’t. Moreover, the behavior level of the ones who thinks environment education at schools is sufficient is determined significantly higher in comparison with the behavior level of the ones who doesn’t. Finally, the research was ended with some suggestions for a more effective environment education.

The educational reform movements in Turkey have been accelerating since the 1990s. In connection with this, 5-year compulsory education was changed to 8 years. Following this, primary education curriculum was renewed in 2000 and 2004. The important components of formal education are the curriculum, textbooks and the examinations for entering the next stage of education (such as Secondary Education Placement Examinations (SEPE) and Higher Education Placement Examinations (HEPE) exams). This study investigates the content congruity between primary education second stage (the 6th-8 grade) curriculum for the science and technology course and the SEPE exams and the textbooks from the perspective of biology. The research found, in consequence, no incongruity between the three elements in general. In SEPE exams (2008-2010), there were no questions on some issues in the textbooks and curriculum which, therefore, can be regarded as inconsistency among curriculum, textbooks and SEPE exams. In the last part of our study, several recommendations towards the innovations of the curriculum have been made for the future.