Factors Affecting the Fear Levels of Secondary School Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This study aims to determine the factors affecting the fear levels of secondary school students during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, a parallel design approach was used in the study. The quantitative data were collected using the ’Corona virus Fear Scale’. Results of the study show that the students’ fear of corona virus was moderate. Students expressed that the factors which increased their fear levels in per- centage terms are: an increase in the number of cases (26.24%), increase in the number of deaths (12.69%), death of family members (2.40%), death of close relatives (1.20%), fear of losing loved ones (0.86%), being COVID positive (6.52%), a family member being COVID positive (5.15%), people in immediate surroundings being COVID positive (5.15%), people’s insensitivity (7.20%), people not wearing masks (4.29% ) and people not following social distancing (2.40%). To reduce their fears during the COVID-19 pandemic, students stated that they took measures such as staying at home, wearing a mask, paying attention to hygiene, taking precautions, and maintaining social distance.

Tinkercad Circuits Platform-Based Learning Experiences of Gifted Students in the Emergency Distance Education Process

“…Interest-based, problem-oriented, project-based, and interdisciplinary research is sought to be integrated into teaching, research, and practice to develop high-level complex comprehensive capabilities with an interdisciplinary research vision and interdisciplinary knowledge to meet the needs of future social and technological development (Ugulu, 2019). CAD software, which has an important place in realizing these goals with the developing technology and learning environments, is thought to have an increasing importance in the education of gifted students in terms of supporting their achievement and creativity skills (Tuysuz et al, 2023).…”

“…COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020 (Tuysuz et al, 2022). The interruption of in-person schooling caused by the safety measures taken during the pandemic has had a negative impact on the educational lives of approximately 770 million students worldwide (Tuysuz & Ugulu, 2021).…”

“…In the Science and Art Centers (SACs), which are the institutions where gifted students are trained outside of school in Türkiye, emergency distance education activities were carried out in line with the programs made by school administrations through software such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams. During the emergency distance education process, online competitions, meetings, and interviews were held in various disciplines and themes for students studying at Science and Art Centers (Tuysuz et al, 2023). Although the distance education process creates many disadvantages regarding the teaching environment, especially for students in early grades, it has been useful in the integration of computer-assisted applications into the teaching process.…”

Prospective Teachers’ Attitudes towards the Education of Gifted/Talented Students

“…Teachers are one of the key participants who can directly affect this process (Ugulu & Erkol, 2013). There are many factors that affect the quality of education provided by teachers, and one of them is attitudes (Tuysuz et al, 2022). As in all teaching fields, teacher attitudes have an important place in the field of gifted students (Cross et al, 2018).…”

Qualitative Evaluation of the Science Curriculum Applied in Science and Art Centers (SACs) for Gifted Students in Turkey Within the Framework of the CIPP Approach

“…It is possible to see individuals who change the flow in different fields by reflecting on the different perspectives they bring to their work in every period of history (Tuysuz et al , 2022). It is clear that the developments in science, technology, and art in the 21st-century world are taking societies forward, making gifted individuals a national treasure with critical importance, and the education of these individuals has become increasingly important all over the world (Ugulu, 2021).…”