The purpose of the research is to investigate prospective teachers’ perceptions of classroom atmosphere and their relationship with student gender, teacher gender and grade level. The sample consists of 752 students (451 females and 301 males) of a Faculty of Education in Egean District. Data was gathered by The Scale of Classroom Atmosphere. Mean, Standard Deviation, t-Test and Analysis of Variance were employed to analyse the data. Findings reveal that (a) students’ perceptions of classroom atmosphere are negative, (b) students’ perceptions vary in terms of the teachers’ and their own genders and grade levels.

Keywords: classroom atmosphere, prospective teachers, gender and grade level differences.
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Vee diagrams explaining knowledge and knowledge production process is one of the teaching strategies used aiming to provide meaningful learning in laboratories. In this study, the laboratory teaching strategy devoted to use Vee diagrams over traditionally designed biology laboratory on learning achievement of biology laboratory subject matters was investigated. 74 students as a two groups are consisted in the research sampling. Performing the experiments called Enzymes on Living Tissues and the Factors Affecting Activity of Enzymes, the laboratory teaching strategy devoted to use Vee diagrams is used at the experimental group, whereas traditional laboratory teaching strategy is used at the control group. Analyzing datas by the independent t-test, achievements of two students groups are compared and the students educated by the laboratory teaching strategy devoted to use Vee diagrams have been detected to be more succesful than the students educated by traditional laboratory teaching strategy.

Keywords: Vee diagram, biology education, biology, laboratory teaching.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of constructivist methode which has been used an alternative method in chemistry teaching to correction method, on student achivement in chemistry courses. Two student groups were used in this study. Constructivist method at laboratory was used for the expermental student group, while conventional correction method was uilized by the control student group. The electrolysis of pure water and NaCl solution were chosen as course subject.Using t-test, the achivement of two groups in chemistry was compared and it was determined that the group who took the course based on constructivist method was more successful than the control group.

Keywords: Chemistry education, chemistry education in the laboratory, electrolys teaching
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The purpose of this study is to investigate opinions of prospective mathematics teachers about language in mathematics teaching. Semi-structured inteviews were conducted with prospective mathematics teachers. Various dimensions of language in mathematics teaching were analayzed through the inteview. Results of this study shows that in mathematics teaching, reading and writing activities should be applied.

Keywords: mathematics teaching and language, prospective mathematics teachers
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The purpose of this study was to find out the perceptions of preservice elementary teachers about the difficulty level of mathematical problems. First year (n = 27) and fourth year (n = 55) preservice elemantary teachers who enrolled in Atatürk Teacher Training Academy were the participants of the study. The participants were asked to individually rank order 6 mathematics problems from easiest to most difficult for fourth grade students. Later fourth graders (n = 116), randomly chosen from three schools of Lefkofla, were asked to solve the same problems. Data analysis (Repeated Measures ANOVA) have shown that preservice elemantary teachers perceived symbolic equations as easier than story problems and word equations and they percieved start unknown problems as more difficult than result unknown problems. The most difficult type was start unknown story problems whereas the result unknown symbolic equations was the easiest for both students and preservice elemantary teachers.

Keywords: Problem difficulty, symbolic equations, story problems, word equations
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There are many factors affect mathematics teaching and learning. Teachers’ beliefs, perceptions, attitudes and many other factors play important roles for mathematics teaching and learning. Research indicates that teachers’ behaviors directly affect pupils’ behavior. This suggests that if teachers have positive views on mathematics, children in their classes might have positive attitudes towards mathematics. So, what teachers do in the classrooms is very important. Therefore student teachers’ training is also very important. This study aimed to take student teachers’ view on mathematics teaching and learning. For this aim student teachers were asked about the role of motivation, in particular. Interview as qualitative research technique was used and student teachers who were in their last year of teacher training program were interviewed in this study. Limited sample of student teachers were interviewed for gathering detailed data. Only findings belong interviews are presented in this study.

Keywords: Motivation, student teachers, mathematics.
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In this research, the effects of the active learning approach in the science studies teaching on achievement was examined by using the quantitative data. The research was carried out on two different groups of the fifth class pupils of Seyranba¤lar› Primary School that is located at Çankaya in Ankara. Pre and post-test with control group design was applied in the research. While the conventional teaching approach was implemented in the control group, the active learning approach was implemented in the experimental group. In the analysis of the quantitative data, mean, standart deviation and the t test in independent groups were used.The findings can be summarized as follows: A significant difference was found in the means of the total gain scores between the active learning approach treated in the science course experimental group and the conventional teaching approach treated in the science course group. The means of the experimental group was better than the control group.

Keywords: active learning, achievement, science.
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TIn this study, interdisciplinary teaching approach and feas›bility of the approach in the high school biology education in Turkey were searched. The results showed that the majority of biology teachers did not know much on interdisciplinary teaching approach. Teachers stated that allocated time for biology courses was not adequate for this teaching approach and also emphasized there was not much time for interdisciplinary studies because of the heavy content of the curriculum. Furthermore, it has been stated that the the subjects in biology curriculum were not suitable enough for the interdisciplinary teaching approach. While teachers expressed that communication among the sub – branches was adequate for interdisciplinary studies at “medium” level, both teachers and principals stated necessary organization could be provided for interdisciplinary studies in schools. Both teachers and principals found that equipment of the schools were adequate at “low” level.

Keywords: Interdisciplinary teaching, biology education.
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In this study, it is examined whether the latent traits theory provides the invariance of item parameters, which is accepted as the advantage of latent traits theory over classical theory. Finally, it is found that the latent traits theory could not provide the invariance of item parameters; on the contrary, the classical test theory brings outcomes as invariance as the latent traits theory does.

Keywords: classical test theory, latent Traits Theory, invariance of parameters
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This study is conducted to determine the teaching management behaviors that the students expect from the teachers in the biology laboratory lessons. “Evaluation form of the Teacher’s Teaching Management Behaviors” was administered to 308 high school students. This form includes 25 items. As a result of it was determined that students expected from their biology teachers to show certain teaching management behaviors in the biology laboratory lessons. The findings indicate that the students expect the following behaviors: informing on the aims, motivating, feedback. Based on these findings some suggestions were proposed.

Keywords: laboratory lesson, biology instruction, instructional management.
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Grading criteria in physical education and assessment through teachers’ and students’ perception was investigated in this study. Research question guiding this study was “what is physical education teachers’ and students’ perception of assessment and grading criteria in physical education?” 50 PE teachers and 306 students participated in this study. Two different questionnaire were administered to measure PE teachers’ and students’ perceptions about assesssment in physical education. First part of the questionnaire included demografic information and second part consisted of 26 questions related to assessment in PE class. The questionanire distributed to 25 private and 25 public school PE teachers and total 306 eight grade students from five private and five public schools. Descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) was used to analyze data. The results indicated that the private school PE teachers always preferred to use command and practice style. However, the public school PE teachers were most frequently using command style. Both public and private school PE teachers mostly preferred to use practice exam in assessment of PE course. Attendance and doing ones best in achieving objectives were indicated the most important student behaviors to evaluate student success in PE courses according to private and public school PE teachers. According to findings, PE teachers basically using summative evaluation, which gives the idea about the product rather than the process.

Keywords: : physical education, student achievement, evaluation
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Bu çal›flman›n amac›, Türkiye’de çal›flan okulöncesi e¤itim ö¤retmenlerinin "geliflimsel uygunlu¤u göz önünde bulunduran uygulamalar" (developmentally appropriate practices) hakk›ndaki düflüncelerini anlamak, etkili ö¤retime karfl› varolan engeller hakk›nda bilgi edinmektir. Ankara ve Istanbul illerinde bulunan 3-6 yafl aras› çocuklara hizmet veren okullarda görev yapan 12 okulöncesi e¤itim ö¤retmenine "derinlemesine mülakat metodu" uygulanm›flt›r. Ö¤retmenlerin düflüncelerinin, özellikle ana hatlar dikkate al›nd›¤›nda (aktif, yaparak ve yaflayarak ö¤renme, drama, ve ö¤rencilerin ilgi ve ihtiyaçlar›na dayal› aktiviteler) "geliflimsel uygunlu¤u göz önünde bulunduran uygulamalara" daha yak›n oldu¤u gö- rülmüfltür. Ö¤retmenlerin belirtti¤i etkin uygulamaya engel oluflturan faktörler aras›nda en çok tekrarlanan faktörler, fiziksel flartlar ve imkanlar (s›n›f büyüklü¤ü, materyaller), ö¤retmen-veli iflbirli¤inin eksikli¤i ve de ö¤retmenlik mesle¤inin düflük statüsü olarak karfl›m›za ç›kmaktad›r.

Keywords: teacher beliefs, practices, DAP
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The ultimate aim of this study is to design a new schedule about the awareness of "Garbage Reduction" Secondly, to determine the behaviours, knowledge of the students about the subject of garbage reduction. Also the observation of their behaviours. if they change positively or negatively. at the and of this research, by the development of the new schedule it’s observed that the students negative behaviours towards environment changed positively. Their awareness of environment has developed permanently. Additionally, their information about environment and their behaviours towards surrounding and misbehaviours on environment has been determined.

Keywords: environmental problems, garbage reduction, environmental awareness, fifty-class students and their attitude.
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It has been argued in many platforms that foreign language learners studying at all levels from primary to high schools, cannot make use of what they have learned in necessary situations and in general, cannot attain success in foreign language. This failure is often tied to the selection of course books or insufficient hours of instruction, etc. In this study, this problem is approached from the perspective of foreign language learning techniques including using monolingual dictionaries, instructing reading techniques, and motivating students to read outside the classroom.

Keywords: learning techniques, reading, using dictionaries.
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The purpose of this study is to develop mathematics and computer self-efficacy scales that measures the mathematics and computer self-efficacy beliefs of seventh and eighth grade students. The other purpose of this study is to investigate gender difference in mathematics and computer self-efficacy. Factor analysis results revealed that the mathematics self-efficacy scale containing 15 items loaded on three factors and these factors named as using of mathematics in daily life, equations and symmetry respectively. 10 items that constitute computer self-efficacy scale loaded on two factors and these factors named as general skills about computer and more specific computer skills respectively. There was no significant mean difference was found between boys and girls with respect to mathematics self-efficacy but boys had significantly greater mean scores than girls with respect to computer self-efficacy.

Keywords: mathematics self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy, mathematics self-efficacy scale, computer self-efficacy scale
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In the present study, it was aimed to develop criteria to examine illustrations found in science and chemistry textbooks if they reflect constructivist views. Using the criteria developed, 24 science textbooks, of which 11 is English, were examined. The results show that a) English textbooks devoted more space to scientific illustrations than their Turkish counterparts b) Turkish science textbooks do not have macro scientific illustrations, molecular analogies, multiframe visuals and thought-provoking illustrations. As a result, it is possible to say that English science textbooks are written in the line of constructivist views regarding their illustrations.

Keywords: constructivist view of learning, illustrations, multi-frame visuals, Turkish science textbooks, English science textbooks
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A slide show prepared with PowerPoint, “Eye and sight sense”, has been experienced on students of the departments of ‘Computer Science and Instructional Technologies Education’ and ‘Mathematics Education’ in faculty of Gazi Education in order to research the influences of computer use in biology education on students’ success. One hundred students divided into three groups: one control group and two test groups (test group I and II). While the control group has taken traditional education, test group-I worked individually on the same lessons with slide show and the tests group II took teacher help in addition to show slide. Success test on groups matched by logical idea test is used as a measurement tool. The comparison of results of first and last success test displays that the control group does not show any significant difference, the test group I and II indicate reasonable increase on the success.

Keywords: computer use in education, student success, general biology
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Concept mapping is a tool to make easy learning in classroom, particularly for biology subjects. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of concept mapping over traditionally designed lesson on 11th grade students’ learning of genetics. A total of 82 students were involved in the study. To achive it, teaching of genetics lessons was conducted on both control group by traditional method and on an experimental group by concept mapping. The performances of the two groups were comparatively evaluated by t-test analysis and the group of students who were taught by concept mapping was rather more successful than the group who were taught by traditional method

Keywords: biology education, concept mapping, genetics, genetics subject achievement
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The aim of this research is to find out about simple electric circuits misconceptions of first year secondary school students’ and to propose a teaching approach for conceptual development. In order to reveal students’ misconceptions eight open ended questions were administered to 108 first year secondary school students. It was found that there is an agreement between the result of this study and those of related studies done in different places and times in terms of many misconceptions.

Keywords: Science education, physics education, misconceptions, simple electric circuits
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Countries improve their educational systems in order to raise quality people. As in different educational systems, presenting differences and similarities among different secondary biology education in different countries may allow to asses these systems from different perspectives. In this study Turkish and German educational systems are compared in terms of secondary education and biology education. For this aim, the biology course in the Baviera district of Germany is analyzed. In German educational system, unlike Turkish educational system secondary education is obligatory and is organized into two levels. There are differences between these two educational systems in terms of course hours and curricula. The biology course in German educational system is organized more course hours and intensive than Turkish educational system.

Keywords: turkish educational system, german educational system, secondary education, biology curriculum, biology course hours.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate 4- 5-6 and 7th grade students’ success and their strategies while they engaged in finding the number of small cubes in rectangular solids. A total of 314 students, from 3 different school sites were participated in the study. Students were preseted pictorial rectangular solids of different sizes and asked to find the number of unit cubes in them. Data were analyzed using statistical techniques. Results showed that many students, even at 7th grade had difficulty in finding the number of unit cubes in rectangular prizms. Implications for mathematics education at the elementary level were discussed.

Keywords: volume formula, unit cube, volume
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The purpose of this study is to find out teachers views of combination classes. Data of the study were collected through face to face interviews with 75 combination classroom teachers in Ankara. Participants reported that combination classes practice has negative effects on their professional eagerness and motivation. They also indicated that they prefer working in a single grade classroom instead of combination classes. Participants believe that combination classes practice must be ended as soon as possible. Altough participant teachers mention some disadvantages of combination classes they create a long list about the advantages of combination classes which is the most interesting finding of this study

Keywords: combination classes, rural education, teaching in combination classes.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the misconceptions and learning difficulties of elementary students on light, vision and mirrors, which are the fundamental subjects of optics. The participants of the study were 304 students from the third, fifth and seventh grades of the 2000-2002 school year. The data were collected through open-ended & true-false questions. The results are parallel to the results of international studies that investigated the same age groups.

Keywords: light, vision,mirrors, optics, elementary students, physics education.
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This study aims to compare two teacherwritten feedback procedures (total feedback via error codes vs. selective feedback via general comments) for the students’ structural errors – grammar, vocabulary, mechanics. For this purpose, two groups of students in the Department of Basic English at Middle East Technical University were given feedback on their writing with the above mentioned techniques for eight weeks and their performance was tested in a writing exam at the end of the study. The analysis of the data collected through the post-test indicated that the different treatments applied proved no difference in terms of improving students’ accurate language use. The results, however, suggest that teachers do not need to spend hours to give feedback on all errors; selective feedback via general comments will help students improve their writing to a comparable level.

Keywords: writing, total feedback, selective feedback, error code, general comments.
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It is a well-known fact that a large part of society perceive mathematics as "a symbolic science about numbers and computations which are taught in the schools". This research conducted in four big universities in Ankara has revealed that preschool teacher candidates do not view mathematics in this way. This finding is quite important and pleasing. However, a considerable number of candidates believe that everything, and every way of thinking is about mathematics, and they also think that all mathematic topics should be included in the content knowledge of preschool mathematics education. In fact, this case can also be seen as some sort of not knowing mathematics well. For students who are going to be teachers in preschools after a short time, identifying mathematics correctly, knowing its place in daily life can make important contributions to reduce unnecessary mathematics anxiety that might come from their misinterpretations of mathematics. This study is aimed at how preschool teacher candidates perceive mathematics

Keywords: preschool teacher education, teacher training mathematical education
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Aim of this research is to determine the views of teachers on present and preferred situation, related to their usage of information and communication technologies - innovation- having cultural individual approach as base. The data were collected by interviewing 43 teachers - assigned at an Anatolia Technical High School - one by one, through a structured interview form developed by the researchers. As a result of data analysing, it has been determined that present situation grades were lower than preferred situation grades related to computer technologies usage, impact on student and purpose of usage. It has been also obtained that, the factors hindering the usage of computer are more than the appealing ones. Besides, middle level positive correlation was found at present and preferred situation grades between computer usage situations and computer usage purposes. As a result, when teachers preferred situation grades were examined, teachers’ expectations were on using computer technologies more and in larger areas, moreover having and accessing better hardware. Therefore, it can be claimed that, when suitable conditions provided , teachers are open to the external support on computer usage and they are eager to continuity of innovation.

Keywords: diffusion of innovation, culturel-individual perspective, teachers’ usage of computer
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In the study of nutrition by teachers and preservice teachers in Germany, their purposes to consider student expectations and the factors that play an important role in these purposes were determined. Besides, the ways to encourage teachers and pre-service teachers to make student expectations into considerations for the study of nutrition were examined. The theory of planned behavior forms the basis of the study. In view of this theory, two different modells were developed for these teachers. These modells were evaluated using a statistical program called AMOS. Accordind to the results obtained, it is found that the attitudes of German teachers and pre-sevice teachers played an important role im their decisions to make into account the student expectations.

Keywords: nutrition, student expections, the theory of planned behavioring mathematical education
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In the present study, the prediction capacity of submissive, test anxiety, family support, peer support, and teacher support on academic acheivement of high school students were examined. The sample of the study included totally 663 (385 female, 278 male). The mean of grades of Mathemathics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Turkish Language, History and Geography was considered as the criterion of academic acheivement. Test Anxiety Inventory – Turkish Form (TAI), The Turkish Form of Submissive Acts Scale (SAS) and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) were administred in other to gather the datain this study. The data were analyzed by Regression technique. Major findings of the study were, family support, submissive acts, teacher support, and test anxiety predicted academic acheivement of high school students significantly. Peer support did not predict academic acheivement significantly. The findings were discussed in the light of related literature, and suggestion were made.

Keywords: academic acheivement, submissive acts, test anxiety, social support, high school students
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This paper aims to determine opinions and achievements of the students concerning instructional activities based on the multiple intelligences theory. The subjects comprised of sixteen 5th grade ‹stek Özel Kaflgarl› Mahmut primary school students in Istanbul. The study design included both qualitative and quantitative data. Research findings suggested that most of the instructional activities based on multiple intelligences would have a good effect on students. Moreover, there was a significant difference between achievement scores of pretest and posttest of the students.

Keywords: instructional activities, multiple intelligences theory, primary school.
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It is frequently observed that the concepts taught in Chemistry Education cannot be understood by the students clearly and as a result of this, misconceptions occur. In another way, misconceptions occur in every area of knowledge. Determining the students’ learning difficulties and evaluating the studies done in this area, will support Teaching Chemistry. In this study researches related with chemical equilibrium, chemical bonding, chemical change, acids and bases, thermodynamics, gases and electrochemistry were investigated. In order to remediate these misconceptions, some methods that can be used in education are explained.

Keywords: chemistry education, misconceptions, applications in order to remediate misconceptions.
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Short term higher education programmes providing associate degrees to meet the demand for intermediate human capacity needs, have widely used in different countries with increasing interest. In Turkey, despite various past efforts in this field results are still far from meeting expectations of the related sectors. Last step taken for the elimination of quantitative and qualitative impediment for the improvment of short term higher education is project developed within the rules set out by the law No. 4072 entitled "Project of the Ministry of Education (MEB) and the higher Education Council (YÖK) for Development of Programmes of Short Term Higher Education and Vocational Schools". Project brings substantial changes to current situation and when it is examined throughly as a whole package, it is seen that there are some major obstacles to prevent the realization of the project goals. In this article, these obstacles of the project discussed and assessed which could lead many complications in case they are not revised and altered.

Keywords: vocational schools, the education project of MEB-YÖK
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Concept maps developed for promoting the meaningful learning as an educational technique are the one of techniques frequently used in science education today. Concept maps graphically showing concepts and relationships among concepts about a topic are two-dimensional schemas that are used for understanding how the students perceive and synthesize the concepts, for identifying students’ preconceptions and misconceptions, and for assessing students’ conceptual understanding. In this study, it was intended to present how concept maps are evaluated within different approaches and criteria by the use of a model.

Keywords: evaluation, concept map, assessment approaches of concept map
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ortaö¤retim yaflam kimyas› konular›, ö¤renme-ö¤retme etkinlikleri, ö¤renci deneyleri ve ölçme de¤erlendirme

Keywords: life chemistry subjects in secondary education, teaching-learning activities, student experiments and measurement and assessment.
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