The aim of this study was to find out the effect of full version and edited video-cases on volleyball trainers’ game set analysis skills. Participants were 60 male volleyball trainers having Stage II and III training certificates and having experience in the league of first and second in 2006-2007 seasons. The trainers were divided into two experimental groups each consisting of 30 trainers according to their cognitive styles. Experimental groups met to watch the full version or edited video-cases which were drawing from the games of female and male Turkish national volleyball teams. The analysis activities of the participants were evaluated according to the scoring key prepared by use of the answers given by the experts. In the data analysis phase of the study, analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures were used and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated. Results showed that there was no significant difference between the full version and edited video-cases on the analysis skills [F(1,58)=.981, p>0.05]. This finding indicates that different type video-cases have no significant effect on the analysis skills of volleyball trainers. However, it was found that there were significant differences between field-dependent and field-independent volleyball trainers with regard to their analysis skill [F(3,56)=62.3391, p<0.05]. This finding indicates that cognitive style has an effect on the analysis skill scores.

Keywords: Case-based learning, case-based instruction, video-cases, cognitive style, volleyball
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Foreign language teaching and learning has been increasingly attached importance during the process of becoming a full member of the European Union. For this reason, for many years a great amount of efforts have been made in order to bring the foreign language teaching in our schools close to the ones in the European Union member countries. In this study, relying on the multilingual policies of the European Union, the improvements in the foreign language courses in Turkey are scrutinized. In this context, the official articles, the structural organizations, and the foreign language teaching methods are examined and the possible problems of these factors not cohesive to the accommodation process for the European Union membership. Besides, in this article on teaching German as a foreign language, some recommendations are made about these problems.

Keywords: EU language policy, multilingualism, foreign language teaching, teaching german as a foreign language
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Constructivism is not a new concept. It has its roots in philosophy and has been applied to sociology and anthropology, as well as cognitive psychology and education. The aim of this research is to reveal if there is a significant difference between the means of achievement and retention learning scores of constructivist learning approach applied group and conventional training approach applied group. Since an experimental research was treated, no population or sampling group process was stated. In the research, the pupils of sixth class, studying in Yunus Emre Elementary School at city center of Eskişehir, in spring term of 2005- 2006 academic year were chosen. Pre – test scores of experimental and control groups and the means of the scores of science lesson fall term of sixth class were evaluated and appropriate two classes were chosen. 6-A class was chosen as the experimental group and 6-B class was chosen as the control group at random. In this reseach, one of the experimental designs which provide quantiative data about the primary and secondary subproblems called “Pre- test, Post- Test with Control Group Design” were implemented.

Keywords: constructivist learning approach, achievement, retention, science.
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The article investigates the influence of values, beliefs and problem perception on personal norms for biodiversity protection. The study is based on the Value-Belief-Norm Theory. The sample consists of 499 Turkish students in secondary education. Regression analysis showed that – regarding values – only universalism as biospheric-altruistic value orientation had an impact on personal norms. Investigating beliefs, perceived ability to reduce threats and ascription of responsibility to protect biodiversity were predictors for personal norms. Regarding problem perception, socio-economic and ecological problem perception as well as problem denial strongly influenced personal norms. The paper argues for an interdisciplinary biodiversity education, which focuses on the consideration of the different perspectives regarding biodiversity and its protection.

Keywords: biodiversity education, personal norms, values, beliefs
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In this article the authors establish the key competencies that should be acquired by future teachers in the course of their undergraduate studies. They also develop a model of the factors for which they presume most significantly contribute to the development of the selected competencies. For the selection of competencies and predictors of their development they adapted the model of the REFLEX Project (2009 –) in-line with relevant theories, projects and authors concerning the competencies of primary school teachers. In the empirical part, the authors, among others, prove as follows: (1) the grades of the future primary school teachers during study have only a very limited impact on the acquired competencies studied in the paper; (2) occupational values highly impact the development of all studied competencies; (3) greater inclusiveness of an individual in social networks has a positive impact and statistically significantly contributes to reaching all studied competencies. The authors agree that the future development of the curriculum for primary school teachers should seriously consider these findings.

Keywords: teacher competencies, teacher training programs, REFLEX
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This study examined the relationships among students’ learning approaches, motivational goals, previous science grades, and their science achievement for the concepts related to atomic theory and explored the effects of gender and sociodemographic variables on students’ learning approaches, motivational goals, and their science achievement for the concepts related to atomic theory. The sample constituted 416 seventh grade elementary students. A Science Achievement Test (specifically designed for atomic theory), A Learning Approach Questionnaire, and An Achievement Motivation Questionnaire were administered to the students. Results of the correlation analyses revealed positive relationships among meaningful learning, performance orientation, and self efficacy. Students’ previous science grades were positively correlated with achievement, meaningful learning, and self-efficacy and negatively correlated with rote learning and performance orientations. ANOVA results revealed that participants’ parents’ education level had significant effect on their achievement and meaningful learning, rote learning, and approach performance orientations.

Keywords: ilkokul öğrencileri, öğrenme yaklaşımı, güdüsel hedefler, fen başarısı
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The research study stimulates critical approach to research and practice, with an increasing emphasis on ethics and ethical decision making of the teacher researchers within action research process by using technology in its process. The study investigates the impact of technology within the action research, ethical considerations and dilemmas while teacher researchers conduct educational research as critical friends within same academic institution. The research study was carried by eight participants in Educational Sciences Department who are teachers and at the same time experienced action research to develop teaching policy within their educational practices as researchers. This research has qualitative nature that focus groups, researcher observation and self-reports of the participants are relevant data collection techniques. The research study empowers that teacher researchers need to be reflective, proactive and critical friends among colleagues in each step of actions within educational practice by putting emphasis on technology and ethics.

Keywords: action research, critical friends, ethics, technology
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This study investigated the effectiveness of 5E learning cycle on 6th-grade students’ achievement of cell concepts, and their scientific epistemological beliefs. Epistemological Belief Questionnaire and the Cell Concept Test were administered as pre-test and post-test to a total of 153 sixth grade students in four intact classes of an elementary school. Two classes were randomly assigned as control and experimental groups. Experimental groups received 5E learning cycle instruction and control groups received traditional instruction. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance. Results showed that treatment had a significant effect on the collective dependent variables. Univariate ANOVAs indicated a statistically significant mean difference between experimental and control groups regarding cell concepts achievement and epistemological beliefs in the favor of experimental groups.

Keywords: cell, 5E learning cycle, scientific epistemological beliefs.
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The purpose of this research is to determine the satisfaction levels of the students of Elementary Education Department at Hacettepe University with regard to educational services provided by the Department. The study group of the research, consisting of 870 students, were chosen randomly from the junior and senior students who attanded the divisons of Classroom Teaching, Science Education, Elemantary Mathematics Educatin, and Early Childhood Education in the academic years of 2005-2006, 2006-2007, and 2007-2008. Using “Education Faculty- Student Satisfaction Scale” developed by researcher, students were offered to determine their level of satisfaction in six sub-dimensions. Students’ satisfaction levels for three consecutive years, in general increased, but also the application performed in 2007-2008 academic year, especially in sub-dimensions of management, recources, and computer resources, “very low” level is realized; in the sub-dimensions of teaching stuff, consultancy and teaching programs “medium” level has been identified.

Keywords: higher education, quality in higher education, student satisfaction
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The aim of present study was two-fold: (1) to determine university students’ familiarity and understandings of ‘sustainable development’, (2) to examine their attitudes toward sustainable development, environmental values, and their behaviors toward sustainable life styles. The data collected by on-line administration of a questionnaire to 958 university students during February-June of 2008 were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. The results reflected that majority of the participants declared themselves familiar with the term of sustainable development, but they could not develop a sound understanding as a holistic concept. It was also found that university students had favorable attitudes toward sustainable development and intrinsic values toward the environment. However, these participants did not readily take some radical actions in order to create a more sustainable future.

Keywords: sustainable development, attitudes, environmental values, behaviors toward sustainability
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This study aims to reveal the effects of father education programs on the levels of their involvement with their children aged 2 to 9. The study group comprised 14 fathers who participate in a father education program. The study employed the pre-test-posttest design. Data were collected by using Father Interview Forms. The independent variable of the study is the Father Education Program activity implemented on the study group between the pre- and posttest. Starting from one week after the fathers were given the Father Interview Form as a pretest, the fathers took participated a 10-week education. One week after the education program was complete, the same test was administered once again to the fathers as a posttest. Data obtained from the study were analyzed with the Non-Parametric Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The findings have shown that the father education program increased “the frequency of fathers becoming involved with their children’s games, going out with their children, having verbal interactions with them, teaching them new things, becoming involved with their daily care, and looking after them at special times”.

Keywords: father involvement, father education programs, father-child interaction.
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The purpose of this study is to explore the role of the Internet in foreign language teaching/ learning. Firstly, the internet using habits and the attitudes of the students towards accessing internet were determined. The research sample consisted of students in the faculty of education at Hacettepe University. The findings indicated that these subjects used internet to achieve knowledge, get help for the preparation of courses, and communicate. For this reason, the content analysis of the e-mails was examined. As a result, it can be speculated that the internet, as a medium for learning a foreign language in practice, contributes to the development of communication in learning French as a foreign language. However, considering the frequency of errors, the absence of connectors and punctuation marks, effacing of limits between the spoken language and the written language, the internet has also negative effects in the development of writing skills in FFL.

Keywords: Foreign language teaching, internet language, internet and writing
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The aim of this study is to present the functions and responsibilities of Educational Technologies Centre (ETC), with the help of opinions from the educationists. A total of 133 educationists have been included in this study where 18% of educationists were educational experts from Ministry of Education in North Cyprus, 33.1% were school headmasters, 30.8% were school teachers, and 18% were academicians. The data was collected by questionnaires named “The Functions of the Educational Technologies Center” which was prepared after reviewing the related Literature. The Alfa reliability of the questionnaire is 0.98. The educationalist approved 89% of items in the questionnaires.

Keywords: eğitim teknolojisi, eğitim teknolojileri merkezleri, eğitim destek ofisleri
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According to the published European Union Research reports about foreign language learning at an early age, supporting the foreign language use of children for it to go beyond being used in a mechanic way carries great importance. What is ideal here is to enable the use of foreign language both in a creative and structural way. Through the micro scale research carried out in this study, there has been an attempt to identify, categorize and evaluate Turkish children’s use of creative and structural language together at preschool. For this reason, the focus is drawn on two assumptions: 1. The language use based on previously learned structures realized as a result of the teacher’s will, 2. creative use of language not realized as a result of the teacher’s will. An attempt has been made to figure out the factors affecting the learning processes and learning after the observations and interviews carried out in the classroom. Within this framework, the problems and possibilities in the teaching of German language at preschool in Turkey are mentioned.

Keywords: German language teaching at preschool, class observation, learning attitude, language use.
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Parallel with the reorganization of teacher training programs in Education Faculties, a course named “Comparative Country Knowledge” was introduced to be given in German Language Teaching Undergraduate Program since 2006-2007 academic year. This course was not used as a course transferring information about foreign countries or handling intercultural issues in a theoretical way in 2008 2009 spring term in Hacettepe University German Language Teaching Undergraduate program. Aims, content, activities, method, material and evaluation criteria were defined and organized with an intercultural approach and it was utilized as an opportunity for the prospective German language teacher’s development of sensibility to interact healthfully with the foreign culture. In this study, “Comparative Country Knowledge” course conducted by a project has been evaluated in terms of student acquisition. Evaluation has been handled within respect to student opinions about the process, product and acquisition of the project as the three main criteria and it has been found that all activities creating the dynamism of the project are efficient tools for the intercultural development of students.

Keywords: Comparative country knowledge, constructivist approach, project based course, German language teaching
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This study focuses on differentiated instructional design by investigating the effect of the design on students’ metacognitive skills and self efficacy. The research has a pretest-posttest design and the treatment group consists of 25 sixth grade students, who are attending Esenler Cumhuriyet Primary School. Achievement test, developed by the researcher, and metacognitive skills and self efficacy perception scales, which are adapted by Üredi (2005), are implemented twice, before and after treatment. All instruments’ reliability and validity analyses had been controlled. The results of the study show that there are significant and positive differences between pretests and posttests of total academic achievement, knowledge, comprehension and application questions, metacognitive skills and self efficacy scores. These results support all the three hypthoseses of the study.

Keywords: Differentiated instructional design, self efficacy, metacognitive skills, academic achievement, mathematics education.
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Topics of respiration and energy acquisition are two of the topics which students consider as difficult and have the least interest in. For that reason, in this research, it was aimed to determine the contexts and study methods that could influence the student success and learning motivation positively. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire form regarding the interest in the various contexts of the topic and in the activities which can be made in the course process. Study group of the research is made up of 173 students who study in 11th and 12th grades in German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Research results indicated that even though the general interest of the students in the subject was little, the interest of the students increased when the topic was associated with various contexts. The interest is at its highest level within the contexts of health, sport and human biology. The activities in which the interests of the students are highest are the ones supported by visual-auditory materials in which students take part in actively or as observers. Research results include tips which will be helpful in preparation of the course contents in which context-based learning is grounded on.

Keywords: Respiration and energy acquisition, interest, context, teaching methods.
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The aim of this paper was twofold: The first one was to investigate the reliability and validity of Turkish version of Teacher Multicultural Attitude Survey (TMAS) developed by Jojeph G. Ponterotto (Ponterotto, Baluch, Greig, & Rivera, 1998). Having adapted into Turkish, the scale was applied to total 415 teachers, selected randomly from different branches in Tokat, Turkey, of which 135 female and 280 male. Cronbach alpha coefficient for the reliability of the Turkish version of the TMAS was found to be .74. As a result of the factor analysis, there was no sufficient proof on the alleged single dimensionality of the scale. Secondly, we also investigated whether teachers’ attitudes toward multicultural education differ in terms of variables such as educational level, gender, instructional area of specialization, the type of graduated faculty or college, years teaching, the location of their present school, cultural environment of their earlier education. The results indicated that there were no differences in teacher attitudes toward multicultural education according to the gender variable. On the other hand, there were statistically significant differences according to the teachers’ educational level, instructional specialization, the type of graduated faculty or college, years in teaching and the location of their present school variables.

Keywords: multicultural education, diversity, teacher attitudes, reliability, validity.
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The purpose of this study was to develop a measuring tool in order to form teaching materials that can be used in Bridging Analogy Based Instruction (BABI). It would be possible not only to find out new anchoring and bridging analogies, but also to use and investigate the analogies offered in the related literature with this test named as Force Diagnostic Test (FDT). The details of the whole procedure related to the development of the FDT such as selection of the misconceptions, determination of the number of items, format of the test, and non-structured interviews were explained in this study in detailed. Final version of the FDT was applied to 148 students of two different universities in Ankara. Students’ answers, confidence levels, and their explanations for causes of their answers were investigated by considering each question in the test individually. In the light of all these data, the importance of FDT and its contributions to BABI were discussed.

Keywords: physics education, bridging analogies, anchoring analogy, Newton’s third law
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This research aims at determining elementary teachers’ and school principals’ self-efficacy beliefs concerning character education and establishing whether or not there is a significant difference between the two groups. The research sample is composed of 311 elementary teachers in addition to 180 administrators who are employed in the central districts of Ankara. The 24-item character education self-efficacy scale developed by Milson and Mehlig (2002) was translated into Turkish and used in the research. The distribution of responses given to the scale by both the teachers and the school principals signaled high belief in efficacy. It was concluded through research findings that teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs did not differ on the basis of such variables as gender, seniority, educational status, experience in administration, the number of students in the classroom, and attending in-service training in character education. On the other hand, it was found that the teachers self-efficacy beliefs differed significantly on the basis of grade level taught. Additionally, the school principals’ self- efficacy beliefs in character education did not differ in terms of gender, seniority, educational status, length of administrative tasks, and whether or not receiving in-service education in character education. Research findings revealed that experience in administration affected self-efficacy beliefs concerning character education in a positive way. A significant difference in personal, general and total efficacy between the teachers’ and school principals’ self-efficacy score averages was available in favour of the school principals.

Keywords: Character education, self-efficacy belief, elementary teacher, school principal
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