Culture and the Common European Framework for Languages: A Comparative Corpus Analysis of 2001, 2018 and 2020 Texts

In order to provide “a common basis for the elaboration of language syllabuses, curriculum guidelines, examinations, textbooks, etc. across Europe”, The Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR) was published in 2001 by the Council of Europe. It has affected the way languages are taught, learnt and assessed and also how foreign language proficiency levels are defined all around the world. The CEFR adopts an intercultural approach to foreign language, and the main purpose is to protect cultural diversity and to give importance to cultural activities rather than being a part of foreign language education. For this reason, culture is at the very core of the CEFR. In 2018 and 2020, two Companion Volumes were published to complement the CEFR. The present paper offers a comparative corpus analysis of these three texts focusing on the occurrences of culture-related items using n-gram tool of Sketch Engine (Lexical Computing, n. d.), which creates frequency lists of sequences of tokens. Based on the findings, it is suggested according to the CEFR that rather than focusing on the national culture of the native speakers of the target language, foreign language education should focus more on the “new culture” formed by the encounters of people coming from different cultures.

Attitudes of Prospective French Teachers Towards School Experience and Teaching Practice Courses

Education is an important concept that prepares society for change and pushes development. The teacher, who is one of the basic elements of the education phenomenon, has important duties. Accordingly, the teacher has a very important place in the life of the students. The aim of this study is to determine the attitudes of the prospective French teachers towards School Experience and Teaching Practice courses and to reveal whether their attitudes differ according to the gender factor. The research has been conducted by means of a descriptive survey model and was carried out with the participation of 18 volunteer students (10 females, 8 males) studying at the department of French Language Teaching of the Faculty of Education at Anadolu University. The quantitative data of the study has been collected with a 5-point Likert-type scale consisting of 30 items. Moreover, in addition to the scale, the opinions of the students on the School experience and Teaching Practice courses have been collected by means of 5 open-ended questions drawn up by the researcher. The qualitative data acquired in this study has been reviewed through the document analysis method. According to the obtained data, it has been determined that the students had positive opinions about these courses. In addition, their attitudes towards ‘School Experience’ and ‘Teaching Practice’ courses have a very high average. This research shows that, these courses make significant contributions to the professional development of students. However, no significant difference was observed in terms of the gender factor based on the opinions of the participants with respect to the aforementioned courses.

Benefits and Challenges of Online Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic at Rundu Campus of the University of Namibia

This paper presents the benefits and challenges of online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced by educators at the Rundu Campus of the University of Namibia. Researchers used a structured interview guide to collect data from 14 conveniently selected lecturers from a population of 65. Findings of the study indicate that the benefits of using online teaching and learning include flexibility, ability to teach large classes; increased interaction and engagement between lecturers and students; and increased learning opportunities for lecturers. The study further found that some of the significant challenges lecturers experienced with online teaching and learning include lack of information and technology skills, internet connectivity and availability; poor student attendance; and loneliness. The study provided crucial information on lecturers' progress within the framework of online teaching and learning mode. The paper recommends that lecturers receive formal training on online teaching and learning tools to minimise the limitations. The study also suggests increased psychosocial support for lecturers to curb feelings of isolation and loneness during this time.

Students’ Views on the use of Augmented Reality Technology in Teaching Science

As a result of recent technological developments, many mobile applications used in the educational environments have emerged. One of these applications is the augmented reality technology used in smartphones and tablets. Many augmented reality applications are now prepared with 4D-technology and are employed to transform virtual environments into real life situations. In this study, we examined the views of 6th-grade students about using augmented reality technology in teaching science. Designed as a phenomenological research from the qualitative research methods, this study was conducted with nine 6th-grade volunteer students studying in a secondary school in the district of Göynücek in Amasya Province during the 2017-2018 academic year. The data were collected through interviews, using a semi-structured form. We analyzed the data set, by applying descriptive analysis method using NVivo 9 program. Categories emerged from the student views. We modeled the qualitative data in terms of these categories. Based on the research findings it was concluded that the augmented reality activities carried out provided permanent learning about the systems in our body and increased positive attitudes and interests towards the lessons, according to the students' opinions. We concluded that the science teaching with the use of augmented reality technology will provide positive learning outcomes on students. Further, teachers should receive and be provided with professional development on augmented reality to be able to use it more efficiently. This study is expected to contribute to researchers and practitioners in the future.

The Level of 7- and 8-Years Old Children Understanding of the Place Value Concept

Place value concept that learns especially in primary school ages is also the basis of many issues students will encounter throughout their learning lives. This research aims to developmentally determine understanding of the place value concept in early childhood. The model of research is a case study from qualitative research methods. The study group consists of 171 children (84 at the age of 7 and 87 at the age of 8) who study in three different public schools in January, in the 2020-2021 academic year in Ankara, Turkey, selected by criteria sampling from purposeful sampling methods. As a data collection tool, “place value worksheets” consisting of 25 questions developed by researchers were used. Data was collected online by classroom teachers through “EBA”. The content analysis method was used in the analysis of the data. Looking at the research results, it was observed that children gave meaning to the place value concept in seven categories. It was seen that seven years olds reached the lowest correct answer rate in the code "the ability to express the number whose resolution is given in terms of ones" in the category of "the ability to resolve". It was concluded that "the ability to write numbers between two numbers" code in "the ability to compare" category has the lowest correct response rate for eight years old children. Lower levels of seven years old student's understanding of the place value concept suggest that students' readiness levels are not sufficient at this age.

Exploring the e-teaching and learning experiences of lecturers amidst COVID-19 at one of the University of Namibia satellite campuses

The study explored the e-teaching and learning experiences of lecturers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic at one of the University of Namibia satellite campuses. The study sample was 76 selected using the purposive sampling method from the population of 98. The study used a convergent parallel research design within a mixed methods research approach. A survey questionnaire and telephone interview were used to collect data. Data collected from open-ended questions and telephone interviews were analysed and categorised into themes while quantitative data were tabulated and analysed mainly by descriptive statistics with the use of Microsoft Excel. The study revealed that participants found using Moodle and other e-learning tools efficient as they save time and reduce the chances of spreading the virus since no gatherings were required. The study further revealed that participants had an opportunity to learn new skills despite not having prior experience in online teaching and learning as well as online course design. However, regular power outages and server incapacity to accommodate multiple devices caused many lecturers and students to miss virtual lessons. The study provided crucial information on the progress of lecturers and students' within the e-teaching and learning mode framework and recommended the campus server upgrading and the formal training of both lecturers and students on online teaching and learning tools to optimise learning.

Misconceptions in Projectile Motion and Conceptual Changes via Geogebra Applications

The purpose of this work is to examine the issue of pre-service science teachers’ (PSST) Geogebra applications on misconceptions about projectile motion (PM) and the permanence of learning concepts. In this study, quantitative research method was used as scientific research method, and semi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test control group was used as a pattern. The accessible population of this study is PSST who study in a university located in Kayseri, Turkey in the 2019-2020 academic year. Sample of the study included 36 freshman PSST, studying at the university level in Kayseri. 18 of the participants are experimental-group (EG) and 18 of them are control-group (CG). Both groups learned the subject of projectile motion (PM) together in the classroom. In addition to the traditional teaching method, the EG participated eight-week in the Geogebra course based on the conceptual change model and prepared physics simulations with Geogebra. “Conceptual Questions on Projectile Motion” was used as a data collection tool and the data were analyzed by means of statistics (t-test) based on the difference between averages. The results revealed that both the post-test’s and permanence test’s mean scores of the EG PSST were significantly higher than the mean score of the CG PSST (post-test: t=2.525; p< .05) (permanence test: t=5.466; p< .05). Furthermore, in this study, many misconceptions about the PM were identified.

Examining Primary School Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Distance Education in the COVID-19 Period

Due to pandemic effects all over the world, the sudden switch to distance education has doubtlessly affected primary schools more adversely in education. Concerning the pandemic period, this study aimed to examine primary school teachers' attitudes on distance education. More specifically, the survey study with 173 primary school teachers’ participation examined whether teachers' attitudes towards distance education have a meaningful difference in terms of gender, age, and teaching experience. The data which was collected via the “Attitude Scale on Distance Education” were analyzed through independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference between gender and primary school teachers' attitudes towards distance education; however, there is a statistically significant difference according to age and teaching experience. In addition, primary school teachers' attitudes towards distance education were negative. The possible reasons for these results were discussed and some implications were presented for research, practice, and policymakers.

Comparatively Investigation of the Quality of Preschool Education Environments in Turkey and the US

A quality preschool education plays a key role in achieving its objectives. To benefit from this effect of preschool education in a positive way, countries should investigate education systems and the educational methods and practices of other countries so as to understand the problems of education and the factors affecting it. This brings about the need to examine the indicators in regard to processes and structural elements in preschool education institutions. This paper focuses on examining the quality of preschool education classes in Turkey and in the United States comparatively. Descriptive research method was used in the research. Data were collected with ECERS-R in each three classes selected with convenience sampling from three kindergartens in Turkey and three kindergartens in the US. Total score achieved in this instrument and individual scores for seven subscales were examined. In line with the data obtained in this study, the total score of the three classes in kindergartens in the US was found to be higher than those in Turkey. As for the subscales, the classes of the kindergartens in Turkey were found to have higher scores of Language-Reasoning and Program Structure which are two subscales of the instrument. The findings were discussed in the light of the related literature.

Organizational Image and its Relation with Leader-member Exchange and Organizational Justice in Schools

This study aims to reveal the relationship between organizational image and leadermember exchange (school principal-teacher) and organizational justice in schools. 213 teachers working in secondary schools in Hatay, who were selected via the disproportionate cluster sampling method, constitute the sample of this research. The research data were gathered by using the “Organizational Image Scale”, the “Leader-Member Exchange Scale” and the “Organizational Justice Scale”. The Structural Equation Modeling Analysis and descriptive analysis were implemented in the research. Measurement modelling has shown that variables are statistically positively and significantly correlated to each other. A structural model has been suggested in conformity with the theoretical framework. According to the outcomes of structural equation analysis, organizational image positively affects the leader-member exchange. Teachers’ perceived organizational image positively affects perceived organizational justice with the partial mediating effect of leader-member exchange. The findings of this study were discussed and some recommendations were given.