Beginning Student Teachers’ Professional Identity

This article investigates teachers’ professional identity of beginning first-year students through their beliefs about being a teacher. The presented study focuses on Austrian teacher students’ (N=18) conceptions of becoming a professional; what convictions student teachers reflect on, which professional identity emerges and what synthesis of a professional teacher identity position can be portrayed at the beginning of teacher education. Through inductively driven content analysis all statements (N=401) have been combined, and a unified synthesis of a beginning student teachers’ professional identity was formed. Three main categories were found: the “ideal” teacher, “good” teaching, and the “optimal” working environment. The results showed a highly idealistic view of being a teacher. The majority of statements referred to teaching from a pupil-centered perspective by strongly emphasising personality traits, student-teacher relationships, and teachers’ professional knowledge. Based on the results, the role of professional identity in Austrian’s teacher education is discussed, and further implementations in research are recommended.

Features of Student Employment in the Hungarian-Romanian Cross Border Area

The aim of the research is to examine student employment, which plays an important role in the lives of university students. According to previous research results, paid work is characterized by an increasing tendency, with occasional and holiday work being characteristic of students, as well as regular work during the semester too. Current research focuses on the characteristics of gainful employment in the Hungarian-Romanian border region. The database PERSIST 2019 (N = 2199) was used, the research took place in higher education institutions in the eastern region of Hungary and in higher education institutions bordering the country. We investigate the differences between the demographic, social and institutional backgrounds of working students. We also analyze the relationships between effectiveness, engagement and student employment. According to our results there are differences between the institutions both in the frequency of employment and in the horizontal fit of work. Hungarian students take up work more often than Romanian students, but study-related work is more typical for Romanian students. However, paid work does not hinder the academic performance of the students and the building of relationships within the institution, it even has a positive impact on the students' university career.

Kindergarten teachers' representations for their socio-cognitive practices during the Natural Sciences activities

The aim of the current paper is to investigate the traces of socio-cognitive influences in kindergarten teachers’ representations about the practices they tend to follow when they develop Natural Sciences activities in kindergarten. A quantitative approach was used, with the research tool being an electronic questionnaire that was completed online by 94 kindergarten teachers served in public Kindergartens. The questionnaire was firstly used in a pilot survey where receiving feedback it was further developed for the main research. Research analysis showed that kindergarten teachers’ representations concerning their teaching choices and actions of their students are characterized by practices that are influenced by the socio-cognitive teaching strategy. These practices are followed from both teachers and their students from moderate to large extent.

Prospective preschool and primary school teachers’ knowledge and opinion about gamification

Gamification is a rather new method in education and unfortunately is not a widely known method among Hungarian primary school teachers in Romania. This paper presents the knowledge and opinion of pre-service preschool and primary school teachers about gamification and its use in education. In this study 81 Primary and Preschool Pedagogy students from BabeșBolyai University were participated, 80 of them were female and 1 male. 40 students are in first year and 41 in second year of their studies. The research was carried out during February-March 2020 at Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania. To get to know their point of view and knowledge about gamification, an online questionnaire was developed by the authors. The obtained data was quantitatively (closed questions) and qualitatively (open questions) analyzed. According to the results, half of the students think that there is no difference between gamification and game-based learning and for three quarter it is difficult to see the differences. This is surprising as students were taught about gamification before filling in the questionnaire. Students perceive a high level of utility of gamification in education. The most frequently mentioned benefits by the participants are that gamification motivates and actively involves students. Even if participants gave many advantages of integrating gamification in education, the biggest disadvantage is related with the time necessary for preparation of a gamified lesson and for the time-allocation during the lesson. As obstacles of using gamification, they mentioned the negative attitude or/and lack of methodological knowledge of some teachers and the constrains of the curriculum. Most of the preservice teachers prefer both paper-pencil based and technology-aid gamification. They consider solving exercises the most suitable for gamification.

The Effect of Realistic Mathematics Education on Sixth Grade Students’ Statistical Thinking

Purpose of the study is to investigate the effectiveness of the use of Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) approach on sixth grade students’ statistical thinking levels. Mooney’s (2002) statistical thinking framework describing four thinking levels across four different statistical thinking processes was used. This study utilized a quasi-experimental pretestposttest design. In the experimental group, the data handling unit was taught using RME approach whereas in the control group lessons were taught traditionally using a mathematics textbook and direct instruction. A statistical thinking test composed of seven open-ended questions was prepared and applied to both groups as pretest and posttest. The change of students’ statistical thinking levels in pretest and posttest were analyzed and compared in both groups as well as between groups. The data analysis showed that the overall growth at Level 4 across statistical thinking processes was higher for the students who were taught using the RME approach than for those taught traditionally.

Determination of 5th Grade Students Strategies in Comparing Fractions

The aim of this study is revealing the strategies used by 5th -grade students in comparing fractions. In line with this purpose the study is based on qualitative research. Participants of the study conducted with convenient sampling method are seventy 5th -grade students. The students have been asked six questions which necessitate comparison of fraction pairs, considering the sample questions included in mathematics textbook within the limitations of 5th -grade gains on fractions. In addition, for the purpose of revealing the strategies of students in comparing fractions in more detail, face-to-face interviews are held with ten students. The students interviewed have been selected from among those who use different strategies, apply the rules and make faulty reasoning. In order to ensure the validity and reliability of the research, research data are checked by another researcher and similar themes and categories to the ones found by the researcher are reached. Collected data are analyzed by using content analysis and the strategies that the students use in comparing fractions are tried to be determined. As a result of the analyses, it is seen that students mostly prefer "Applying the Rules" where they use procedural information. It is determined that the number of students who prefer "Strategy Development and Discovery" which require conceptual comprehension is less than others. The findings show that consideration of conceptual and procedural comprehension in comparing fractions and not imposing rules on students and ensuring the students reach the rule is important

Reflections of Authentic Learning on Students' Scientific Process Skills and Achievements in Mathematics

In this research, the effect of authentic activities on the scientific process skills of 7th grade students was investigated. Research has been studied in a secondary school with 37 students in Turkey. In the research, authentic learning based education was carried out for 5 weeks in the 2017-2018 academic year. In this semi-experimental model, academic achievement and scientific process skills test, interview form, students' worksheets and observer notes were used as data collection tools. The quantitative data obtained were analyzed statistically in SPSS 20 program, and qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis. It was found that the quantitative data and the experimental and control groups differed statistically as a result of the application as an academic achievement, but did not differ according to the scientific process skill test results. With the qualitative data of this research, it was revealed that the students of the experimental group generally reflect the scientific process skills more than the control group students

Evaluation of Project-Based Learning

"Abstract: In our rapidly changing world, the role of education is not only to pass on knowledge, because the acquired knowledge will be quickly expired, the different professions are also changing in a short time. It would be also important to pass on a kind of ability which the students will be able to independently acquire knowledge after completing their studies with or they would be able to navigate safely through the world, or to work in a team. The project-based education is one opportunity to reach this, with many people have been dealing since the mid- 20th century with, but it has not become popular in education. One explanation to this is that the project work is managed in team, hence it is difficult to evaluate well. In my article, in addition to the general description of the evaluation of the project task, I give valid examples of how this evaluation can be applied in education. Considering the importance of projectbased education being present in all age group, some of my examples can be used in public education and the other in higher education."

Teachers' beliefs about classroom practices that develop students’ metacognition and self-regulated learning skills

Teachers have an important role in promoting the development of metacognition and self-regulated learning in students. This study aims to reveal the beliefs and practices of preuniversity teachers regarding the best teaching strategies that can be used in the classroom to facilitate the development of students' metacognition and self-regulated learning skills. Teachers from pre-primary and school levels (ISCED 02-3) (International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) - Statistics Explained (europa.eu) participated in this research. Participants, 120 teachers, had to filled in an online form of the adapted version of the 'Self-Regulated Learning Opportunities Questionnaire', developed by Vrieling, Bastiaens, and Stijnen (2012), and to answer three open-ended questions. The questionnaire assessed the extent to which teachers use the following two strategies to promote metacognition and self-regulated learning in their classroom: planning (including goal-setting, metacognitive knowledge activation, task value activation, and time management) and monitoring of the learning process (including metacognitive awareness and monitoring of cognition). The open-ended questions aimed to reveal the participants' opinions about the best teaching practices that facilitate the development of metacognition and selfregulated skills of students, the factors that hinder the development of these skills and how teachers can promote self-regulated learning in their classrooms. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software for the quantitative data, and the thematic-analysis for the qualitative ones. Results show that teachers create some opportunities for students to develop their self-regulated learning skills, but face various problems in trying to develop these skills in the classroom context. The results of this study are discussed in relation to both classroom and school contexts, and the broader level of educational policies.

What are the Purposes of Teachers for Using the eTwinning Platform and the Effects of the Platform on Teachers?

This study is a qualitative case study research, determining the purposes of teachers to use the eTwinning platform and to examine the effects of the platform on teachers. The study group consisted of 15 volunteer teachers who carried out eTwinning projects rewarded with quality labels. In the study, the data were obtained through a semi-structured interview form, and the content analysis method was used in the data analysis. According to the results obtained, it was concluded that teachers used the eTwinning platform in order to make projects, participate in online courses, contribute to their professional development and collaborate. The platform has a great contribution to teachers both personally and professionally. As a result, it is obvious that the eTwinning platform is very useful for teachers. The platform is so effective that it contributes to the professional and personal development of teachers, and even changes their perspective on the profession.