The COVID-19 Pandemic, University Students in Turkey, and Emergency Online Learning

In this study, we determined how university students in Turkey, a developing country, were able to transition into emergency online learning during COVID-19, what challenges they faced, and the positive experiences that may have come out of this process. We also explored how their positive and negative emotional states may have changed as a result of COVID-19. The sample included 125 students studying in different universities across Turkey who answered an online questionnaire. Results indicated that students’ positive emotions decreased and negative emotions increased significantly. Results also showed that the students experienced the following challenges during emergency online learning: not benefiting from online classes, lack of motivation in following online classes, problems related to family life and finances, increased levels of homework, and problems related to Internet access. In terms of positive experiences, students indicated spending more quality time with family, time for hobbies and personal development, examining life and personal existence, increase in the level of academic development due to homework assignments, and increase in grade-point-average. Students’ answers also revealed that their instructors may have been going through some difficulties as well. Students highlighted complaints related to their instructors’ lack of interest in teaching, not holding lectures, or not uploading class notes or slides, and their difficulty in getting in touch with their instructors. Implications are discussed.

Curriculum Theory: A Review Study

The aim of this literature review study was to examine the historical development of the concept of curriculum theory, its reflections on curriculum development studies, and teaching-learning processes and also to attract the attention of the researchers to the area of curriculum theory which was seen to be left aside for years. The research was designed by reviewing the literature, and different theoretical perspectives on curriculum development studies in the USA which historically dominated the field since the early 1900’s and Turkey were examined. In the first phase, the explanation of the concepts of curriculum, theory, curriculum theory, the chaotic structure, and discussions in the literature regarding the terminology of these concepts were given. It was concluded that in the literature the concept of curriculum theory has been used synonymously with the concepts of curriculum beliefs, educational value orientations, curriculum ideologies, and curriculum orientations. In addition, the classification of curriculum theories, curriculum development studies in which the reflections of curriculum theories could be seen, and the studies conducted in Turkey and abroad on this subject were included in the study. Taking the limited number of studies on curriculum theories and their lack of variety into account, future studies on curriculum theory are considered to feed the intellectual background of the field and attract the attention of the researches to theories of curriculum, which will fill the gap in the literature.

Investigation of Teacher Roles in Educational Practices in The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study

In the research, it is aimed to analyze the roles of teachers teaching in distance education in the Covid-19 pandemic period and to investigate the obstacles encountered in the realization of these roles. The aim of the research is examined with the post-positivist paradigm and analyzed with the phenomenological design which is one of the qualitative research methods. In the research, participants were chosen from the teachers of Mathematics, Foreign Language, Science, Turkish and Social Studies who teach at least 15 hours or more per week in distance education. The data collection process in which data triangulation was performed included diaries kept by teachers for five days, individual interviews and focus group interviews. Transcripted data were analyzed by content analysis technique. According to the findings of the research, it was observed that the roles of the teachers who participated in the study were “communicator”, “collaborator”, “facilitator” and “learner” teacher during the distance education in Covid-19 pandemic. It has been observed that there are obstacles in the realization of roles in issues such as injustice / inequality in education, subject-centered program, structure of the education program, professional development, student and parent unwillingness. Teachers stated the features that teachers should have in the process of distance education as technopedagogical content knowledge, planning instructional activities, being able to measure distance assessment and provide student motivation.

Problems and Practices Experienced by Preschool Education Teachers in Inclusive Education

This research was conducted in order to determine the problems that preschool teachers experience in the inclusive education process and to determine the educational practices of teachers for students who benefit from inclusive education. The study was designed in a qualitative design and purposeful sampling method was used. In the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 preschool teachers working with disadvantaged children in different provinces of Turkey. In forming the questions in the semi-structured interview form, the relevant literature was scanned and the opinions of field experts were consulted. The research data were analyzed by content analysis technique. As a result of the study, it was determined that pre-school teachers do not feel professionally competent in inclusive education and do not receive enough practical training in undergraduate education. It has been observed that teachers have some problems with children, families, administrators and legislation in the learning and teaching process regarding inclusive education. In addition, it has been observed that teachers make various practices for children, families and the educational environment in order to create an inclusive education environment. It is thought that teachers should be supported in terms of knowledge and practice in inclusive education through in-service trainings, and prospective teachers should be offered opportunities to work with children from different disadvantaged groups during undergraduate education.

The Proliferation of Lesson Study for English Language Teachers: A Meta-Synthesis Study

Despite studies on the lesson study experiences of English teachers have increased in Turkey in recent years, there is a need for further studies on how to integrate the model into the context. In this study, the qualitative research on the lesson study conducted with English teachers in Turkey was examined, and it was aimed to reach a synthesis to ensure the proliferation of the model. The common databases were searched with keywords, and specific inclusion criteria were used. Selected studies were scored with a checklist to be evaluated in terms of quality, and eight studies (six articles and two doctoral dissertations) that received the required score were included in the research. In the analysis, the steps of developing the first and second-order themes, interpreting, and synthesizing were followed. The common findings in the studies show that the lesson study provides significant contributions to English teachers despite the difficulties in the process. The synthesis includes the initiatives at the individual and institutional dimensions. It is concluded that the pedagogical design capacity and collaboration skills of English teachers should be strengthened at the individual dimension while administrator, mentor / facilitator support should be provided, and policy changes should be made in teacher education at the institutional dimension. We also recommended examining how the model can be adapted to Turkey's cultural-educational context, teacher autonomy, and identity.

Investigation of 8th Grade Students’ Mathematics Anxiety

The aim of this research study is to determine how students define their anxiety about learning mathematics, to determine the symptoms of anxiety and to define how anxiety occurs. The phenomenology research design was used in the study. A semi-structured interview form was used as a data collection tool in the research. The data were analyzed through the content analysis. The study group of the research consists of four male and four female 8th graders in two public secondary schools in Uluborlu district of Isparta. According to the results, students predominantly defined mathematics anxiety as frightening/scary. Also, students identified the symptoms of mathematics anxiety mostly as the theme of physical/physical symptoms. Students stated that sociological, psychological and philosophical dimensions were effective in the emergence of mathematical anxiety. Some students expressed common views on the sociological dimension-psychological and psychological-philosophical dimension. The effects of mathematics anxiety have been examined under two titles as the effects related to the psychological and sociological dimensions. While the effects related to the psychological dimension are discussed in terms of course achievement and effects on themselves, the effects related to the sociological dimension are discussed in terms of their effects on their relationship with their family and friends.

Findings of qualitative studies on Understanding by Design: A meta-synthesis

Designed by the meta-synthesis method, the researchers examined the studies designed on the Understanding by Design (UbD) and implemented and their findings were qualitatively evaluated. It tried to obtain a comprehensive and holistic perspective on the effects and reflections of the model. 48 UbD studies were accessed from 6 databases, and 12 research findings were included after three criteria in this meta-synthesis. The findings were reached through a six-stage data analysis process; they were analyzed inductively with content analysis. The validity and credibility of this analysis process have been brought under control with the coding reliability processes and the audit technique. According to the conclusions, in the development of units based on UbD, teachers generally did not create goals/standards by collecting evaluation evidence of UbD; it was concluded that the inadequacy of this was mostly due to model inexperience, the school's facilities/conditions, teacher stagnation and emotional state, and inadequate pedagogy knowledge. Findings showed that teaching based on UbD improves students' cognitive development and participatory insights. This meta-synthesis study guides researchers who want to reference UbD as a design framework in a unit study in the overall assessment of UbD.

In-Service Teacher Training Program Development Study to Prevent Peer Bullying

Peer bullying is a problem that is difficult to notice and is increasingly affecting the health of society. Responding to peer bullying requires the determination and intense effort of school administrators, teachers, parents, and other school staff. Teachers who feel more competent about bullying are more likely to intervene in situations of bullying and victimization situations. However, many teachers have difficulty diagnosing bullying, do not know how to cope with bullying, or have trouble applying coping methods. This study aims to introduce the in-service teacher training program to prevent peer bullying. This program was developed using a problem-centered education program design. The content was determined with a thematic approach. The values emphasized by this program, the tools and methods it proposes, and the outcomes of the program reflect the progressive and existentialist perspectives. As a result of the evaluation of the program, it was seen that the in-service training program effectively improved teachers' competencies by increasing their awareness of peer bullying and combating bullying. It is recommended that future studies should be conducted in broad scope, including developing the competencies of teachers in dealing with cyberbullying that increased during online education.

Examining Teachers' Perceptions on Empowerment According to Various Variables

The purpose of the study was to determine the perceptions of teachers regarding their empowerment and whether these perceptions differ significantly depending on their gender, age, branch, professional seniority, length of service at their school, education status, union membership, and the size of the number of students present at the school. In this study, teacher empowerment was considered to ensure teachers' professional development, increase their status, ensure their trust in their organizations, and increase cooperation among organization members. Four hundred forty-one teachers working in the public secondary schools in Denizli Merkezefendi and Pamukkale district participated in this quantitative study carried out during the 2019-2020 academic year. The data of the research were collected with the "Teacher Empowerment Scale." The survey results showed that teachers' perceptions of teacher empowerment, status, trust, and cooperation were high, and their perception of professional development was very high. Accordingly, teachers perceive their status as lower than other dimensions of teacher empowerment. There was no statistically significant difference in the teachers' perceptions regarding their empowerment according to their gender, branch, educational status, and union membership. The age of the teachers was between 31-40 and 6-15 years of teaching experience.

The Comparison of Turkish and Chinese Primary Math Teacher Education Programs

The aim of this study is to compare Turkey and China in terms of admission to primary math teacher education programs, the content of primary math teacher training programs and appointment to teaching post. Within the scope of this aim, document analysis method was used in the study. As data sources the websites of Ministry of Education, OECD, National Center on Education and Economy and articles on primary Mathematics teacher education systems and teacher education systems in general were used. The documents were examined in terms of conditions of admission to teacher education programs, the content of curriculum and the appointment to teaching post in Turkey and China. While choosing the countries, 2018 PISA Math results of China and Turkey were considered. According to the findings of the study it was concluded that although Turkey and China have some similarities in terms of conditions of admission to teacher education programs, the content of curriculum and the appointment to teaching post, there are also big differences between two countries. Accordingly, some suggestions are proposed especially for the Turkish teacher education system. Some of the suggestions are increasing the hours of practicum, having an interview before they are accepted to education programs, having an interview and a written exam in every five years after they are appointed to a teaching post.