Volume 3 Issue 1-2 (2014)
1

Effect of Argumentation on Prospective Science Teachers' Scientific Process Skills and Their Understanding of Nature of Scientific Knowledge in Chemistry Laboratory

pp. 7-18  |  Published Online: December 2014  |  DOI: 10.12973/unibulletin.312.1

Ali Riza Sekerci, Nurtac Canpolat

Abstract

The aim of this research is to analyze the effect of Argumentation on prospective science teachers' scientific process skills and their understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge in the chemistry laboratory. In this study, non-equivalent pre-test post-test control group approach, which is one of the quasi-experimental methods, is used. The study group contains 91 college freshmen students studying in the Department of Science Education of the Kazim Karabekir Education Faculty, Ataturk University, which is located in the Eastern Anatolian Region of Turkey. Data of the study is collected through scientific process skill test (SPST) and the nature of scientific knowledge test (NSKT). Data from SPST and NSKT are analyzed through inferential statistics method. A statistically significant difference is found between experimental and control groups' SPS post-test mean scores (t(89)= 4.943; p= .000). A statistically significant difference is found between experimental and control groups' NSK post-test mean scores (t(89)= .819; p= .05). It is shown in this study that the argumentation contributes to the scientific process skills of the students, but does not have a significant influence on their understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge.

Keywords: argumentation, chemistry laboratory, scientific process skills, nature of the scientific knowledge

2

Comparison of Geography Self-Efficacy Levels of Students Taking Geography Course

pp. 19-27  |  Published Online: December 2014  |  DOI: 10.12973/unibulletin.312.2

Suleyman Hilmi Sahin

Abstract

In today’s education world, the fact that students and teachers have high self-efficacy perception ensures that their education life is more efficient. This study aimed to investigate self-efficacy levels of student candidates who received geography education in Social Sciences Teaching and Geography Teaching at the Geography Departments of Faculties of Science and Arts toward geography learning areas in the curriculum. Geography self-efficacy scale and a demographic information form were applied to the participants. As data were not normally distributed, non-parametric Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare geography self-efficacy levels among the variables. Research findings revealed that male students’ geography self-efficacy levels were higher. In addition, a statistically significant difference was found between the geography self-efficacy levels in the different departments where geography education has been lectured, and these results are discussed in light of the relevant literature.

Keywords: geography, social sciences teaching, geography teaching, self-efficacy perception

3

The Impact of Solution-Focused Brief Group Psychological Counseling on University Students’ Burnout Levels

pp. 28-43  |  Published Online: December 2014  |  DOI: 10.12973/unibulletin.312.3

Azmi Bayram Ilbay, Ahmet Akin

Abstract

This research was done to analyze the effects of Coping with Burnout Program, developed on the basis of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy on the burnout levels of university students. To select the subjects that would participate in the research, Maslach Burnout Inventory­­–Student Survey was applied on 461 university students from the University of Sakarya. As a result of pre-interviews, 24 students who had experienced student burnout voluntarily participated in a Coping with Burnout Program. The students were randomly appointed to one of the experimental and control groups. At this stage, a six-session Coping with Burnout Program developed by the researcher was applied on the students from the experimental group. No application was performed on the students from the control group. A 2x3 design (experimental/ control groups X pretest/ posttest/ follow up) was used in the research. The scores from the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Student Survey formed the dependent variable of the research, and the application of Coping with Burnout Program formed the independent variable of the research. The scale used in the research was applied on the groups as pretest two weeks before the sessions started, and as posttest two weeks after the sessions ended, and as follow-up two months after the posttest in order to determine the resistance of the experimental process. In the analysis of the data obtained through these processes, two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether or not there was a significant difference between groups and the survey. The data obtained through the research proved that the Coping with Burnout Program decreased the burnout levels of the students in the experimental group as were determined with the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Student Survey, and follow up tests showed that the situation remained the same. It was seen that there was no significant difference between the scores of the participants of the control group from pretest, posttest and follow up test. 

Keywords: solution-focused brief therapy, coping with burnout program, student burnout

4

A Scale Adaptation Study Related to the Examination of Adolescents' Levels of Educational Stress

pp. 44-55  |  Published Online: December 2014  |  DOI: 10.12973/unibulletin.312.4

Ismail Celik, Ahmet Akin, Hakan Saricam

Abstract

The basic aim of this research is to adapt the Educational Stress Scale (Sun, Dunne, Hou, & Xu, 2011) to Turkish and to examine its psychometric properties. The second purpose of this study is to compare students’ educational stress levels according to gender and grades. The research was conducted on 558 high school students in Sakarya and Agri in Turkey. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy was .81 and there was a significant result on Bartlett’s test of Sphericity χ2=3488.103 (p<.001, df=105). Factor loadings ranged from .41 to .91. Results of confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that 16 items yielded five factors as original form and that the five-dimensional model was well fit (χ2= 123.49, df= 88 (χ2/df=1.40), RMSEA= .03, NFI= .97, CFI= .99, IFI= .99, RFI= .96, GFI= .95, SRMR= .041). Cronbach alpha internal consistency coefficient was found as .86 for whole scale, .87 for the sub-dimension of pressure from study, .93 for the sub-dimension of workload, .90 for the sub-dimension of worry about grades, .90 for the sub-dimension of self-expectation, and .91 for the sub-dimension of despondency. In the concurrent validity, significant relationship (r= .51) was found between the Educational Stress Scale and School Burnout Scale. Test-retest reliability coefficient was .67 for the whole scale. Corrected item-total correlations ranged from .40 to .57. Overall results demonstrated that the Educational Stress Scale can be deemed to be a valid and reliable instrument to be used in the field of psychology and education. Moreover, students’ educational stress levels changed statistically according to gender and grades. Results were discussed in light of the related literature.

Keywords: stress, educational stress, school burnout, scale

5

An Alternative Educational System Based on the Opinions of Educational Stakeholders: Home Schools

pp. 56-69  |  Published Online: December 2014  |  DOI: 10.12973/unibulletin.312.5

Secil Eda Kartal, Ibrahim Kocabas

Abstract

Schools, which enable children to socialize and adapt with the society, are obliged to undergo changes over time. With this respect, many alternative educational practices have been developed. Home schools, whose applicability has increased recently, are only one of these alternative educational practices. The main purpose of the implementation is to remove the bad habits acquired from schools and to enable cultural transmission. There are no comprehensive studies in Turkey on homeschooling. This study was conducted to determine how homeschooling is perceived and its applicability in Turkey. The study group consists of teachers, school administrators and educational inspectors working in secondary schools. A total of 23 focus group discussions were carried out with the participants and qualitative research method was used. The stakeholders were asked to state their opinions on the question “What do you think homeschooling is?” and then general information was given by the researcher. When the opinions are considered, there are differences among the stakeholders. After general information was given by the researcher, answers for the question “Is homeschooling applicable in Turkey? Why?” was sought. With this respect, the opinions were classified as positive, negative and suggestions for possible outcomes.

Keywords: alternative education, home schools, educational shareholders, school

Announcement

UNIBULLETIN News!

► New issue coming soon! (Volume 13 Issue 1, 2024)

Call for Papers

UNIBULLETIN is calling for submissions. Authors are invited to submit papers from the all fields of the Education (General) and Social Sciences (General) in the international context. All submissions should be presented only in English.