Ali Yildirim

University of Gothenburg | GU · Dept of pedagogical, curricular and professional studies

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the research literature on Turkish pre-service teachers’ critical thinking skills (CTS) and critical thinking dispositions (CTD) to identify the major knowledge claims and areas of further research. In this systematic review study, we examined both quantitative and qualitative studies conducted between 2010-2...

Summative assessments are an exercise of authority and something that pupils cannot easily appeal. The importance of teachers being able to assess their pupils correctly is consequently both a question of national equivalence and individual fairness. Therefore, summative assessment is a paramount theme in teacher education, and we aimed to investig...

Design-Based Research (DBR) is a promising research approach integrating educational theory and practice. The initiation of Didactical Design in Classroom research group (DDC) aims to gather researchers of diverse subjects and disciplines to exchange methodological and theoretical experiences of conducting DBR around didactical approaches to classr...

Design-Based Research (DBR) is a promising research approach integrating educational theory and practice. The initiation of Didactical Design in Classroom research group (DDC) aims to gather researchers of diverse subjects and disciplines to exchange methodological and theoretical experiences of conducting DBR around didactical approaches to classr...

Although effectiveness of teaching is a frequently researched area effective vocational teaching has been under-researched and under-theorized (Lucas, Spencer & Claxton, 2012; UNESCO-UNEVOC, 2014). Skills Commission’s inquiry into Teacher Training in Vocational Education (2010) also revealed that vocational pedagogy is in its infancy due to the lim...

Post-secondary vocational education and training plays a key role in supplying skilled workers needed by the labour market as the skills provided by basic level vocational education at upper-secondary schools is not enough anymore to meet the demands of the labour market in the 21st century (OECD, 2014). Defined as “equipping people with knowledge,...

This study attempted to investigate the ability of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom learning environment and student background characteristics to predict student persistence in EFL learning. The study also aimed to investigate whether the associations between learning environment characteristics and persistence varied by several stude...

This qualitative phenomenological study attempted to gain insight into perceptions of pre-service teachers about the characteristics of placement schools in relation to their contributions to their professional growth. Collected through focus-group interviews with four groups, each consisting of six pre-service teachers who were in their last year...

Bu çalışma, 2012 yılında yürürlüğe giren 4+4+4 yeni okul sisteminin ilkokul birinci sınıf düzeyinde getirdiği değişikliklerle öğretmenlerin karşılaştıkları zorlukları ve farklı demografik gruplarla olan ilişkisini ortaya çıkarmak ve öğretmenlerin problemlerle başa çıkarken kullandıkları stratejileri saptamak amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Veriler,...

The purpose of this study is to investigate the process doctoral students go through in qualification exam. Within a grounded theory design, a series of in-depth interviews were carried out with six doctoral candidates to inquire into their thoughts and experiences. Data collection started four months before the qualification exam and ended approxi...

This study aims to present a synthesis of empirical studies conducted in Turkey on pre- and in-service math teachers’ knowledge and to recapitulate the existing conceptualization in this particular line of research in the local context. Considering the interwoven and sophisticated nature of teachers’ knowledge (Seidel & Shavelson, 2007), it sets ou...

In this qualitative case study, we explored how ten EFL teachers who attended an in-service staff development programme subsequently integrated professional learning into their classroom practice, and which staff development practices were effective in this process. We triangulated data from interviews, observations, and document analysis. The data...

This study investigates the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of constructivist teaching–learning activities and of constructivist curriculum change. Data were collected from 236 primary school teachers through a questionnaire measuring the perceptions of constructivist curriculum change and of the implementation of c...

This study aimed to investigate sources of failing students' science anxiety. The sample, chosen through criterion sampling, was composed of six ninth-grade students who failed at chemistry course. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with these students. The interview questions were related to students' perceptions, experiences and feelings...

Teacher education research in Turkey can be categorized under five headings: attitudes and perceptions of teacher candidates toward teaching; competency perceptions of teacher candidates; school experience; assessment of teacher education programs; and the impact of teacher education research on teacher candidates' knowledge, skills and attitudes....

There have been multiple trends of building democratic citizens through formal education, and in the European context the trials have been dramatically increased with the Europeanization process since the 1980s. In line with this trend, an in-depth qualitative case study was carried out in a private primary school in Turkey to shed light on the rol...

Problem Statement: The research question guiding the current study was "How do teachers' perceptions of students shape the way they teach biology?" Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study was to determine how teacher perceptions of students influenced the way teachers teach biology through teachers' reported practices and perceptions. Metho...

This study explored how university students perceived and experienced web-based learning support designed for an English course. A qualitative-phenomenological research design was used in the study. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with the students enrolled in the "Introduction to Communication Skills in English" course. Throu...

The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of social constructivist environment on student achievement in teacher education. An experimental design where the experimental group (n = 66) was subjected to social constructivist environments, and the control group (n = 59) was subjected to traditional learning instruction was used. All part...

The purpose of this study was to understand the conceptual change teacher candidates went through in a constructivist learning environment in a classroom management course. Within a qualitative case study design, teacher candidates’ metaphorical images about classroom management were obtained through document analysis before and after they were sub...

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to discern the issues pertaining to different dimensions of internationalization from the perspectives of both foreign and local students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 foreign, and 13 local students. The results show that there is a dissonance between policy makers and implementers,...

This study investigates how teachers and students assess the textbooks they use in history courses at the high school level in Turkey. Through a survey questionnaire, teachers and students were asked their perceptions of the textbooks. Then a sub-sample of the teachers and students were interviewed to collect more in-depth data on their assessment...

This study investigates the assessment strategies used in social-studies courses at the high-school level in Turkey and examines how teachers and students perceive them. Results indicate that short-answer tests are most frequently used to assess student performance, followed by oral tests. Multiple-choice and essay tests are also occasionally emplo...

Incl. abstracts in English, German, French, Spanish and Russian; bibliographical references The purpose of the study described in this article was to assess teachers' planning practices at the primary-school level in Turkey. Altogether 210 schools were surveyed, a questionnaire was distributed to all teachers in these schools, and 1194 teachers res...

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the curriculum development process in selected local vocational schools in Turkey through individual and group interviews. The participants included administrators, school-industry coordinators, teachers and students in selected secondary vocational high schools, and manage...

The aims of this study were to diagnose students' misconceptions concerning photosynthesis and respiration in plants, and to investigate reasons behind these misconceptions. The subjects were 45 ninth grade high school students and 11 high school teachers. Data were collected by interview technique. All of the interviews were audiotaped and transcr...

Incl. abstract in English, German, French, Spanish and Russian; bibliographical references The data used in this paper were derived from a larger project which had the aim of critically evaluating the Turkish vocational education system on a number of different levels. This article examines the administrative and organizational practices in a selec...

This study aims to identify students' achievement goal orientations, learning strategies they use and the relationship between goal orientations and learning strategies. The sample included 189 students taking an educational psychology course at the undergraduate level. They filled out a questionnaire on goal orientations and learning strategies. R...

This study is part of a larger research project designed to investigate social studies teaching at middle and high school levels in Turkey. This paper assesses curriculum implementation in social studies courses at middle school level from the perspectives of teachers and students. The study design included 88 middle schools in 22 provinces represe...

ZET: Disiplinlerarası öğretirnin önemi, etkili ve anlamlı öğrenmeye olan katkısı her geçen gün daha fazla vur-gulanmaktadır. Bu yaklaşım yeni olmamakla birlikte ken-dini hem literatürde hem de okullardaki uygulamalarda daha fazla hissettirmeye başlamıştır. Öğretmen eğitimi pro-gramları, grupla öğretim ve problemlere dayalı öğretim gibi uygulamalarl...

In 1995, the International Consultative Forum on Education for All commissioned case studies in developing countries as part of a mid-decade review of progress in expanding access to basic education. This paper examines a project in Turkey that provided basic education and health services to the children of seasonal agricultural workers. Between Ma...

The literature on teaching thinking reflects a major controversy that results from two distinctive theoretical views about the nature of thinking. One focuses on content of thinking, and the other emphasizes skills involved in thinking. However, an attempt to understand practitioners' perceptions of these theories is generally absent in the literat...

Bu çal ışma, öğretmenlerin sınıf yönetimine yaklaşımları ile sınıf yönetimi davranışlar ı aras ındaki ilişkileri incelemek amacıyla tasarlanmıştır. Çalışma için sınıf yönetimine yaklaşımlar ı farkl ı (yüksek ve düşük düzeyde kontrol) olan iki öğretmen seçilmiş Bunların öğ rencilerine (n=91), yedi ba şlık (empati, coşku, öğretim, cesaretlendirme, ko...