The purpose of this study is to find out that whether 6th-8th grade Turkish students have any life satisfaction differences depending on gender, class level, and perceived parents attitude and whether students' social emotional learning skills are a predictor of life satisfaction. The participants were 388 students, between age range of 15–18, who were attending seven different elementary schools in Burdur, Turkey. Their ages ranged from 10 to 15 years old. Data were collected by using Social-Emotional Learning Skills Scale and the Multi- Dimensional Student Life Satisfaction Scale-Short Form. Results indicated that life satisfaction did not differ by gender, but did differ by class level and perceived parental attitudes. According to stepwise multiple regression analysis, 8th grade, perceived parental attitudes (over tolerant), self-esteem enhancing skills and stress-coping skills were significant predictors of students’ life satisfaction.

This article investigated the effect of Arabic orthography on the phonological awareness acquisition. A sample of Tunisian primary school and preliterate were asked to manipulate syllables and phonemes through segmentation, counting and deletion tasks. Results showed that manipulation of syllables is far easier than that of phonemes. Also, the deletion of phonemes was an easier task than phoneme segmentation and counting, in contrast to findings attendant to alphabetically written languages such as English and Hebrew. Data were interpreted by the nature of Arabic orthography and diglossia.

21st century is known as an age of learning. It was declared to be the age of information and communication technology due to the revolution of mobile technology. Mobile technology has become an integral part of our lives. We cannot work in the society without mobile, internet etc. every body is using online technology in day today working. According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), “India had 456.7 million mobile subscribers…”. Mobiles are not just a playing but beyond it, it is an amazing educational tool for teaching and learning process. M-learning is the new sensation in the field of education. M-learning is now creating a new wave of educational development for sustainable and viable learning option. It is based on the convergence of mobile technologies and wireless infrastructure. The present paper highlights the concept of M-learning, Characteristics, Types, Significance, M-Learning System, Categories of Mobile learning and their Technologies, Advantages and Disadvantages of M-learning.

One of the most basic process in language teaching contexts is the design of the curriculum and syllabus. Although there are certain models in the literature, changing needs of language teaching leads to new ones which appeals to the learners better than the others. One of these new models is the negotiated syllabus in language classrooms. This study aims to theoretically discuss the potential implementation of a negotiated syllabus in English preparatory programs at universities in Turkey. The definitions of a negotiated syllabus and the situations where a negotiated syllabus is necessary are presented and then, they are associated with the cases in preparatory programs by discussing the common points. Finally, the advantages and probable drawbacks of a negotiated syllabus in these programs are presented and several solutions are suggested for the stated drawbacks. Finally, the paper summarizes the important points and proposes a discussion point that would lead to further research studies.

Research in the area of characteristics of good language learners has been the home of choice for SLA researchers since mid 1970. In this regards, both learning and learner variables have been researched (see Griffiths, 2008). Yet, one of the features almost left intact in this scope is the relationship between the characteristics of good language learners and their achieved scores and results in the standard proficiency tests such as IELTS and TOEFL. The present study was an attempt to investigate the characteristics of good language learners in the Iranian context. . 34 Iranian IELTS examinees who received 6 plus band score were selected and then they received the learning style and the style recognition questionnaires. They were also asked to take part in the interview sessions to report about the styles. They were asked to submit their own written reports about their learning styles and self-recognition. Based on the results of this study, the learners emphasize employing styles enabling them keep more vocabularies in mind and activate them. In terms of style also the findings revealed that there is a high correlation between high scores in IELTS and possessing Kinesthetic, Auditory, and Visual styles. It also presented that the learners were interested in individuality rather than group work. In terms of Tactility style, of course the participants of the study recorded a high score.

Through the historical lens, this paper critically evaluates the reformation phases crossed by Muslims in the sector of education. The paper also throws light on the role of super power (USA) in funding our current education system. The Muslim education system was highly dominated during Pre-Colonial era, but gradually, British and American tried to control our education system with hidden motives. It is the need of an hour to take certain efficient measures to curtail the Muslims’ deprivations in the areas of education.

The study aims to investigate the relationship of School Effectiveness with regard to Community Participation at primary level of education. The objectives of the study were to identify the more-effective and less-effective schools, to find out the differences between more-effective and less-effective schools in relation to physical facilities, Head Master and Teachers’ performance and Students’ performance, to find out the relationship between the school effectiveness and community participation. The descriptive survey method was used to carry out this study. A Total number of 27 more-effective and 35 less-effective primary schools were included in the sample of the present study. And also all principals of selected schools and 5 community members from each locality of these schools were selected incidental purposively, to investigate their participation in school activities. In order to collect data from the selected samples the School Effectiveness Schedule and Community Participation Interview Schedule were developed by the researcher. On the basis of the findings of the present study it is revealed that the schools having better Physical facilities, HM and teachers’ performance and Students’ performance were identified as more-effective schools. It is essential to identify schools which are less-effective and provide necessary help to develop their physical facilities and other aspects so as to develop the performance of students in order to increase school effectiveness. One of the significant findings of the present study is the higher community participation is associated with greater school effectiveness.

Natural materials and objects of environments and devices for explore them are the necessity for early learning activities in school. The raw materials are shaped by the role of the teacher that plays in students learning. This research is to investigate effect of the use of environmental materials as active educational media for elementary school science courses. This study has been a quasi-experimental research. Six classes of third grade and other six classes from fifth grade were the research sample. The research instruments were an academic achievement test, a measure of academic interest and a job satisfaction inventory. T-Test was used for statistic analyses. The results show that the use of existing facilities in the environment for teaching of concepts in science textbooks has a significant and positive impact on the students’ academic achievement and academic interest. The teachers’ job satisfaction also was improved in the two grades of subjects.

Now–a-days, we live in an age of unimagined levels of violence with uncountable reasons. People are forgetting human values. Hence peace and welfare aspects are facing new challenges at this juncture. It is believe that war and violence occur due to unresolved conflicts. Learning to live with and in peace is emerging as a premise of peace education. Across the world, peace education programs are gaining popularity, as states international agencies and civil society organizations increasingly recognize the importance of such education. However, with this growing recognition there are increasing contestations over both the broader objectives and the specificities of carrying out peace education programs. This articles sketches out the various options that are available, and also looks at how a regional perspective on peace through education can be generated. While such a perspective would have to be sensitive to the history, the current reality and the future needs of the different South Asian states, given the shared cultural practices in South Asia, it may not be an impossible undertaking.

In this study, the relation between the readiness of the 66-72-month-old children in terms of the social skills in pre-service education institutions and their social skills at primary school was investigated. The population of the study consisted of 33 children who attended Marmara University Atatürk Education Faculty Prof. Dr. Ayla Oktay Pre-school Education Application Unit in the 2011-2012 academic year and started primary school in the 2012-2013 academic year. As the study was carried out by means of collecting data from the same population in specific time intervals, it can be described as a longitudinal study. In order to collect data, the Marmara Primary School Readiness Test and the School Social Behavior Scales were used. The readiness of the children for the school in terms of social development during the pre-school education and their social skills were assessed, and the evaluation was conducted again to assess the social skills of the children at the primary school environment. Considering the results of the study, it was identified that preschoolers with ageappropriate level of school readiness and social skills adapt to the school more quickly than their peers and their younger friends when they start primary school. In addition, it was found that the children in the study group performed in accordance with their potentials in their academic studies. The findings were also discussed from the perspective of social adaptation skills of the 66-month-old children who are eligible to start school.

This descriptive study was conducted to assess banking and finance education curriculum by identifying and comparing the bachelors degree courses being taught at the banking and finance schools. We used a quantitative approach to content analysis. The data of the study have been gathered from the web pages, handbooks and the catalogs of the schools. The study contains all of the bachelors degree banking and finance departments of the universities in Turkey. In the first survey, we identified seven core competency areas for the courses in these schools. In the second survey, six more categories were identified accompanying the competency areas. In the third survey, we compared the curriculum in public universities and private foundation universities. Our results mostly indicate similarities as well as some differences in the curriculum. Explanations for these similarities and differences between the universities were suggested in terms of the core competency areas that were collected from their aims and missions.

Education is a significant issue in social and economical development of countries. The most important element of education is “teacher”. Having various thinking abilities is worthy for teachers. Especially development of knowledge and attitude intended to reflective thinking is the determinative factor in effective teacher education. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the pre-service teachers’ reflective thinking tendencies in terms of various variables. This study was practiced in 2011-2012 Academic year with 449 preservice teachers who studied in various departments of education faculty in a public university in Istanbul. The findings were analyzed with ANOVA and independent group t test with SPSS software. At the end of the study, it was seen that preservice teachers’ reflective thinking tendencies were significantly different by growing up place and gender. In addition to this, there were no significant differences found by mother and father education levels, number of siblings, the type of high school and the undergraduate program type. Based on the findings of the study, several recommendations were given.

A through understanding of the principles of structural system design is particularly important for architects practising in Turkey where over 90 percent of the population reside in seismically active regions and the structures built must withstand the damaging effects of severe earthquakes. However there are problems incorporating the classroom based structural engineering courses into architectural design curriculums which are largely centered on the architectural design studio. The students of architecture are accustomed to the “learning by doing” approach used in the design studio and have a hard time adjusting to the classroom delivery of structural engineering lectures which largely use mathematical abstraction to communicate concepts of physics. This paper presents the findings of a study conducted at the Faculty of Architecture of Istanbul Kultur University to investigate the use of a “learning by doing” approach at the Building Mechanics course to increase the motivation and the academic performance of students.

This study analyses the causes and the fundamental problems students in Turkey face when producing scientific research papers focusing on measurement and assessment methods, curriculum design, English language and academic writing skills of students. The study is based on a questionnaire consisting of 12 questions prepared in 2012. It was designed to measure the general research skills of 100 undergraduate students from different programs at one of the universities in Turkey. Results showed that academic essay writing is as difficult to university students as it is to academics. The researcher believes that this study can emphasize why academic writing is an issue for scholars and university students in Turkey.

Determining health related quality of life is crucial issue to conduct holistic implications toward children with autism. Unless any studies that do not examine health related quality of life features of these children could not be achieve about planning and practices. The aim of the study is to the examination of psychometric properties of KIDSCREEN Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire Short Version (or Kidscreen-27) on children with autism in Turkey. This descriptive quantitative research was conducted with 349 participants. After we provided linguistic equivalence, we collected data in the base of parent proxy report instead of their children with autism. The KIDSCREEN-Short Version that aims to put forward children’s health related quality of life consist of originally 27 question and five sub domain which are physical activities and health (5 items), general mood and your child’s feeling (7items), family and your child’s free time (7 items), friends (4 items), school and learning (4 items). After calculation of the item total correlation, we eleminated 3 items that have fewer than rjx=.20 factors load and 24 items remained. Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency reliability (α=.88) and split-half reliability are high (Spearman Brown rho.=.88**), item total correlations are acceptable except three items and the differences between %27 upper-lower groups were significant. According to construct validity analysis, the scale has an acceptable goodness of fit (x2/df=3.1, RMSEA=.08, NFI=.90, CFI=.93). Analysis results show us that KINDSCREEN-Short Version can be used as a valid and reliable assessment tool to determine the health related quality of life for children with autism in Turkey.

Traditionally in pedagogy, children are learning dependently, learning activities are arranged by teachers, information is transferred from teacher to student and teachers are the only source of authority. Therefore, pedagogy needs some new supplementary approaches. Children, nowadays, reach independent learner level at an earlier stage. At this point, andragogical principles can offer some new solutions. Although it is assumed that andragogy deals with adults, actually the main point in andragogical learning process is the consciousness level of learners but not their ages. Thus, andragogy can be implemented to every age level. Researches show that adults wait for their teachers’ approval during the learning processes. They are conditioned doing so because of their pedagogical formal education experiences. In a pedagogical environment, students’ sense of wonder is oppressed under the situations where information is transferred from teacher to student without questioning and criticizing. In order to eliminate these shortcomings in pedagogy, andragogy proposes independent and self-directed learners with its six principles. In formal education enhanced with andragogical principles, children learn issues by relating with their lives, focus on lifelong learning and take their performance as a criteria in the evaluation level. The authority held only by teacher is shared with students. Teacher becomes participatory, collaborative and negotiator while s/he changes his/her role from information transmitter to problem solver. Accordingly, both teacher and students have new roles in such an educational process. This study aims to represent the effects of andragogical principles in primary school level. The sample of the research consists of 168 students of 8th grade. Students are asked whether they are ready for the process enhanced with andragogical principles and andragogy can contribute anything to their school success. The results of survey reveal that with an 'Agree' point scale, students are ready for an education program enhanced with six basic andragogical principles.

In the current study, the objectives of sociology course curriculum that was developed and applied from 1924 up to 2009, and the contents formed in this purpose were evaluated through an analytic and critical approach. In the 9 curriculums applied, different affective objectives and the content in line with these objectives can be seen depending on the characteristics of the period they were developed. This content generally reflects the political features of the period. It was found that besides problems and contents of scientific sociology, a dominant non-scientific ideological approach regarding the social, political, economic, cultural and religious features of the period were given in the programs. It could be tolerated in terms of fulfilling the political function of education that is related to the training the citizens, however the affective objectives that were different from a period to another and the content parallel to it shows the contradiction of using education as an instrument beyond realizing the political function of it.

Each year since 2007, the steel bridge building competition “Design and Construct” is organized by the Construction Club of Boğaziçi University and is open to the undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in civil engineering and architecture programmes in Turkey and abroad. The competition provides an opportunity for students to have a comprehensive hands-on practice of the steel design process from conceptual design to fabrication and assembly in a team setting. Another important aspect of the competition is that it provides to present their work to a jury of steel design professionals and to other teams from various countries and universities. This paper presents the experience of Department of Civil Engineering of Istanbul Kültür University who participated at the competition every year with a number of teams since 2007 and outlines the benefits and opportunities of this hands on learning opportunity for students.

The purpose of the study is to investigate chemistry student teachers’ levels of understanding and alternative conceptions concerning chemical equilibrium. The study was conducted with totally 97 chemistry student teachers (16 from first grade, 15 from second grade, 22 from third grade, 22 from fourth grade and 22 from fifth grade) who are enrolled in the department of secondary science education of Fatih Faculty of Education at KTU. A test, consisting of 13 two-tier multiple choice questions, was used to collect data. The first tier is a question with three choices, while the other tier involves four possible reasons for all possible answers in the first tier. The questions in the test were taken from literature related to chemical equilibrium. The results of the present study confirmed many alternative conceptions that had been identified in previous studies and showed that fourth-year student teachers are more successful than the other classes.

We are living in critical times. Hardly does a day go without bombs in the Middle East, serial killings in the USA, the suffering of people in refugee camps in various parts of Africa, or a violent repression of people including wallstreet, France, Italy and Turkey. The programs have skyrocketed recently to raise awareness of peace in the world. For example, since 1986, the Grant Program of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has made more than 2,100 grants and invested roughly $86 million in support of research, education, training, media, and public diplomacy by individuals and organizations engaged in efforts to understand, prevent, manage, and resolve violent conflict.One stumbling block is the terminology used in this field, for instance UNESCO widely uses peace education in all its general documents, but the terminology changes when its country offices collaborate with educational systems and government ministries that prefer other terms, such as peacebuilding in schools (eastern and southern Africa), education for peace (Rwanda), global education (the Middle East and north Africa), education for conflict resolution (Sri Lanka), and values for life (Egypt). Any kind pf peace education encompasses four domains , which are regarded as knowledge, concern, skills and action. The purpose of this study is to see how university students feel about peace and violence. For this study a semistructured interview is given to 110 students at a western public university to see whether they have the knowledge and concern for peace and the results will be juxtaposed with the events reflected in the media to substantiate that peace education braves a great deal of responsibility against war journalism of the postmodern times.