Muhammet İbRahim Akyurek

This study explores the mediating roles of social anxiety and self-regulation in online interaction in the relationship between instructor efficiency and online learning acceptance. Grounded in transactional distance theory, the present research study analyzes data collected from 436 undergraduate students engaged in fully online courses in Türkiye. Using associational research design and regression-based mediation analysis, the findings highlight that instructor efficiency significantly predicts learners’ online learning acceptance. Additionally, instructor efficiency is a negative predictor of negative evaluation anxiety, somatic symptoms, and avoiding interaction in learner-instructor interaction, while it is a positive predictor of self-regulation in learner-instructor, learner-content, and learner-learner interactions. Negative evaluation anxiety was observed as a significant mediator in the link between instructor efficiency and online learning acceptance. Conversely, interaction regulation dimensions, along with other dimensions of social anxiety, showed no significant mediation effects. These results underscore the pivotal role of instructors in reducing learners’ social anxiety and fostering interaction regulation and online learning acceptance, particularly in synchronous online learning environments. This study provides actionable insights for designing effective online education strategies to improve acceptance and outcomes, especially in developing country contexts.

This study examined the relationships among paternalistic leadership, school culture, and teacher agency in Türkiye. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the findings indicated that paternalistic leadership is positively associated with school culture and teacher agency, underscoring that teacher agency is not merely an individual trait but is embedded within contextual and cultural dynamics. Although the direct effect between paternalistic leadership and teacher agency is statistically significant, the indirect effect through school culture is notably stronger. Consequently, the research offers theoretical and practical implications for understanding how leadership and organizational culture influence teacher agency in centralized, hierarchical education systems.

Perceived discrimination has been recognized as an important factor associated with students' educational experiences; however, the institutional mechanisms through which it relates to student commitment remain insufficiently understood. This study examined the mediating role of perceived service quality in the relationship between perceived discrimination and student commitment among 417 undergraduate students enrolled in faculties offering four-year degree programmes. Guided by Student Engagement Theory and Social Exchange Theory from an institutional perspective on higher education, a mediation model was tested in which perceived service quality mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and student commitment. A cross-sectional correlational design was employed. Data were collected using validated scales, and the hypothesised mediation model was tested using PROCESS Macro (Model 4) with bootstrapping. Results indicated that perceived discrimination did not directly predict student commitment; however, it negatively predicted perceived service quality, which in turn positively predicted student commitment. Moreover, perceived discrimination exerted a significant indirect effect on student commitment through perceived service quality, supporting a full mediation model. Keywords: perceived discrimination, student commitment, service quality in higher education, higher education students, mediation analysis

This study aims to examine the attitudes of students enrolled in Vocational and Technical Anatolian High Schools in the province of Şırnak toward vocational education. The study was conducted using a quantitative approach, and the sample consisted of 407 students. Data were collected through the Attitude Towards Vocational Education Scale developed by Kalkan (2014). The findings indicate that students possess moderately positive attitudes toward vocational education. No significant differences were found in attitudes based on gender, grade level, or family income status. In conclusion, vocational education is perceived by students as a viable and acceptable educational pathway, and demographic characteristics do not have a significant effect on these attitudes.

Purpose: This study examines the mediating role of perceived ethical climate (PEC) in the relationship between service quality and student cynicism (SC) in higher education. This study aims to examine whether PEC explains the relationship between perceived institutional quality and students’ cynical attitudes. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 424 senior undergraduate students at a public university in Türkiye. Validated scales measuring service quality, PEC and SC were used. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the measurement models. The hypothesized mediation model was tested using bootstrapped regression analysis. Findings: Service quality was negatively associated with SC and positively associated with PEC, while PEC was negatively related to cynicism. Mediation analysis indicated that PEC partially mediates the relationship between service quality and student cynicism. The findings suggest that quality-oriented institutional practices may reduce SC by strengthening the PEC. Originality/value: This study makes three key contributions. First, it integrates service quality, PEC and SC into a single theoretically grounded model, addressing an important gap in the higher education literature. Second, it empirically demonstrates the mediating role of PEC as a mechanism linking institutional quality perceptions to student attitudes. Third, it offers practical implications for higher education governance by showing how aligning quality management practices with ethical principles can reduce student cynicism.

This study examined the relationship between life skills and career anxiety among students attending Vocational and Technical High Schools and investigated the predictive role of life skills in explaining career anxiety. The study was conducted with 385 eleventh- and twelfth-grade students enrolled in vocational and technical high schools in Ankara, Türkiye, during the 2023–2024 academic year. A quantitative correlational research design was employed. Data were collected using the Life Skills Scale and the Career Anxiety Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product–moment correlation analysis, and simple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that students reported relatively high levels of life skills, with career planning emerging as the highest-rated dimension. Career anxiety levels were found to be moderate overall. Correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant but weak negative relationship between life skills and career anxiety. Regression analysis showed that life skills significantly and negatively predicted career anxiety; however, the explained variance was limited (R² = .02). The findings suggest that students with stronger life skills tend to report lower levels of career anxiety, although life skills represent only one of several factors associated with career-related concerns. The study highlights the potential contribution of life skills education and career guidance practices in supporting students’ career development processes within vocational and technical education settings.

Araştırmada orijinali Neves, Palma-Moreira, Andrade ve Au-Yong-Oliveira (2024) tarafından geliştirilmiş olan Örgütsel Vatandaşlık Davranışları Ölçeğinin Türk kültürüne uyarlama çalışması gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda araştırma verileri Türkiye’nin Sinop ilindeki okullarda (okul öncesi, ilkokul, ortaokul ve lise) görevli 451 öğretmenden toplanmıştır. Çalışmada veri toplama aracı olarak Örgütsel Vatandaşlık Davranışları Ölçeği (ÖVD) kullanılmıştır. ÖVD Ölçeği tek boyutlu olarak 10 maddeden oluşmaktadır. ÖVD Ölçeği’nin Türkçeye uyarlanması kapsamında öncelikle ölçek kullanım izni alınmıştır. Ardından ÖVD Ölçeği’nin Türkçe dil eş-değerliği sürecine geçilmiştir. Ön işlemlerin tamamlanmasıyla çalışmanın verileri toplanmış ve analizler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Verilerin analizi çerçevesinde ÖVD Ölçeği’nin geçerlik ve güvenirliği test edilmiştir. ÖVD Ölçeği’nin tek boyutlu yapısının geçerliği doğrulayıcı faktör analizi ile hesaplanmıştır. ÖVD Ölçeği’nin güvenirliği ise Cronbach alfa katsayısı ile incelenmiştir. Geçerlik ve güvenirlik analizleri sonucunda ÖVD Ölçeği’nin Türk kültüründe kullanılmaya uygun, geçerli ve güvenilir bir veri toplama aracı olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

The higher education sector has witnessed significant changes in recent years, with an increasing emphasis on service quality, lecturer competence, and academic engagement as important determinants of academic success. This research aims to explore the mediating role of lecturer competence between service quality and the academic engagement of students in higher education. The relational survey model was used to determine the relationships between service quality, lecturer competence, and academic engagement. A conceptual model regarding service quality, academic engagement, and lecturer competence was developed in this regard. To test the model, appropriate data were collected and analyzed. The findings indicate that the quality of service in higher education is directly related to academic engagement. There is a positive and significant relationship between service quality and lecturer competence. Similarly, a positive and significant relationship exists between lecturer competence and academic engagement. Furthermore, lecturer competence is a mediating factor in the relationship between service quality and academic engagement.