Sezen Camci Erdogan

This study aimed to examine teachers’ dialogic discussions in applications of concept cartoons on socioscientific issues (SSICCs) and how these discussions developed high school gifted students’ decision-making competences and informal reasoning modes. Through multiple case design, this study viewed three teachers in Science and Art Center (SAC) as the cases. The teachers’ dialogic discussions were analyzed by using the Dialogic Inquiry Tool (DIT). The findings of multiple case analysis revealed that the teachers’ dialogic discussions ranged from the lowest dialogic level to weak level in the first weeks. Toward the end of the implementations, they demonstrated strong semi-dialogic level discussions. Likewise, high school gifted students evolved their decision-making competences from spontaneous decision-making level to the intermediate level of metareflection over time. This suggests that the teachers’ pedagogical improvements in dialogic discussions via SSICCs have positively impacted high school gifted students’ decision-making competences and informal reasoning modes. It can be concluded that an improvement in the teachers’ dialogic discussions via SSICCs has stimulated the students’ decision-making processes, which cover the use of the scientific evidence and multiple disciplines to form their informal reasoning modes. Thus, it is suggested that professional development programs should be developed and implemented to cultivate in-service teachers’ pedagogical competences at blending well-known educative tools (e.g., concept cartoons) with contemporary pedagogical strategies (e.g., dialogic discussion).

This study aims to examine the views of experts involved in the identification of gifted children in early childhood towards identification. The study included 15 experts working in identification at Guidance and Research Centers (GRCs) in Gaziantep, Erzincan, Malatya, and İstanbul provinces. For this qualitative research study, a semi-structured interview form, created by the researchers in accordance with the aims of the research, was used to explore the views of experts involved in early childhood identification. The results of the expert opinions show that the participants defined special ability as above average performance, creativity, problem solving, quick comprehension, and learning. Participants emphasized the necessity of identification in early childhood in order to reveal potential and differentiate education programs. They emphasized the strengths and weaknesses of the tools used in identification. They revealed the problems experienced in the identification process especially in immigrant and refugee groups. They emphasized the effect of pre-test preparations and the opinions of families and teachers on the identification process. A number of recommendations were made in line with the opinions of the experts involved in identification.

This study investigates the effect of out-of-school activities on gifted students' affective and behavioral tendencies. Mixed method research with a single group pre and post-test experimental design was used in this study. Twenty-five gifted students from Turkey-İstanbul participated in this study. “Environmental Affect Scale” and “Environmental Behavior Scale” were used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Results showed that out-of-school activities positively affected the students’ affective and behavioral tendencies toward the environment. It was also found that the awareness of students on environmental problems increased, and they began to produce their solutions to these problems.

Çalışmanın amacı öğretmen adaylarının, özel eğitime ihtiyaç duyan bireylerin eğitimine yönelik görüşlerinin belirlenmesidir. Nitel bir araştırma olarak planlanan çalışmada lisans son sınıfa devam eden toplam 104 Sınıf Öğretmenliği, Fen Bilgisi Öğretmenliği ve Fransızca Öğretmenliği adaylarına görüş formları dağıtılmıştır. Bu görüş formu kapsamında öğretmen adaylarının özel eğitime gereksinimi olan grupların eğitim ihtiyaçlarına yönelik sorumluluk alıp almamaları gerektiğine ve en çok/ en az hangi grupta faydalı olabilecekleri ve nedenleri gibi ifadelere yer vermeleri istenmiştir. Verilerin analizinde betimsel analiz yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Öğretmen adaylarının %98’inin özel eğitime ihtiyaç duyan bireylerin eğitiminde sorumluluk almak gerektiğini düşündüğü sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Öğretmen adaylarının en faydalı olabileceği grubun fiziksel yetersizlik grubu; en az fayda sağlayabilecekleri grubun ise zihinsel yetersizlik grubu olduğunu düşündükleri ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu düşünceleri ortaya çıkaran nedenlerin ise, bazı grupların daha öğretilebilir olması, özel eğitime dair gerekli ve yeterli eğitimlerin varlığı/yokluğu, özel eğitim gereksinimi olan öğrenciler ile ilgili deneyimlerin varlığı/yokluğu gibi durumlarla ilişkili olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.

The present study aims to examine the perceptions towards scientists and science/pseudoscience distinctions of gifted education and elementary education teacher candidates who will educate gifted students especially at the elementary education level. A total of 92 volunteer prospective teachers, composed of candidates from gifted education and elementary education departments, participated in the study, which was carried out as a survey research. The data were collected using the Draw-a-Scientist Test and the Science/Pseudoscience Distinction Scale. The results of the study showed that both groups of prospective teachers’ crafted drawings that reflected stereotypical perceptions in terms of appearance, work carried out by scientists, and gender. However, according to the results of the independent samples t-test, the elementary education teacher candidates were found to reflect more stereotypical characteristics in their drawings of scientists than the gifted education teacher candidates. The candidates’ science/pseudoscience distinction scores did not significantly differ in department and there was a negative significant correlation between stereotypical image scores and scientific method scores.

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effect of the six days nature education which was named TUBİTAK 4004 "Science and Art Explorers in The Nature” and was organized to improve the environmental awareness and sensitivity of the gifted students, on environmental awareness and concerns of the students. 50 seventh-grade gifted students from Istanbul, Aydin and Tekirdağ were participated in this study. The study was conducted as qualitative study and as data collection tools, two questionnaires consisting of seven open-ended questions were used to determine the environmental awareness and concerns of the students. The data was analysed by descriptive analysis method. After the activities carried out during the project period, it has been determined that the awareness and concerns of the students about the environment consciousness and the environment have improved. Students have stated that environmental education is fun, they learn a lot about the environment, living things and ecosystems together by the activities that they made and they are now more sensitive about protecting the environment.