Elvan Sahin

Complexity of global challenges such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, water scarcity, and socio-economic inequalities shows the need for education for sustainable development (ESD). In rece...

In response to global demands for digitally competent citizens, it is crucial to examine how science teachers integrate technology into their teaching practices through technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK). This study employs the TPACK-Practical (TPACK-P) framework, which emphasizes assessing teachers’ proficiency in authentic classroom settings, to investigate two complementary aspects: (1) evaluate the proficiency of in-service science teachers with respect to assessment, planning, design, and enactment dimensions, and (2) explore the interactions among the five TPACK-P components. A multiple case study of four in-service science teachers teaching force and energy topics was conducted utilizing classroom observations and semi-structured interviews. Findings revealed varying proficiency levels across the dimensions, from lack of use to infusive application. Furthermore, five key assertions emerged: (i) central role of assessment in shaping practices, (ii) the uniqueness of each teacher’s TPACK-P map, (iii) predominance of assessment-focused integration, (iv) underuse of ICT for subject content delivery, and (v) dynamic nature of TPACK-P. This study highlights both the complexity and need for context-sensitive support of ICT integration in science education.

Previous research provides valuable insight into energy knowledge, attitudes, and behavior in the context of energy literacy. However, a research gap exists in dealing with a comprehensive understanding of complex relationships on energy-related attributes for adolescents. In this aspect, utilizing the framework of the Value–Belief–Norm (VBN) theory, this study highlighted these complex relationships for the selected adolescents as potential future energy consumers and future decision makers. Participants of the study were a total of 530 8th-grade students attending public schools located in a district of Istanbul, Türkiye. To test the hypothesized connections among the latent constructs, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was performed. This dataset demonstrates that altruistic values develop pro-environmental beliefs and awareness of consequences directly, but ascribed responsibility indirectly. Interestingly, biospheric and egoistic values showed no significant influence. In line with VBN theory, these students with more strong beliefs about human-nature interdependence develop an awareness of the consequences of their own actions and ascribed responsibility. The finalized model reveals that the relevant behaviors were linked to personal norms that could be positively explained by pro-environmental beliefs, awareness of consequences, and ascribed responsibility. These adolescents believing in the severity of global warming, while focusing on human well-being could be active in creating sustainable energy consumption patterns. This research provides valuable insight into strategies for promoting behavior aimed at reducing the persistent rise in energy consumption.

Regardless of their nationality, all children are unfortunately at risk since nations across the world are not doing enough to reduce the impacts of climate change. However, teenagers in developing countries face more severe challenges as a consequence of climate change. This research portrays teenagers living in a rural area in terms of their awareness, beliefs, attitudes, and actions relevant to climate change. Beliefs regarding climate change are reflected in the context of skepticism about the existence, causes, and impacts of climate change as well as belief in climate change mitigation. We also magnify ecocentrism and anthropocentrism, as a socio-psychological factor, and gender, a demographic variable, when exploring their power as the antecedents of climate change-related actions. The data were gathered from 650 students attending a middle school selected from a rural area located in the inner west region of Türkiye. The results indicated that less than half of the teenagers believed in the notion that something could be done to tackle climate change. According to discriminant analysis, female teenagers tend to believe in climate change more and have stronger ecocentric attitudes compared to males. Furthermore, female teenagers seemed to engage in climate change-related actions more than males. This study provided further evidence on the role of beliefs and attitudes in relation to this issue. To be more specific, teenagers believing that anthropogenic factors lead to climate change and that we, as humans, should therefore do our bit to reduce climate change, also tend to take the necessary actions to combat climate change. Furthermore, these individuals, valuing the natural environment for its own sake, engage in actions for climate change mitigation. By examining the awareness, beliefs, attitudes, and actions of teenagers in rural areas towards climate change, this research underscores the critical role of the quality of formal education in equipping teenagers to effectively engage with climate change issues.

An immense body of literature on astronomy studies has provided evidence that individuals perceive the lunar phases concept as difficult. Furthermore, many studies showed what erroneous explanations or alternative conceptions of lunar phases are. However, there is also a need to understand how individuals construct an explanation of the phases of the Moon. This paper aims to explore pre-service science teachers' construction process of their explanation regarding lunar phases via clinical interviews. The data were obtained from fourteen pre-service science teachers and analyzed, identifying their nodes and dynamic mental constructs. The results indicated that most pre-service science teachers did not organize their nodes consistent with normative scientific explanations. In addition, pre-service science teachers changed their dynamic mental construct while explaining different lunar phases, utilizing different media such as drawing and three-dimensional models, and responding to prompted questions. It was suggested that different opportunities, including technology-enriched activities regarding phases of the Moon, should be provided for pre-service science teachers to reorganize their nodes.

Microteaching is a significant way to prepare pre-service teachers to overcome specific challenges in a natural classroom environment. It is widely accepted that pre-service science teachers gain pedagogical benefits from microteaching activities. Furthermore, microteaching enhances the conceptual understanding of the presenter on the related teaching topics. This research intends to map two pre-service science teachers’ conceptual understanding before and after engaging in microteaching on the concept of phases of the moon. The data were collected through pre and post-interviews and observations of microteaching. Activated knowledge elements during interviews and microteaching were determined and compared. The study’s results provided evidence that microteaching is a fruitful way to improve pre-service science teachers' understanding of phases of the moon. Furthermore, it was detected that both the quality and quantity of pre-service science teachers' knowledge elements increased after their microteaching engagements

There is significant global concern with current environmental problems, yet people’s behaviour towards the environment has been resistant to change. Young people have the opportunity to bring about desirable changes through environmental behaviours and attitudes. The goal of this study is to better understand the scope of nature relatedness as an attribution interacting with pro-environmental behaviours for Turkish pre-service early childhood teachers. We examined the associations between the domains representing nature relatedness and also sought to identify any differences in nature relatedness with respect to their year of enrolment in a teacher education program. The participants were 402 students attending an Early Childhood Teacher Education Program at one of the two public universities in the capital of Turkey. A Turkish-adapted version of the Nature Relatedness Scale developed by Nisbet, Zelenski, and Murphy was administered to gather the data. Participants were found to have a mostly positive external nature-related worldview. Furthermore, the statistical analysis indicated non-significant differences in their nature relatedness with respect to the year of enrolment in the teacher education program. In terms of the relationships between the constructs representing nature relatedness, the internalized identification with nature was positively correlated with two constructs which refer to his/her physical familiarity as well as attraction to nature, and how individual’s relationship with the environment is provoked by his/her behaviour. This research indicates that pre-service teachers, who are regarded as important agents for the future implementation of sustainability education, are actually lacking in their nature relatedness constructs and need to develop key competencies in a field that presupposes that they have already acquired sufficient experience of physical and emotional interaction with nature.