Central Districts Of Ankara Research Articles

HALK EĞİTİMİ MERKEZLERİNDE GÖREV YAPAN MÜZİK EĞİTİMCİLERİNİN KURS PROGRAM VE SÜRELERİNE İLİŞKİN GÖRÜŞLERİ

Public education centers are among the institutions that attract great interest from individuals who want to receive music education in our country, and the demand for these institutions is increasing day by day. Music education in these institutions is provided through course programs determined by the General Directorate of Lifelong Learning. It is necessary to obtain the opinions of music educators, who can reach large audiences through public education centers, regarding course programs and durations in order to increase the quality of music education by making necessary improvements on the subject. The sample of the research consists of 30 volunteer music educators working in public education centers in the central districts of Ankara. The study is a qualitative study and a two-part semi-structured interview form consisting of demographic information and 2 open-ended questions was used to collect the data, prepared by taking two separate expert opinions. According to the research findings, it has been determined that music educators working in public education centers are mostly master teachers and a significant portion of them are graduates of fields other than music. According to the data obtained, it was determined that the majority of music educators found the course programs and durations inadequate. Keywords: Public Education Center, Music Education.

An Investigation of the Teacher Collaboration According to the Instructional Leadership Behaviors of Principals

This correlational study examines the relationship between the instructional leadership behaviors of school administrators and the collaboration behaviors among the teachers in the same branch according to teachers' perceptions. The research sample was determined by an easily accessible sampling method and consisted of 403 teachers working in public primary and secondary schools in the central districts of Ankara. The data in the study were collected using the "Instructional Leadership Behavior Scale" and "Scale for Determining the Level of Collaboration of Group Teachers." Mean and standard deviation values were calculated in the data analysis, and correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. The study results show that principals exhibit high levels of instructional leadership behaviors according to teachers' perceptions. Similarly, teachers' collaboration behaviors are also high. A positive and significant relationship was found between principals' instructional leadership and teachers' collaborative behaviors. According to the regression results, principals' instructional leadership behaviors significantly predicted teacher collaboration. Based on the results, some implications for the future were made, and suggestions were made to researchers and practitioners.

The mediator role of school climate in the relationship between instructional leadership behaviors of school principals and teacher autonomy

PurposeSchool principals should create a positive school climate through instructional leadership behaviors and support teacher autonomy to reach their ultimate goals. This study examines the relationship between the instructional leadership behaviors of school principals and teacher autonomy, testing the mediating role of school climate and the moderator role of teacher seniority.Design/methodology/approachThis cross-sectional study tests the relationships between the variables with structural equation modeling. By stratified sampling method, research data from 739 teachers in six central districts of Ankara during the 2022–2023 academic year.FindingsResults showed that school principals' instructional leadership behaviors, teacher autonomy, and perceptions of school climate were above average. The study also indicates that the instructional leadership behaviors of school principals are positive and significant predictors of teacher autonomy and school climate and that school climate is a positively significant predictor of teacher autonomy. Moreover, school climate partially mediates the relationship between instructional leadership and teacher autonomy, and teacher seniority has a moderator role.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited to the opinions of the teachers working in the official primary, secondary and general high schools in the districts of Ankara in the 2022–2023 academic year on the instructional leadership of the school principals, the teachers' perceptions of autonomy and the school climate. It has been observed that there is a relationship between the instructional leadership behaviors of school principals and teacher autonomy. It can be said that the instructional leadership behaviors of school principals support teachers to exhibit autonomous behaviors in instructional strategies and processes, curriculum, classroom management, professional development and communication.Practical implicationsIt is seen that the instructional leadership behaviors of school principals affect teacher autonomy through school climate. It can be said that with the instructional leadership behaviors of school principals, the school climate is more democratic, success-oriented, sincere, supportive of teacher leadership and transforming conflicts into an opportunity for school development, thus affecting teachers' areas of autonomy. We can say that with the development of teachers' autonomy, more effective instructional strategies and instructional processes are developed, the curriculum is transferred with more permanent teaching techniques, professional communication is transformed into collective actions and more comprehensive studies are planned and implemented.Originality/valueThis study will extend the literature by revealing the complex link between instructional leadership, teacher autonomy, school climate and teacher seniority. Furthermore, this study estimates how these complex interactions emerge in non-western cultures with centralized educational structures.

The Relationship between Teachers’ Levels of Organizational Vulnerability and Self-Confidence

In this study, it was aimed to determine the relationship between the organizational vulnerability and self-confidence levels of teachers working in public secondary schools in Ankara. The study employed the relational survey model, one of the survey models and causal comparative model. The population of the study consists of 16171 teachers working in nine central districts of Ankara, and the sample consists of 377 teachers determined by using the stratified sampling method. Research data were collected with the Organizational Vulnerability Scale and the Self-Confidence Scale. In the analysis of the data, statistics such as percentage, frequency and arithmetic mean were used to describe the situations related to the variables. In order to test whether the teachers’ organizational vulnerability and self-confidence levels vary significantly depending on the independent variables, t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used. The degree and direction of the relationship between organizational vulnerability and self-confidence were determined using the Pearson correlation coefficient, and whether self-confidence predicts organizational vulnerability was determined through multiple regression analysis. According to the analysis results, the teachers’ level of defencelessness is relatively higher than their levels of sadness, incomptence and intolerance. The teachers’ organizational vulnerability was found to not vary significantly depending on the variables of gender, school type, professional experience and union membership. However, their levels of defencelessness, sadness and general vulnerability were found to vary significantly depending on their education level and their level of incomptence was found to vary significantly depending on their branch. The teachers’ level of self-confidence was found to not vary significantly depending on the variables of gender, union membership, education level and school type; however, their levels of intrinsic and general self-confidence were found to vary significantly depending on their branch and their levels of extrinsic self-confidence and general self-confidence were found to vary significantly depending on the variable of professional experience. There is a low and negative correlation between the level of incomptence and the levels of intrinsic and extrinsic self-confidence. Self-confidence does not significantly predict organizational vulnerability.

Comparison of Machine Learning Algorithms for Mass Appraisal of Real Estate Data

Abstract In recent years, machine learning algorithms have been used in the mass appraisal of real estate. In this study, 5 machine learning algorithms are used for residential type real estate. Machine learning algorithms used for mass appraisal in this study are Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Random Forest (RO), Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA), K-Nearest Neighborhood (k-nn), Support Vector Regression (SVR). To test the study, real estate data collected from the central districts of Ankara, were used. The main purpose of this study is to find out which machine learning algorithm gives the best results for the mass appraisal of real estates and to reveal the most important variables that affect the prices of real estate. According to the results obtained for the city of Ankara, it was observed that the best algorithm for mass appraisal is RF in residential-type real estates, followed by the ANN, k-nn, and linear regression algorithms, respectively. According to the results obtained from the residential real estate, it was concluded that heating and distances to places of importance had the greatest effect on the value.

Preschool Teachers' Understanding of Children and Childhood: Rights, Responsibilities and Working with Children

In this study, it was aimed to evaluate preschool teachers' understanding of childhood. The study group of this qualitative case study consisted of 51 preschool teachers working in the central districts of Ankara, who were reached by using the convenient sampling technique from the purposeful sampling method. Semi-structured interview questions were used as data collection tools. The interview questions included preschool teachers' perspectives on children and childhood, what they think about children's rights and basic requirements, their views on the advantages and difficulties of working with children, and their responsibilities towards children. The interview questions were analyzed using a content analysis approach. As a result, it is thought that preschool teachers who participated in the study have a generally positive perspective towards children and childhood. According to preschool teachers' understanding of rights and requirements, it is seen that children requirement love the most, have the right to be protected and safe, and the most important right is the right to have a mother and father. Regarding the right to participation, it was determined that children's opinions should be consulted at home, at school and in society, that children's opinions were taken into consideration in the selection of activities at school and that children's opinions were more effective in the decisions taken. According to preschool teachers' understanding of working with children, the biggest advantage of working with children is that children are natural and innocent, and the most difficult aspect is the communication problem with parents. In addition, it was determined that preschool teachers' professional responsibilities towards children are to raise children as good individuals, they feel conscientious responsibility towards children and as an adult they feel the responsibility to help all children in requirement and in difficult situations.

An Analysis of the Relationship between Teachers' Workload and Work-Life Balance

In this study, the relationship between teachers' workload and work-life balance was examined. The research, which was designed with the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was carried out in the province of Ankara in the 2020-2021 academic year. Two different data sets were collected in the study. The first is the study group consisting of 30 teachers working in public primary and secondary schools in the Yenimahalle district of Ankara. The second is the sample consisting of 436 teachers working in public primary and secondary schools in nine central districts of Ankara. Data were collected using a questionnaire and two scales. Excel and SPSS were used in the data analysis. The total average weekly time allocated by the classroom teachers working in public primary schools for the specified tasks was found to be 38 hours, and the branch teachers working in public secondary schools were found to be 30.9 hours. There are statistically significant relationships between teachers' perceptions of workload and work-life balance scores. As the workload of teachers increases, their work-life balance levels decrease, or as their workload decreases, their work-life balance levels increase.

Konut Alt Piyasalarının Ankara Metropolitan Alanı Örneği Üzerinden Değerlendirilmesi

The housing market consists of heterogeneous products with different housing characteristics. Due to its heterogeneity, the housing market is better analyzed by dividing it into different homogeneous groups, especially submarkets with similar spatial, environmental and physical characteristics, rather than a single homogeneous market. This article discusses the housing submarkets by using the current housing supply in Ankara. In this context, it investigates whether the analysis for the city as a whole reflects a realistic housing price structure. Moreover, it seeks an answer the question of whether socio-economic submarkets based on average household income by neighborhood and spatial submarkets based on location by district are determinant for Ankara. Data were collected from one of Turkey's largest real estate websites on the dwelling units being advertised for sale in the nine central districts of Ankara between January and September 2021. Data were analyzed by hedonic regression model. Empirical results reveal that although a single market does not effectively reflect a realistic price structure, location by districts and average household income by neighborhood do affect the price of housing in each submarket. Each submarket has its own dynamics and the housing price structure in each submarket depends on different variables. For Ankara, spatial submarkets have more explanatory power than socio-economic submarkets.

48-60 AYLIK ÇOCUKLARIN BİLİŞSEL İŞLEVLERİNİN İNCELENMESİ

Cognitive functions which are the main step of development and learning, are considered as a significant predictor of cognitive development in early childhood period. Cognitive functions are the pre-requisites needed for the acquiring thinking, learning and behavioral functions. Inadequate cognitive functions mostly result in low cognitive performance. The current study aims to evaluate cognitive functions of children continuing to pre-school educational institutions as well as identify the factors that may potentially affect. The study group consisted of 100 children aged 48-60 months and were studying at pre-schools. Children were randomly selected among the population that met the criteria from the randomly chosen pre-schools located in the central districts of Ankara, Turkey. “Application of Cognitive Functions Scale” was implemented to evaluate children’s cognitive functions. Turkey validity and reliability was done by Yavuz and Zembat (2017). As the scale has a dynamic assessment structure, a pre-test and a post-test score is gathered for each child. Cognitive functions are shaped by the uniqueness of each child. The results of the study showed a significant outcome in favor of the female students in terms of cognitive functions, the duration of pre-school education has an impact on cognitive skills and adult support makes a difference between children’s pre-test and post-test scores

The Influence of Perceived Organizational Support on Teachers’ Job Satisfaction: The Mediating Roles of Climate for Initiative and Climate for Psychological Safety

The purpose of the current study was to examine relationships between teachers' perceived organizational support (POS), climate for initiative (CS), climate for psychological safety (CPS), and job satisfaction (JS). A cross-sectional correlational design was employed. The sample consisted of a randomly selected 397 high school teachers working in the central districts of Ankara, Türkiye. A structural equation modelling technique was utilized in the analyses of direct and indirect relationships between the study variables. Findings confirmed the proposed model. More specifically, teachers’ POS influenced their JS both directly and indirectly through CS and CPS. Findings also suggest that teachers' job satisfaction is more likely to increase in schools where the organizational support is high, in turn, they feel motivated to take initiative and feel psychologically safe. The findings of the study supported the assumptions of Herzberg’s Two Factor Motivation Theory where the intrinsic and extrinsic factors collectively play important roles in teachers’ motivation and job satisfaction. Findings would guide policymakers and practicing educational leaders in formulating policies and practices in creating conducive school environments where teachers feel supported, safe, and motivated.

A SCALE DEVELOPMENT STUDY TO DETERMINE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS' TENDENCIES TO DIRECT STUDENTS TO CRITICAL THINKING

The goal of this study was to create a measurement tool to determine primary school teachers' tendency to direct students to critical thinking. Based on this purpose, first of all, the literature on the subject was scanned and the opinions of teachers were consulted. At the end of this process, an item pool consisting of 55 items was created. The scale items in the item pool were submitted to expert opinion for content validity. The items, which were arranged in line with the opinions of the experts, were transformed into a scale form with a five-point Likert-style option scale. The scale was applied to 500 primary school teachers working in the primary schools of the Ministry of National Education in Altındağ and Mamak, which are the central districts of Ankara, in the 2020-2021 academic year. Since EFA and CFA were planned in the research, the study group was divided into two. Accordingly, it was carried out on the data of EFA study group 1 and CFA study group 2. Study group (1) consists of 250 persons, and study group (2) consists of 250 persons. As a result of the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) applied for construct validity, it was observed that the scale had a one-dimensional structure consisting of 51 items. The total amount of variance explained by the single factor structure is 41,596%. The results of the independent samples t-test, which were used to determine the distinctiveness of each item on the scale, were significant (p≤.01). On the other hand, it was observed that the confirmatory factor analysis values of the scale were in accordance with the reference values accepted as criterion values for model data fit. The scale's Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient was found to be .97. It can be said that the results of the validity and reliability analysis obtained prove that the scale has the necessary psychometric properties.

Professional Value-Oriented Life Tendency Scale Teacher Form Validity and Reliability Study

In this study, it is aimed to develop a measurement tool to determine teachers' professional value-oriented living tendencies. By scanning the literature, the scale development stages were followed and a draft scale form with 50 items was created. The prepared draft form was applied to 25 teachers as a preliminary test and then rearranged in line with expert opinions. The prepared form was applied to a research group consisting of 1130 teachers working in public schools (primary school, secondary school and high school) in the central districts of Ankara in the spring term of the 2020-2021 academic year. Study Group 1 data were used to determine the validity and reliability of the scale, and Study Group 2 data were used for CFA. EFA was applied to the data obtained from 300 teachers, called Study Group 1, within the scope of validity and reliability study. In the second stage, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted on the data obtained from 875 teachers, called Study Group 2, in order to verify the factor structure of the scale in another sample. As a result of the exploratory factor analysis, it was determined that the scale had a three-factor structure. The Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient was 0.98 for the overall scale, 0.96 for the 1st sub-factor, 0.77 for the 2nd sub-factor, and 0.86 for the 3rd sub-factor. As a result of confirmatory factor analysis, the RMSEA value was found to be 0.049. In addition, the GFI, AGFI, CFI, NFI and NNFI values, which are expressed as goodness fit indices, are found to be 0.99, which is very close to 1, which shows that good fit values are obtained. As a result of the analyzes made, a 33-item scale form with the necessary measurement reliability was developed to serve to measure the professional value-oriented life tendencies of teachers.

YENİ GÖREVE BAŞLAYAN OKUL MÜDÜRLERİNİN ÖRGÜTSEL VE MESLEKİ SOSYALLEŞMELERİ

Bu araştırmanın amacı, yeni göreve başlayan okul müdürlerinin, onların astları ve üstlerinin örgütsel ve mesleki sosyalleşmeyi sağlamak üzere uyguladıkları taktikleri ortaya çıkarmaktır. Araştırmada ayrıca gerekiyorsa sosyalleşmeyi artırmaya yönelik öneriler geliştirmek amaçlanmıştır. Çalışma, nitel araştırma desenleri içerisinde sık kullanılan durum çalışması üzerine kurgulanmıştır. Çalışma grubunu, Ankara İli merkez ilçelerindeki devlet okullarına 27.09.2019 tarihinde müdür olarak görevlendirilen ve araştırmaya gönüllü olarak katılan 24 okul müdürü oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmacı tarafından geliştirilmiş yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu ile toplanan veriler, içerik analizine tabi tutulmuştur. Bulgulardan ulaşılan sonuçlara göre, okul müdürlerinin büyük çoğunluğu göreve başladıkları ilk günlerde kendilerini kaygılı ve heyecanlı hissetmişlerdir. Müdürlerin çoğunluğunun beklentilerinin karşılandığı saptanmıştır. Yeni göreve başlayan okul müdürlerinin örgütsel yaşama ve mesleğe uyum kapsamında uyguladıkları taktiklerin; paydaşlarla iletişimi güçlü tutmaya çalışmak, kendilerinin ve tecrübeli yöneticilerin deneyimlerinden faydalanmak ve yüksek lisans eğitimi almak olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Müdürler, birey olarak okulu etkileme, onda değişiklikler yapma hususunu daha çok psikolojik etki olarak algılamakta ve okulu olumlu yönde etkilediklerini düşünmektedirler. Söz konusu müdürler örgütsel yaşama ve mesleğe uyum kapsamında eğitimler, ortak etkinlikler ve organizasyonlar düzenlenmesini istemektedirler.

The Styles of School Principals’ Using Power Sources and the Relationship between Principal Support and Citizenship Behaviour (Ankara Province Example)

This study examines the school principals' styles of using their power sources and the relationship between principal support and organizational citizenship behavior. The study was carried out according to the survey model. The study sample consists of 450 teachers working in public primary schools in the central districts of Ankara. The sample was determined by stratified sampling. We used Personal Information Form, Leader Power Source Scale, Perceived Principal Support Scale, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale as data collection tools. In the analysis of the data, we performed percentage, arithmetic mean, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Pearson product moment correlation coefficient, regression analysis and path analysis. Based on the findings, there is a positive and significant relationship between primary school principals' use of power sources, principal support, and organizational citizenship behavior. It has been concluded that principal support plays a mediating role that has a predictive effect on organizational citizenship behavior, especially by predicting charisma, reward, and expertise power styles. Furthermore, we found that the variables that most affect teachers' organizational citizenship behaviors are charisma power, expert power, reward power, principal support, and legitimate power, respectively. Therefore, it can be listed among the suggestions that school principals should support teachers more, generally prefer charisma, expert, reward and legitimate power.

Knowledge and attitude of adolescents on probiotic foods and their consumption

The steady increase in awareness on healthy nutrition today coupled with the wish to keep the immune system strong has seen individuals turn to nutritional supplements and functional foods. Even though there has been a rapid increase in the production of probiotic products, no study has examined what adolescents know about probiotic dairy products, their attitude, or their consumption of the product. The present work therefore aimed to examine the consumption of probiotic foods among adolescents, and to investigate their knowledge of probiotics. The present work was conducted in four secondary schools located in three central districts of Ankara, and one central district of Istanbul in Turkey, involving 2,369 students attending the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The scores of female and male adolescents who wanted to add probiotics into beverages were 44.4 and 55.6%, respectively. A statistically significant difference was observed in the demand for the addition of probiotics by gender (p < 0.01). The mean scores of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students for the statement “probiotic foods are rich in nutrients” were M = 4.08, 3.97, and 3.90, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). Recent studies also have proven the positive effect of probiotics consumption on diseases specifically seen in children such as infectious diarrhoea, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, necrotising enterocolitis in very low birth weight infants, and childhood atopy.

Predicting Teacher Organizational Silence: The Predictive Effects of Locus of Control, Self-confidence, and Perceived Organizational Support

The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between locus of control, self-confidence, perceived organizational support and organizational silence of teachers working in Anatolian high schools. The research is a study of relational survey model and it aims to determine the explanatory and predictive correlations between the specified variables. The sample of the research consists of 436 teachers selected by simple random sampling method from the public schools in central districts of Ankara in 2016-2017 academic year. In order to collect data Locus of Control, Self-confidence, Perceived Organizational Support and Organizational Silence scales were used. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and path analysis were applied to determine the relationships among variables. Results show that the variable with the highest predictive effects on organizational silence and self-confidence levels is perceived organizational support. Locus of control and organizational support variables have direct and indirect predictive effects on organizational silence.

The Relationship between Teachers’ Work Values and Work Enjoyments from Different Generations according to Some Variables

The aim of this research is to determine the relationship between work values and work enjoyments of teachers from X and Y generations in relation to their gender, seniority and generation. The study was designed with single and correlational survey models. A total of 28501 elementary and public secondary school teachers from Ankara were represented by 381 participants in the sampling from nine central districts of Ankara.“Work Values Scale” was developed by the researchers and “Work Enjoyment Scale” was translated to Turkish. Results indicated that Y generation teachers more care about each dimension of work values than the X generation teachers. Teachers have a moderate work enjoyment level. Female teachers attach more importance to self-improvement, external rewards than male teachers. Teachers with seniority of 21 years or more enjoy more than the teachers with seniority 6-10 years. The relationships between extrinsic rewards and work enjoyment levels of the X generation teachers were found to be positive and low whereas the other dimensions of work enjoment levels of X generation teachers were found to be positive and medium level. Since Y generation refuses to count in place and expect continuous improvement during their career pathways, it would be appropriate to enrich career opportunities for Y generation teachers.

Assessment of anxiety in elderly population during the COVID‐19 pandemic and the impact of compulsory home‐stay in the central districts of Ankara, Turkey: A quantitative, qualitative mixed method study

ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the level of anxiety in elderly individuals during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Ankara province of Turkey and determine its associated factors.MethodsA quantitative, qualitative mixed‐method study performed in 1–10 June 2020 during the compulsory home‐stay for elderly people in Turkey. The quantitative study was conducted using a structured online questionnaire with 278 participants aged 65 or older. The Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) was used to assess the anxiety. An in‐depth interview with 20 participants was used to fill the gap of face‐to‐face interview due to pandemic situation and strengthen the results of quantitative survey. Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed separately.ResultsOf all participants, 88 (31.7%) had a score above the cut‐off point for GAI. The prevalence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) was significantly higher in female (37.8%) than in male (23.8%). Female gender, economic loss, uncertainty, and the time participants expend to follow news about COVID‐19 pandemic were risk factors of GAD. On the other hand, higher education level, hobbies, and regular physical activity were protective factors against GAD.ConclusionDuring the pandemic, social isolation and lockdown for elderly people make serious risk factor for their mental well‐being. Measures must be taken to support the psychological well‐being of elderly by promoting physical activity and hobbies at home, and reducing their economic concerns.

Evaluation of Recreational Areas in Ankara (Turkey) in Terms of Their Functionality and Demographic Characteristics of Their Users

This study aims to determine the demands and tendencies of individuals using recreational areas and parks in the central districts of Ankara. Individuals using recreational areas were given a questionnaire and asked to complete it on a voluntary basis. The findings were evaluated and interpreted according to the sub-dimensions of the scale.

Determination of the STEM Career Interests of Middle School Students

The aim of this research is to determine the middle school students' interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) field. Descriptive survey model, which is one of the quantitative researches, was used. A scale named ‘’The Development of the STEM Career Interest Survey (STEM-CIS)’’ was applied to the middle school students who were studying in public schools in two different central districts of Ankara. 271 (51.7%) female and 253 (48.3%) male student attended to the research. The reliability coefficient of this questionnaire was calculated as 0.902. The findings show that self-efficacy, personal goals, expectation of results, interest in science, contextual support and individual inputs are effective in STEM career interests of middle school students. STEM career interest has been found to be disproportionate to gender, but it is proportional to class level. In order for students to develop their career plans, the content which is specific to the STEM fields can be combined with the course content itself.