Teachers In Turkey Research Articles

Unlocking teacher potential: The integrated influence of empowering leadership and authentic leadership on teacher self-efficacy and agency in Turkey

Teacher agency has attracted growing attention in the field of educational management and leadership due to its positive outcomes for schools. This study investigated how and under what conditions school principals empowering leadership beneficial to teacher agency using data collected from 756 public secondary school teachers in Turkey. This study tested a moderated mediation model of how authentic leadership influences the effects of empowering leadership on teacher self-efficacy and teacher agency. The results supported the partial mediation model in which principal empowering leadership was associated with direct and indirect effects through teacher self-efficacy on teacher agency. Moreover, higher levels of principal authentic leadership were associated with stronger effects of empowering leadership on both teacher self-efficacy and teacher agency. Our results indicate a more profound comprehension of how empowering leadership influences teacher agency within the context of Turkish public schools. Furthermore, we provide practical recommendations for promoting teacher agency within school settings.

A Meta-Synthesis Study: An Investigation of Studies on EFL Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Competencies in Turkey

Technological advances have brought profound transformations into the education system. This transformation has also made it essential to use technological tools for educational aims in the 21st century. The goal of this study is to analyze a collection of studies on prospective and in-service EFL educators’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) competencies in Turkey regarding the purpose, method, participants, data collection tools, and findings of certain studies. The study includes meta-synthesis research to present the research tendencies on TPACK competencies of pre-service and in-service EFL teachers in Turkey. In the research, a total of 22 studies were included 11 articles and 11 theses which were published between the years 2017-2022. In light of the obtained results, it can be concluded that the research trend of the remarkable number of reviewed studies is related to the determination or measuring of TPACK perceptions and to examining the effect of demographic traits such as gender, age, and educational background on EFL teachers’ TPACK levels. In the last part of the research, practical implications and suggestions for further research were offered in detail.

Music Teachers' Opinions on Block (Visual) Based Coding in Digital Literacy

This case study was conducted to determine whether there is a need for coding training in undergraduate education and in-service trainings by taking the opinions of music teachers about block (visual) based coding. The population of the research consists of music teachers in Turkey, while the sample consists of 170 music teachers who voluntarily participated in the research. An interview form was prepared for the teachers participating in the study. This form was finalized by taking expert opinion and prepared on “Google forms”. The results of content analysis revealed that music teachers did not receive any training and did not have any knowledge about the use of block (visual) based code. In this context, it has been determined that music teachers’ demand for block (visual) based coding training is quite high.

Attitude and knowledge of dyslexia among elementary school teachers in Turkey

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to examine the teachers' attitude and knowledge about students with dyslexia and to see whether their attitudes differ according to their socio‐demographic characteristics. The study group of this research, which was designed in the relational screening model, is made up of 300 classroom teachers. The participants filled out the Scale of Teachers' Attitudes towards Teaching Dyslexic Students and the Attitude and Knowledge Questionnaire on Dyslexia. The analyses showed that many teachers have insufficient knowledge of dyslexia, but they have a positive attitude towards teaching children with dyslexia and towards individuals with dyslexia, in general. Significant differences were found between the attitudes and experiences of teachers; it was found that teachers' knowledge of dyslexia increased with their experience. However, no significant differences were found between the attitudes of teachers according to their sex. In the light of the study results, it is recommended to update the teacher training curriculum and to design in‐service programs to improve teachers' knowledge on conducting courses with universal design in inclusive education and training.

Through the Lens of EFL Teachers: Teaching Online on Lockdown

There has been a growing interest in online EFL teaching studies after the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the majority of the studies have centered around students’ perspectives. The studies examining the issue from EFL teachers’ perspectives, on the other hand, are relatively scarce. Therefore, this study qualitatively investigated EFL teachers’ perceptions and experience in this critical process to bridge the gap in the literature. For the study, the data were collected through written semi-structured interviews with 25 EFL teachers in Turkey. Five themes with several categories emerged based on the thematic analysis of the data with MAXQDA 2020 package program. The teachers commonly focused on the challenges of emergency online teaching and suggested potential solutions. The primary stemmed from the poor communication between teachers and students due to low engagement levels and technology-related issues. The teachers also struggled to find proper online EFL teaching materials since they had no or little experience in online education and did not know how find teaching resources. They suggested providing EFL teachers with workshop opportunities to learn how to tackle technology-related problems and improve their online material developing skills. This study may extend the relevant literature by providing a deeper insight into EFL teachers’ practices and recommendations for practitioners of online teaching

The moderating role of supervisor support in the effect of perceived overqualification on workplace loneliness

The purpose of this research was to determine whether supervisor support (SS) plays a moderating role in the perception of overqualification (POQ) on workplace loneliness (WL) among music teachers in Turkey. The research was based on the assumption that loneliness, which is a negative emotional state and expresses employees’ inability to establish a healthy relationship within the organisation, may arise from music teachers’ perceived overqualification and can be shaped with the support of this relationship. With this study we discovered that perceived overqualification has a definite and significant impact on WL. It was also discovered that supervisor support moderated the relationship between perceived overqualification and WL. Consequently, although music teachers felt overqualified, they did not feel lonely at work if their supervisor provided strong support.

Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of the Teacher Academic Optimism Scale

This study aimed to adapt Teacher Academic Optimism Scale-Secondary (TAOS-S) to Turkish culture. A total of 453 public school teachers in Turkey participated in the study. We examined the validity, reliability, and measurement invariance of the scale across school levels. The results indicated good internal consistency of the TAOS, suggesting a good measure to assess teacher academic optimism. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the three-dimensional individual teacher academic optimism construct showed a good fit with strong reliability evidence. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis results indicated both configural and metric invariance was observed across school levels; however, scalar invariance was only partially confirmed. Overall, our results show the TAOS has sound psychometric properties, is culturally and linguistically acceptable, and is equally effective in assessing the academic optimism of Turkish teachers.

Metacognitive knowledge and openness to diversity and challenge among Turkish pre-service EFL teachers: The mediating role of creative self-efficacy

The psychology of second language (L2) teachers has captured a growing interest among educational researchers in the past decades. However, the interaction among teachers’ job-related metacognition, diversity acceptance, and self-efficacy beliefs has been left under-researched. To fill this lacuna, this study examined the levels of metacognitive knowledge, openness to diversity and challenge, and creative self-efficacy and their correlation using a survey with 606 pre-service EFL teachers in Turkey. It also set out to display if metacognitive knowledge is a significant predictor of openness to diversity and challenge when creative self-efficacy is a mediator of their relationship. The results indicated that the participants displayed moderate levels of metacognitive knowledge (X̄ = 3.91), openness to diversity and challenge (X̄ = 3.97), and creative self-efficacy (X̄ = 5.18). Moreover, the results of Pearson correlations indicated a positive moderate correlation among the constructs. Additionally, the results of path analysis regression indicated that metacognitive knowledge is a significant predictor of openness to diversity and challenge when creative self-efficacy mediated their relationship. The study concludes with some future research directions and implications for L2 education regarding the psychology of teaching and the promotion of diversity and creativity.

Should English Language Teaching Undergraduate Programs in Turkey be Restructured? Views of Pre-Service English Language Teachers

English language teachers in Turkey are officially entitled to teach at any level (from kindergarten to university) and any age group; however, it has been repeatedly argued that teaching English to young learners is different from teaching English to teenagers and/or adults as they require diverse skills, competences, qualifications and expertise (Bland, 2019; Enever, 2014; Gungor, 2020; Linse, 2005; Öztürk Aydın, 2019; Rich, 2019). Moving from this line of reasoning, this study, first of all, aims to investigate whether ELT undergraduate programs in Turkey need to be restructured from the perspectives of pre-service English language teachers. Closely related to this aim, this study also intends to identify the degree to which their undergraduate training prepares pre-service English language teachers (PSTs) for the different school levels they are to work at. With these two complementary aims in mind, this study has employed a qualitative research paradigm. 192 senior pre-service English language teachers who take practicum courses and study at the English Language Teaching (ELT) programs of 14 different state and private universities in Turkey have participated in this study. The data for the study has been collected via an online survey form and a focus group interview. The findings show that ELT undergraduate programs prepare PSTs satisfactorily to work at primary and secondary level schools from the perspectives of PSTs. However, PSTs believe that their undergraduate program cannot prepare them as satisfactorily to work at pre-primary school, high school and university levels. Furthermore, almost half of the PSTs agree that ELT undergraduate programs within Education Faculties should be restructured as ‘ELT for young learners’ and ‘ELT for teenagers/adults’.

The Socratic method in developing spoken English discussion discourse markers: A case study

Socratic pedagogy is a systematized method that encourages learners to question themselves and each other - without being judgmental. It aims at boosting empathy and developing an ability to reach informed conclusions. It supports the acquisition of social skills and fosters collaboration while helping them to think critically, deepen their understanding, and find reality in equilibrium. In reaching for insights, students acquire vital skills, knowledge, and practices. Socratic learning depends on how participants can use systematic dialogue. This study monitored the effects of students' use of specific discourse markers (DMs) over a series of speaking tasks undertaken in Socratic seminars. Each task was devised to support the learning objectives of a standardized English language course given to pre-service English teachers in Turkey. Recordings were used to provide feedback to ten participants and then analyzed for appropriate use of spoken DMs. The findings of the study revealed solid evidence of accurate and contextually appropriate DM usage as the number of appropriate DM use increased significantly in the seminars conducted at the end of the intervention period.

An Investigation of Mathematics Education Studies Conducted with Turkish Primary Teachers

The studies conducted with in-service and preservice primary teachers in the field of mathematics teaching are among the research areas that are important and will not lose their importance soon as the outcomes of these research areas are critical for teaching mathematics in primary education and restructuring teacher education programs. As the number of studies in this field conducted in recent years increases, the necessity of reference research that will guide future studies and evaluate the status of current ones comes to the front. Using the method of systematic reviewing, research studies on mathematics education, which are published in the journals indexed in ULAKBİM, conducted between 2010-2021 years, and conducted with in-service and preservice primary teachers in Turkey, were examined. A total of 100 research studies were analyzed by using content analysis. All the studies were examined focusing on their research area, learning area, research method, data collection tools, sample and sample size, and data analysis methods. This study aimed to reveal the research trends in Turkey first. The secondary goal of the study is to guide future research studies by revealing what is highlighted and missing in the field. Considering research results, researchers can expand and improve research in primary mathematics education.

The role of leadership in developing a climate of technology integration in public schools

This study tested the predictive roles of distal (leadership, training on ICT, trust, and enabling structure) and proximal variables (self-efficacy, attitudes toward technology integration, and perceived norm) in teachers' technology integration behaviors by utilizing an extended version of the Integrated Model for Behavior Prediction. The data was collected from 11,245 primary, middle, and secondary level public school teachers in Turkey. Structural equation modeling results suggest that although leadership is positioned at a distal end of the model with no direct link with technology integration, it plays an essential role through its orchestrating role in creating a conducive climate.

A Study To Determine The eTwinning-Related Views Of The Teachers In The eTwinning Network Countries, And Their Digital Literacy Levels

The main aim of this study is to compare the digital literacy levels of teachers in Turkey and of those in other member countries within the European Union eTwinning network. The present study has been conducted with a mixed methods research design, in which quantitative and qualitative methods are used together. The quantitative data of the research have been collected online from a total of 181 teachers, 106 from Turkey and 75 from the member countries of the eTwinning network by using the Digital Literacy Scale, while the qualitative data have been obtained from a total of 111 teachers. The quantitative data have been analyzed by using descriptive statistics and independent sample t test, whereas the qualitative data have been analyzed in line with the descriptive analysis approach by using the MaxQDA 2020 program. As a result of the research, the digital literacy levels of the teachers working in Turkey and those in the member countries of the European Union eTwinning network have been found to be at high levels, with no statistically significant difference between the gender variable and digital literacy.

Examining Media Literacy Perceptions of Preservice Social Studies Teachers in Turkey

The most commonly used definition of media literacy is the capacity to access, analyze, evaluate and generate information for specific implications. Media literacy helps individuals to critically analyze media forms, question media influences and uses, utilize media intentionally, and produce alternative media. The purpose of this study is to investigate how preservice social studies teachers perceive media literacy. In order to do this, the Media Literacy Perception Scale (MLPS) was administered, and a descriptive survey approach was used for the research. A total of one thousand social studies education students from seven different regions of Turkey were randomly selected for the sample, ranging from students enrolled in the first, second, third, and fourth years at seven different state universities. A proportional stratified sampling technique was employed in the study. The dependent variable in this research is the media literacy perceptions of preservice social studies teachers, and the independent variable is a variety of demographic characteristics.
 In order to examine and interpret the gathered research data, One-Way Anova and t-test analyses were performed. Based on the findings of the research, the participant students majoring in social studies education often showed high levels of perceptions of media literacy on both the scale and sub-dimensions. According to the research, a number of variables, including the amount of time spent watching TV, the amount of time spent online, and the region of residency, significantly affect students’ media literacy perceptions. The findings suggest that future students of these preservice teachers will benefit from their teachers’ increased media literacy skills.

English Language Primary Teachers’ Perceptions about Homework: A Replication Study

This study replicates Matei and Ciasca’s (2015) article about teachers’ perceptions concerning assignments. The purpose of this study is to examine the similarities and differences between the opinions of Math and Romanian primary teachers and primary English teachers, and the main aim of this study is to determine if teachers in this study would focus solely on the efficacy of homework and neglect its negative side as did the teachers in the original study. The data were collected using the original study questionnaire with some slight adaptations. The participants were 71 primary English teachers in Turkey. After the data was collected and analyzed, the results indicated a significant number of similarities between the teachers’ opinions. It was revealed that most teachers have positive perceptions about homework, but compared to the original study, the opinions about homework efficacy and students’ achievement varied and were different. Teachers in the present study have shown some disagreement and did not fully disregard the negative aspects of the assignment. In light of these findings, it was disclosed that teachers in both studies support parents' guidance, daily homework and the use of projects as a supplement. The noticeable difference between the two groups was that teachers in this study were more open to using projects and pair-work assignments.

The development of a scale to measure the influence that school administrators have on the adaptation of newly appointed teachers in Turkey

The development of a scale to measure the influence that school administrators have on the adaptation of newly appointed teachers in Turkey

Multi-grade teaching: Experiences of teachers and preservice teachers in Turkey

AbstractThis case study compared preservice primary school teachers' and primary school teachers' experiences with multi-grade teaching in the 2018–2019 academic year. The sample consisted of 17 fourth-year students in the department of primary school teaching education of a public university and 14 multi-grade teachers from 12 schools in Turkey. The preservice teachers and multi-grade primary school teachers developed similar lesson plans and executed similar learning processes. Although the multi-grade teachers claimed that they used different methods (brainstorming, drama, observation, etc.), the preservice teachers observed them mostly use Q&A and direct instruction techniques. The preservice teachers did not use multidisciplinary teaching activities but instead showed students videos and slides and designed textbook-based activities. They did not use different methods to plan a multi-grade lecture. Multi-grade teaching training offered by the faculties of education should be interdisciplinary and encourage collaboration among teachers from other branches (e.g., teacher agency).

Descriptive of Pre Service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Teachers’ Motivation to Become Teachers in Turkey

Purpose of the study: To describe the motivation of Pre Service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Teachers to Become Teachers in Turkey, to determine the effect of gender on the motivation of pre-service EFL teachers to become teachers and to find out the influence of the community on a pre-service EFL teacher's decision to become a teacher
 Methodology: This study was conducted according to a mixed research method. The researcher analyzed the Quantitative data with the SPSS program (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). In the SPSS program, the researcher created three tables, which are the answer to research questions. The researcher analyzed qualitative data by Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) Quirkos
 Main Findings: Participants were very excited to become English teachers because they were going to become English teachers; furthermore, during the interview, all participants stated that society influenced their choice of profession. In addition, according to the quantitative data, it appears that the participants were motivated by 9 factors to choose teaching English as a career choice.
 Novelty/Originality of this study: This study was conducted in one of the state universities in Turkey participant number was limited for this study. Also, this study was conducted in a short time. Due to the limitations, this study’s findings and conclusions can’t be generalized. More detailed and long-lasting studies should be carried out to understand the motivations of pre-service EFL teachers to become teachers.

Distance Education Experiences of Preschool Teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Turkey

With the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been attempted to conduct distance education at all grades in the world. This study aims to examine the distance education processes of preschool teachers in Turkey. The instrumental case study was used in the research with ten female private kindergarten teachers selected using the snowball and convenience sampling method. Interviews were conducted with a semi-structured form on the Zoom platform. It was concluded that teachers experienced infrastructure and technical problems, increased workload in distance education, and had economic difficulties. During online education, teachers felt that they were monitored by parents and had privacy concerns. Teachers had problems in classroom management, experienced anxiety with increased screen time and could not adapt measurement and evaluation practices. The requirements for distance preschool education were divided into four categories: knowledge, interaction, physical space and material. The recommendations for limitations and future research are indicated in the study.

Opening Pandora’s box: a culturally relevant perspective on elementary teachers’ approaches to educating immigrant and refugee students in Turkey

ABSTRACT Given the influx of immigrants and refugees in Turkey and across the globe, our study aims to examine how elementary teachers in Turkey are responding to the growing needs of immigrant and refugee students. Drawing on culturally relevant pedagogical frameworks, we interviewed 21 teachers to highlight if and how they build on cultural and individual strengths to reimagine educational contexts. In our phenomenological study, we found that teachers had trouble enacting all three tenets but discussed two out of three tenets the most: a) academic achievement/student learning and b) cultural competence. This study shows how national and international policies need to support the holistic needs of immigrant and refugee students in Turkey and beyond. Our study demonstrates glimpses of hope despite the multitude of issues we uncovered. We find light, beyond a Pandora’s box, where teachers desire and want to learn more about immigrant and refugee students’ holistic needs.