International Journal of Curriculum and Instructional Studies (IJOCIS)

Attitudes Toward Turkish Culture and Social Cohesion of Turkish Learners as a Second Language

2023-12-30T19:29:25+00:00

This relational survey study aims to determine the relationship between the attitudes of students learning Turkish as a second language towards Turkish culture and their social cohesion. The participants were determined by criterion sampling. 189 international learners studying Turkish at various Turkish universities participated in the study. The data were gathered through the Attitude Towards Turkish Culture Scale and the Social Cohesion Scale for Immigrants. Parametric tests were used for data analysis. The study's findings revealed that Turkish language learners' attitudes toward Turkish culture were significantly more favorable toward Asians in terms of their regions of origin and toward the Ural-Altaic language family in terms of their mother tongues. However, there was no significant difference in attitude scores depending on their knowledge of other language(s), reasons for visiting Türkiye, and length of stay in Türkiye. In the social cohesion scores of Turkish as a second language learner, a significant difference was found in favor of those from the "Ural-Altaic language family" in some sub-dimensions concerning the language family of the participants. In addition, there was a significant difference only in the belonging dimension of the scale depending on the length of stay in Türkiye - in favor of those who stayed in Türkiye between 2-4 years. However, no significant difference was found in cohesion scores by region, their knowledge of other language(s), and the reasons for visiting Türkiye. Finally, the moderate positive correlation between the participants' attitudes towards Turkish culture and their social cohesion indicates that students with positive attitudes also have a higher level of social cohesion.

A Systematic Meta-Evaluation of Curriculum Evaluation Research Studies Conducted between 2004-2022 on K12 School Curricula in Türkiye

2023-12-30T19:29:27+00:00

This study aimed to carry out a meta-evaluation of the curriculum evaluation research studies conducted in K12 schooling levels between 2004 and 2022 in Turkey based on the Joint Committee’s standards for educational evaluation to present an overview of the evaluation studies and enhance understanding of evaluation. Through a systematic review, 42 studies were included in the meta-evaluation. The data were collected through a descriptive matrix and a meta-evaluation checklist and were analyzed through document analysis. The findings revealed that most of the eligible articles were published between 2018-2022. Most studies focused on primary and secondary education, and only a few of them dwelled upon preschool education. Among the studies, Mathematics and English are the most evaluated courses. Moreover, data were often gathered from one or two data sources, such as teachers and students, through qualitative research designs and without referring to any evaluation models. Besides, curriculum evaluation research studies made recommendations regarding practice and further research and mainly focused on including stakeholders, in-service training, and curriculum development and evaluation. As for the data gathered through the meta-evaluation checklist, the results showed that most articles demonstrated more than half of the indicators stated in the items of the checklist. While utility seemed to be a successful area for the articles evaluated, feasibility and accuracy criteria were not fully met, and most articles did not refer the propriety criteria. In line with the findings, the evaluation studies need to be planned in a way to provide a more complete and deeper understanding of the evaluated curricula by considering its complexities.

A Cluster Analysis for Teachers’ Designer Role: Three Profiles with Differing Focuses on Design

2023-12-30T19:29:27+00:00

Teachers have a vital role in students’ learning. This role is multifaceted in terms of their design skills and must be unpacked to clearly understand how teachers’ daily routines differ with respect to instructional perspectives. This study introduces a comprehensive professional development (PD) program for teachers to build capacity in designing instruction and other design-related skill sets. Employing a person-centered methodology, the study aimed to identify different profiles of teachers in terms of their skills in designing instruction, implementing lessons, updating professional knowledge, digital learning systems, and facilitation/leadership. Through the application of cluster analysis on a cohort of 130 educators, three distinct designer teacher profiles emerged: high-designers (n = 29), mid-designers (n = 64), and low-designers (n = 37). These profiles delineate both shared attributes and discrepancies. In addition, the study delved into the variances within these profiles concerning teachers’ grasp of curriculum development and self-reported utilization of innovative pedagogical methods. Means analysis further shows that as the profile gets higher, the curriculum development knowledge and the use of teaching and learning techniques increase. These findings hold significant implications, urging a departure from exclusively emphasizing technical design work when assigning roles to teachers, thereby recognizing the multifaceted dimensions of their contributions.

Social-Emotional Development in Primary School Guidance Curriculum: A Q-Methodology Study

2023-12-30T19:29:27+00:00

This research, which examined the views of teachers regarding socialemotional development outcomes in the Ministry of National Education 2020 Primary School Guidance Curriculum in the learningteaching process, was designed using the Q methodology. In this context, the consensus among primary school teachers regarding the implementation of the outcomes in the primary school guidance curriculum in the learning-teaching process and whose outcomes come to the fore in the implementation of the Primary School Guidance Curriculum were examined. The research data were collected with the Q string prepared considering the social-emotional development area outcomes in the Primary School Guidance Curriculum. Forty-nine primary school teachers participated in the research. Data analysis was conducted using PQ Method 2.35 program. As a result of the research, it was found that there was a consensus among primary school teachers regarding the implementation of the outcomes in the primary school guidance curriculum in the learningteaching process. Although the opinions of the teachers were mostly concentrated in the right and responsibility factor, the opinions are gathered in six factors, and the relationship between the factors was found to be low in general. As a result of this research, it was found that there is a consensus among primary school teachers regarding the implementation of the outcomes in the primary school guidance curriculum in the learning-teaching process.