Muammer Çalik

A review of chemical bonding studies: needs, aims, methods of exploring students’ conceptions, general knowledge claims and students’ alternative conceptions

The present paper presents a detailed thematic review of chemical bonding studies. To achieve this, a matrix is developed to summarize and present the findings by focusing on insights derived from the related studies. The matrix incorporates the following themes: needs, aims, methods of exploring students’ conceptions, general knowledge claims, students’ alternative conceptions, implications and recommendations for teaching and learning, implications for curriculum development and suggestions for future research. The general knowledge claims investigated in this paper are: (a) student alternative conceptions and level of education; (b) studies of student understanding of covalent bonding; (c) studies of student understanding of ionic bonding; (d) studies of student understanding of metallic bonding; (e) studies of student understanding of intermolecular forces; (f) studies of student understanding of chemical bonds, energetics and other underlying theories; (g) student use of anthropomorphic language and analogies; (h) students’ mental models for chemical bonding; and (i) enhancing students’ conceptual understanding.

İçerik Analizinin Parametreleri

This study defines the content-analysis under three sub-headings “meta-analysis, meta-synthesis and descriptive content analysis” and illuminates the parameters of the content analysis expected to be published in the special issue. It is aimed to outline the guidelines for the researchers concerning how to do a systematic content analysis instead of simple descriptive one. Overall, it is thought that the meta-analysis and descriptive content analysis, which take the criteria into account, will get the educational researchers, practitioners, policy makers and institutions to grasp the outcomes demanded.

Investigating Socioscientific Issues via Scientific Habits of Mind: Development and Validation of the Scientific Habits of Mind Survey.

In this paper, we describe the Scientific Habits of Mind Survey (SHOMS) developed to explore public, science teachers’, and scientists’ understanding of habits of mind (HoM). The instrument contained 59 items, and captures the seven SHOM identified by Gauld. The SHOM was validated by administration to two cohorts of pre-service science teachers: primary science teachers with little science background or interest (n = 145), and secondary school science teachers (who also were science graduates) with stronger science knowledge (n = 145). Face validity was confirmed by the use of a panel of experts and a pilot study employing participants similar in demographics to the intended sample. To confirm convergent and discriminant validity, confirmatory factor analysis and evaluation of the reliability were calculated. Statistical data and other data gathered from interviews suggest that the SHOMS will prove to be a useful tool for educators and researchers who wish to investigate HoM for a variety of participants.

Analogical Reasoning for Understanding Solution Rates: Students' Conceptual Change and Chemical Explanations.

The study aims to demonstrate evidence of (a) students’ conceptual change on solution rates; (b) students’ sub‐microscopic explanations of dissolution; and (c) retention of the concepts of solution rates. The sample consists of 44 Grade 9 students (18 boys and 26 girls) drawn purposively from two different classes (22 each) in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. The current study incorporates multiple methods of data collection: items from a solution concept test, clinical interviews and examination of students’ self‐assessment tasks. The results reveal that there is a statistically significant difference between scores in pre‐test and post‐test and between pre‐test and delayed test (p < 0.05). This research indicates that the intervention has improved students’ understanding of the conceptual relationship between solution rates and the sub‐microscopic explanation of dissolution. It has also helped in overcoming students’ alternative conceptions to some extent. However, alternative conceptions have not been eliminated completely. In the light of the results, this current study suggests that a simple model such as the four‐step constructivist teaching (4E) is efficient.

Facilitating students’ conceptual understanding of boiling using a four‐step constructivist teaching method

The aim of the work presented here was to devise an activity associated with factors affecting boiling points. The intervention used a four‐step constructivist‐based teaching strategy, which was subsequently evaluated by a cohort of students. Data collection consisted of application of a purpose designed questionnaire consisting of four open‐ended questions administered to 48 pre‐service science teachers enrolled in the science education department in the faculty of education at Giresun University, Turkey. The research findings suggest that this four‐step constructivist teaching helps pre‐service science teachers shift from alternative conceptions towards ideas more in accord with scientific ones, suggesting the activity and teaching is an effective way in refuting and overcoming their alternative conceptions. The use of a delayed test to evaluate student understanding suggests that the teaching approach used helped students to retain the scientific conception in their long‐term memory.

İlköğretim Düzeyinde Yapılan Argümantasyon Çalışmalarına Yönelik Tematik İçerik Analizi

This research aimed to thematically review the argumentation studies at the K-8 level from 2006 to 2016. Given the criteria ‘the K-8 level and a period of 2006-2016’ for the argumentation studies, relevant databases yielded a total of 73 articles and 9 theses. These studies were exposed to thematically content analysis via such parameters as aim, method/design, sample, data collection, data analysis, subject employed for argumentation, type of used argumentation, argumentation model, general knowledge claim and recommendation. The results indicated that most of the argumentation studies examined the effect of argumentation on student achievement and attitudes towards science. Also, these studies under investigation mostly used experimental research design while generally preferring scales and audio-video records for data collection tools. Moreover, the argumentation activities were mostly developed in ‘physics’ topics and middle school level. The results of the current study suggest to deploy different methods (e.g. argumentation accompanied with gamification) to improve argumentation skills from primary school level.

A cross-cultural study of CKCM efficacy in an undergraduate chemistry classroom

The aim of this study was to cross-culturally investigate the instructional efficacy of the Common Knowledge Construction Model (CKCM) with college students learning about ‘factors affecting solubility’ focusing on students’ conceptual understanding, attitudes and scientific habits of mind. Even though the CKCM is a decade old, there has been little study of its effectiveness in different cultural contexts, which is unfortunate because having effective studies from different cultural contexts can increase the strength of generalization. In order to add to the cultural context variation in which the CKCM has been studied, the study reported in this paper investigated the effectiveness of a CKCM undergraduate chemistry unit taught in Turkey and the USA for pre-service teachers. The study was quasi-experimental with the CKCM and country as the independent variables; and conceptual understanding, scientific habits of mind and attitudes towards chemistry as the dependent variables. Data were collected using a pre/post-test administration of the Factors Affecting Solubility Test (FAST), the Scientific Habits of Mind (SHOM) survey, and the Chemistry Attitudes and Experiences Scale (CAES). The data were analyzed using an independent samples t-test, paired samples t-test, and ANCOVA. Statistically significant differences were found between contexts, generally favoring the Turkish pre-service teachers. This is an interesting result in that the findings of the study suggest that the CKCM may be more effective in its adapted setting than in its original (American) setting.

An Overview of Formal and Non-Formal Health Education in Turkey

When the Ottoman Empire collapsed after the First World War, a new republic named Turkey was established in 1923. Since then, Turkey has paid considerable attention to keeping up with the standards of developed countries—in education, science, health, economics, and commerce. Effort directed at achieving these standards in education was initially signaled by the Act of the Law of Unification of Instruction 1924. The Act centralized the Turkish educational system by placing its governance under the control of the Ministry of National Education. This centralized oversight encompassed all schools, including religious schools. The only exceptions were schools for ethnic minorities living in Turkey, namely, Armenians, Greeks, and Jews (Ayas, Cepni, & Akdeniz, 1993).