Türker Kurt

Are we legitimate yet

Purpose – Failure to identify any significant relationships between principal leadership and student achievement has proved concerns about the assumed value and legitimacy of principal leadership. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the current literature by empirically testing the relationships between the principal leadership and the teacher self‐efficacy, a construct which has a proven impact on student achievement. The role of collective efficacy on the relationship between transformational leadership of principals and self‐efficacy of teachers was a special focus for the study.Design/methodology/approach – A causal comparative research design was employed to study the direct, indirect, and mediating relationships among principal leadership, teacher self‐efficacy, and collective efficacy in schools. The participants included a cluster‐random sample of 813 primary school teachers. Data gathering instruments composed of a combination of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, the Collective ...

Effects of Occupational Silica Exposure on OXIDATIVE Stress and Immune System Parameters in Ceramic Workers in TURKEY

ABSTRACT Silica is the second most common element after oxygen, and therefore, exposures to crystalline silica dust occur in a large variety of occupations such as metal foundries, constructions, and ceramic, quarry, and pottery industries. Since crystalline silica exposure has been linked with silicosis, lung cancer, and other pulmonary diseases, adverse effect attributed to this element has be a cause for concern worldwide. Silica dust exposure in workers is still considered to be important health problem especially in developing countries. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of occupational silica exposure on oxidative stress parameters including the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and levels of total glutathione (GSH) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) as well as immune system parameters such as interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in Turkish ceramic workers. In this study, nearly 50% of Turkish ceramic workers were diagnosed with silicosis. Eighty-four percent of these silicotic workers were found to present with profusion category 1 silicosis, whereas controls (n = 81) all displayed normal chest radiographs. Data demonstrated a significant decrease in levels of GSH and activities of CAT, SOD, and GPx, but a significant increase in MDA levels and activity of GR in all workers. Further, workers possessed significantly higher levels of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α. These observations suggest that ceramic workers may have impaired antioxidant/oxidant status and activated immune system indicative of inflammatory responses.

İlköğretim Okulu Öğrencilerinin Zorbalık Statülerinin Okul İklimi, Prososyal Davranışlar, Temel İhtiyaçlar ve Cinsiyet Değişkenlerine Göre İncelenmesi

Bu arastirmada okul iklimi, prososyal davranislar (faydaci ve ozgeci yardim), temel ihtiyaclar ve cinsiyet degiskenlerinin ogrencilerin zorbalik statulerinden (zorba ve kurban) birinde bulunma olasiliklarini yordama gucleri arastirilmistir. Arastirma grubunu Ankara ilinde 2007 – 2008 ogretim yilinda ilkogretim 6., 7., ve 8. siniflara devam eden 456 ogrenci olusturmustur. Veriler ikili logit regresyon analizi kullanilarak cozumlenmistir. Arastirmanin yordayici degiskenlerini; cinsiyet, okul iklimi, temel ihtiyaclar ve prososyal davranislar (faydaci ve ozgeci yardim); sonuc ya da yordanan degiskenini ise zorbalik statuleri (zorba ve kurban) olusturmaktadir. Analiz sonuclari, temel ihtiyaclar disindaki tum degiskenlerin zorbalik davranislarini anlamli duzeyde yordadiklarini gostermistir. Diger bir ifadeyle, okul ikliminin olumlu olmasi, ogrencinin cinsiyetin erkek olmasi ve ozgeci yardim davranislari gostermesi, ogrencinin zorba olarak siniflandirilma olasiligini azaltmaktadir.

Güvenli Okulun Oluşturulmasında Okul İklimi: Kavramsal Bir Çözümleme

Bu calismada guvenli okul ve guvenli okul ortaminin olusturulmasinda onemli bir faktor olarakon plana cikan okul iklimi konusu kuramsal olarak ele alinmistir. Okullarda siddetin onlenmesive guvenli bir okul ortaminin olusturulmasi amaciyla yapilan arastirmalar ve projelerincelendiginde, dogrudan siddet konulu ve kisa sureli proje ve onlemlerin istenilen sonuclariortaya cikarmadigi; bundan da ote okul ortaminda bazi olumsuzluklara yol acabildigi ortayacikmistir. Bu anlamda siddeti onleme projeleri ve programlarinin okulun ve egitimprograminin her yanina sindirilmis ve daha genel bir yaklasimla ele alinmasi gerektigine isaretedilmektedir. Bu kapsamda en cok one cikan kavramlardan biri okul iklimidir. Bu anlamdacalismada oncelikle guvenli okul kavrami tanimlanmis ve guvenli okul konulu arastirma vediger calismalar hakkinda bilgi verilmistir. Daha sonra okul iklimi kavrami tanitilarak guvenliokulun olusturulmasinda okul ikliminin nasil etkili oldugu irdelenmistir. Guvenli bir okulortaminin olusturulmasi icin yapilan calismalarin; okulu butunsel olarak goz onune alan,onleme faaliyetlerinin basta ogrenme-ogretme sureci olmak uzere okul yasaminin tumalanlariyla butunlestirildigi, ogrencilerin okulda iyi olusunu destekleyen, ogrencilere olumludavranislar kazandirilmasini saglayan ve uzun sureli uygulanan nitelikte olmasi gerektigibelirlenmistir. Tum bu niteliklerin ortaya cikarilmasiyla iliskili oldugu dusunulen ve uzerindeen cok durulan kavram ise okul iklimidir. Bu baglamda, guvenli okulun on kosulunun okulikliminin daha olumlu hale getirilmesi oldugu soylenebilir. Anahtar sozcukler: Guvenli okul, okul iklimi, okullarda siddetin onlenmesi, siddet onlemeprogramlari, okul ortami

Öğretmen Liderliğini Açıklamaya Yönelik Bir Model: Dağıtımcı Liderlik, Örgütsel Öğrenme ve Öğretmenlerin Öz Yeterlik Algısının Öğretmen Liderliğine Etkisi

This study aims to analyze a model to explain teacher leadership. In this conceptual model, distributed leadership, organizational learning and self-efficacy perceptions of teachers were treated as the variables accounting for the three sub-dimensions of teacher leadership; namely organizational development, professional development and collaboration among colleagues. The model was set on the foundation of Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986) and administrative, organizational and personal attributes that account for teacher leadership were treated in unison. The study was conducted with the participation of 360 teachers posted in the elementary schools within seven districts of Ankara city. In the collection of data, Teacher Leadership Scale (Beycioglu & Aslan, 2010), Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (Marsick & Watkins, 2003), Scale for Leadership Capacity in Schools (Lambert, 2003) and Teachers Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran, Woolfolk Hoy, & Hoy, 1998) were utilized. The data collected within the scope of this research were tested via path analysis technique with the observed variables. The findings of the analysis manifested that the model proved to have good fitness values and thus validated. These findings prove that distributed leadership directly affects teacher leadership whereas it also has an indirect effect on organizational learning and self-efficacy perception of teacher. The results of the research evidence that to ensure the development of teacher leadership at schools administrative, organizational and personal components demand to be holistically treated and organizational and personal components are equally vital as the leadership itself.