Quality of early childhood education institutions specifically, dimensions of process quality should be evaluated. Purpose of this study is to analyze process quality of early childhood education by using many-facet Rasch measurement model (MFRM). In this study, data were collected from twelve early childhood education institutions by four independent judges. Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECER) was used to evaluate the process quality of the institutions. MFRM was applied to analyze the data. The results indicated that early childhood education institutions were below the desirable level of process quality. It has been found that judges exhibited similar behaviors and when item statistics were examined they served the purpose of the evaluation. Standardized measurement tools and measurement models were recommended to increase process quality of early childhood education.

In this study, statements by prospective primary school teachers such as “I think the word global warming …” or “I think the term global warming means …” were analyzed by using qualitative phenomenographic research methods. 142 female (48.3 %) and 152 male (51.7 %) pimary school teacher candidates (n=294) participated in the study. Moreover, the relationship between learning styles and perceptions was investigated. In the study, seven different conceptions of global warming were determined at the end of the phenomenographic analysis. Conceptions of global warming from the least sophisticated to the most inclusive and expansive are (1) Global warming is the gradual increase in the temperature of the earth. (2) Global warming is the gradual enhancement of the hole in the ozone layer. (3) Global warming is the deterioration of ecological balance. (4) Global warming is the change of climates and seasons. (5) Global warming is the deterioration of mutual relation between the people and ecological balance. (6) The cause of global warming is people and they are responsible for its prevention. (7) Global warming is the portent of vanishing process of living things and people. Implications of these findings were discussed and evaluated in terms of environmental education.

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the topic of “highly intelligent” children in Turkey (Baltafl, 2006; Bozda¤, 2001; Bümen, 2002; Demirel, Erdem& Baflbay, 2006; Goleman, 2007; Koçer, 2005; Kulaks›zo¤lu, Bilgili & fiirin, 2004; Onay, 2006; Saban, 2005; Yavuz, 2001; Zohar & Marshall, 2004). However, the general understanding of “intelligence” seems to be the psychometric definition consisting of the logical, mathematical, and verbal intelligences supposedly measured by IQ tests. In the US, currently IQ score is the main determining factor in access to gifted programs (Ascher, 1992; Borland, 2003; Sapon-Shevin, 1994). A similar situation is observed in Turkey though such schools are not as widespread. The purpose of this paper is to examine the emergence of the psychometric definition in the West, look at its analysis through a Foucauldian lens (Borland, 2003) in order to increase awareness about what IQ really means, make suggestions for Turkey about the use of the tests and underline possible alternative approaches.

The study aims to determine critical thinking tendencies among teacher candidates. 720 students from primary school teaching department (Primary School Teaching Programme, Science Teaching Programme and Pre-School Teaching Programme) form the sample of the study. When the gender and age distributions were investigated, 253 candidates are males and 467 are females. All the teacher candidates aged between 17-22 years old. The reliability coefficient of the California Critical Thinking Tendency Scale is 0.88. The scale consists of 6-point Likert-type 51 items and is adapted to Turkish by Kökdemir (2003). The scale consists of 6 scales: Analyticity, Curiosity, Open-Mindedness, Self-Reliance, Search for Truth, and Systematicty. The data collected through the scale were analyzed by using t-tests and analysis of variance and interpreted in tables. As a result, it was found that the critical thinking tendency of teacher candidates differs in sub-scales on open-mindedness and curiosity with regards to gender, on analyticity and search for truth with regards to learning styles, on analyticity with regards to grades, and on analyticity, curiosity, and search for truth according to majors.

In this study, the misconceptions emerged as a result of instruction were examined from the viewpoint of the Didactic Transposition Theory. To this end, two randomly selected sample groups (n = 33 and n = 31) from the students of two nearby schools in downtown Balikesir were included in the study. It was observed that different knowledge references had been selected according to the targets of the schools and the instructors. As a result, the transpositions of the teachers affected the Instructed Knowledge. The differences in the Instructed Knowledge affected the Assimilated Knowledge of students. Therefore, different misconceptions were observed in each sampling group. In other words, the differences in teachers' transpositions were reflected to the Assimilated Knowledge and the misconceptions of students.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate devotion to democratic values and conflict resolution abilities of elementary school students. In the direction of this general purpose, the level of the students' devotion to democratic values and conflict resolution abilities were investigated by the Devotion to Democratic Values Scale (DDVS) and the Conflict Resolution Ability Scale (CRAS), respectively. Gender differences and relationships on devotion to democratic values and conflict resolution abilities were also studied. In addition, differences between students who scored low and high on devotion to democratic values were investigated in relation to the scores of Collaboration, Conformity, Forcing, and Avoidance subscales of the Conflict Resolution Ability Scale. A total of 257 elementary school students from fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh grades in elementary schools located in Adana participated in the study. 123 of the students were girls and 134 of them were boys: 62 fourth grade students (24.1 %), 63 fifth grade students (24.5 %), 81 sixth grade students (31.5 %), and 51 seventh grade students (19.8 %). According to the results, students' mean scores on the DDVS and CRAS were upper average on a 1-5 scale. Statistically significant differences were found in favor of girls on the DDVS scores and the Collaboration subscale scores of the CRAS. On the contrary, significant differences were found in favor of boys on the Forcing subscale scores of the CRAS. The correlation between students' DDVS and CRAS scores were.51 for Collaboration, -.10 for Conformity, -.65 for Forcing, and -.30 for Avoidance. Correlations between the DDVS and all the subscales of the CRAS were significant at .01, with the exception for the Conformity subscale. Students who have higher scores on the DDVS also scored higher on the CRAS-Collaboration subscale. Those who have lower scores on the DDVS have higher scores from the Conformity, Forcing, and Avoidance subscales. In short, results show that students in this sample had higher democratic values and conflict resolution abilities; that girls had higher level of devotion to democratic values than boys, and that there were significant correlations between devotion to democratic values and conflict resolution abilities.

This research aims to describe the expected and observed educational-instructional effects of globalization among educational faculty. The research is a survey model. The population of the study is 2696 faculty members from various colleges of education across Turkey. In the context of globalization, an important study variable, the population is divided into two sub-populations, before 1992 and 1992 to present. A research sample was selected by cluster sampling method from these populations. A questionnaire form, which is updated by the researcher, was used in collecting the data. The survey items were grouped by educational-instructional, with expected and observed influences over which globalization is effective. As a result, this research is considered to be a commencement in determining the effects of globalization among educational faculty in Turkey. The study brings important contributions to the field and helps the process of re-construing of colleges of educational according to the international inclinations and principles. According to research findings, colleges of education have closed structures and also closed processes at educational- instructional dimension in which globalization is effective.

The purpose of this study was to adapt the CTI to Turkish and invesitgate the Turkish version of the CTI . First, the CTI items were translated to Turkish and translation validity of the items were investigated. Second, for the language equivalency of the CTI, 42 ESL teachers from eight different secondary schools in ‹stanbul were selected as a sample. First the CTI English version and 3 weeks later the CTI Turkish version were applied to this group, respectively. Next, 362 teachers from 20 different secondary schools at in ‹stanbul were sampled and reponded to the Turkish CTI in order to investigate the inventroy's reliability. A paired-samples t-test was used in order to obtain the language eguivalency of the CTI items. In addition, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation coefficients were used in order to determine itemtotal and item-reminder analyses. Independent sample t-tests were used to define the differences between the lower and upper group means acquired by the CTI scores. An exploratory factor analysis was done in order to investigate the factor structure of the Turkish CTI on the basis of Turkish teachers' scores. Cronbach alpha internal consistency coefficient was used to investigate the reliability of inventory.

Phonological awareness skills begin to develop at preschool ages and support reading skills during school ages. Studies on phonological awareness show great relationship with reading skills development. Since literacy talents such as phonological awareness and vocabulary represent future success in reading, assisting literacy skills during preschool period, has a great importance in preventing problems associated with reading abilities of upcoming years. Literature suggests positive effects of phonological awareness on reading abilities. However, not only the positive effects of phonological awareness on reading skills, but also the relation between phonological awareness and reading skills should be considered. The aim of this article is to emphasize phonological awareness in terms of description, development and its' effects on reading skills and discusses the possible positive outcomes of the phonological awareness skills training given beginning from the preschool period in Turkey.

This research has the nature of a descriptive case study aiming to clarify the opinions of primary education classroom teachers about the use of materials and tools in the lessons. It is a qualitative research benefiting from focus group interview method which is one of the efficient data collection techniques. “Semi-Structured Interview Form” has been used as data compilation tool. Research has been conducted in autumn term of 2006-2007 education year, in a primary school in K›rflehir province. Working group is composed of ten classroom teachers. Voice recorders and video cameras have been used in interviews. Data compiled through research have been analyzed by content analysis method and NVivo program. Consequently classroom teachers, who have been interviewed, have stated that they carry out various activities for an efficient and effective education and teaching; they use different materials in lesson in order to create a multi-learning setting for students; they are faced with many problems in terms of material use; the newly adopted education program requires more material use, however, due to the lack of sufficient preparation for the program this has not been possible; they also develop materials at school; they generally feel sufficient and successful in terms of material use; they are optimistic about material use in education in the future, however, they also think that the negative aspects of insufficient material will create problems in the future.