Prospective Teachers’ Beliefs About Human Intelligence in a Turkish Sample

This study aimed to describe the self-regulated learning skills of prospective teachers studying at a public university in Istanbul and reveal their differences in relation to the components of these skills, namely motivation and taking action to learn, planning and goal-setting, strategy use and evaluation, and attachment in learning, as well as other variables, including their major, type of high school completed, age, gender, socioeconomic level and parents’ education level. It was also investigated whether there was a relationship between the participants’ self-regulated learning skills and their major and grade levels. The screening model was used in the research. The sample consisted of students studying at a public university in Istanbul in the 2018-2019 academic year and selected using the simple random sampling method. The participants comprised 926 first-, second-, third- and fourth-grade students attending the departments of computer education and instructional technology, classroom teaching, preschool teaching, mathematics teaching, science teaching, guidance and psychological counseling, Turkish language teaching, social studies teaching, special education, English language teaching, French language teaching, and German language teaching. The Self-Regulatory Learning Skills Scale (SRLSS) and a personal information form were used as the data collection tools. The findings of the research revealed that the prospective teachers had high scores in the subscales of SRLSS and the overall scale. It was concluded that the prospective science teachers had higher scores in planning and goal-setting than the students attending all other programs except for mathematics teaching. Furthermore, the scores of female prospective teachers in all subscales were higher than those of the male participants. Considering the type of high school, the participants that had completed basic high school scored higher in strategy use and evaluation compared to those that had finished other types of high school. When the prospective teachers’ self-regulated learning skills were analyzed according to their parents' education level, no significant difference was found. Keywords: self-regulated learning, prospective teachers, teacher education.

This study examines prospective elementary teachers' growth and development of competencies, conceptions, and perceptions of mathematical modelling in a mathematics content course for elementary teachers. A series of lessons were implemented that engaged students in the modelling process through modelling tasks. The goal was to capture prospective teachers' thoughts and perceptions on the meaning of mathematical modelling and their conceptions of teaching and learning modelling at the elementary and middle school level. The research questions were: (1) How do prospective teachers translate the mathematical modelling cycle into their practice of doing modelling? and (2) How do prospective teachers' conceptions of modelling and teaching and learning modelling evolve throughout the implementation of a series of mathematical modelling lessons? Data sources included posters, modelling reports, responses to a pre- and post-intervention questionnaire, and semi-structured interview dialogue. Data analyses included mixed methods using provisional coding, open coding, and a categorical rubric. Findings from this study indicate that (1)Prospective elementary teachers translated the modelling cycle into their practice by developing their range of modelling competencies including multiple components of the modelling cycle, and (2) They developed a professionally appropriate conception of mathematical modelling along with productive perceptions of the benefits of teaching and learning modelling.

This study was conducted to reveal the educational beliefs of prospective physical education and sports teachers, who receive education at the higher education level in Turkey, according to dependent and independent variables. Within this scope, the “Educational Belief Scale” was used to collect the data from 359 prospective teachers. The data collected from the sample were first analyzed by SPSS 22.0 package software. In the correlation analysis, it was observed that the “Educational Beliefs Scale” and the progressivism subscale were correlated very strongly and positively, which was the strongest correlation in the analysis (r = 0.918; p < 0.05). In the regression analysis, four different model structures were created, where it was determined that the subscale with the highest prediction power for the “Educational Beliefs Scale” was the progressivism subscale that predicted 84% of the variance of the “Educational Beliefs Scale” (R2 = 0.840). In conclusion, it was discovered that the prospective teachers did not internalize the fundamentalism, which is included in the traditional educational philosophy. Significant responsibilities fall on the shoulders of academics and decision-makers to enable prospective teachers to save the valuable sections of basic information and values of the past and transfer them to new generations while approaching teaching with a perspective that promotes the potential of new generations in building a better civilization upon the achievements of past generations.

The purpose of research is to determine the usability of mobile learning in undergraduate teacher education. In the first part of the study, researches on mobile learning opportunities in undergraduate teacher education and teacher education are examined. In the second part of the study, infrastructure and readiness for mobile learning of prospective teachers are examined in terms of some variables. The research is designed in survey model. The sample of the research is composed of 454 prospective teachers who study in the 1st and 4th grade of Firat University Faculty of Education. Participant demographic form and the readiness scale for mobile learning developed by Lin, Lin, Yeh and Wang (2016) adapted to Turkish by Gökçeaslan, Solmaz and Kukul (2016) is used as data collection tool. Statistical techniques such as mean, frequency, percentage, t test, one way anova are used in the analysis of the data. The research findings revealed by examining the relevant researches show that mobile learning offers important opportunities for undergraduate teacher education. Prospective teachers have mobile tools necessary for mobile learning and have opportunities access to internet. It is determined that prospective teachers frequently use mobile tools and use mobile tools partially for educational purposes. It is determined that the level of prospective teachers' readiness for mobile learning has partially high (= 3.60) and the level of prospective teachers' readiness for mobile learning is not differ according to gender, educational level and department variables. But prospective teachers' readiness for mobile learning differs according to the daily average internet usage time. The results of the research show that mobile learning is an approach that should be taken into account for undergraduate teacher education.

Many learners hold traditional beliefs about mathematics that can hamper their learning in the discipline. To address this issue, a “history-based” intervention program entailing problem-solving and writing activities that instigate cognitive conflict was implemented. Data sources were pretest and posttest scores of a 12-theme questionnaire designed for this study called “Prospective teachers’ beliefs questionnaire about mathematics learning” and written reflections of prospective teachers. The survey of the prospective teachers beliefs related to the nature of mathematics and the way it is learned, taught, and practiced showed a great majority of them failed to hold progressive beliefs. Fortunately, the intervention program has helped the prospective teachers revise and correct their beliefs, thoughts, and understandings. Study of the prospective teachers’ written reflections and observations of their oral presentations during whole-class discussions strengthen the results of the quantitative study.

This study examined the knowledge, beliefs and efforts of five prospective teachers to enact teaching science as inquiry, over the course of a one‐year high school fieldwork experience. Data sources included interviews, field notes, and artifacts, as these prospective teachers engaged in learning how to teach science. Research questions included 1) What were these prospective teachers' beliefs of teaching science? 2) To what extent did these prospective teachers articulate understandings of teaching science as inquiry? 3) In what ways, if any, did these prospective teachers endeavor to teach science as inquiry in their classrooms? 4) In what ways did the mentor teachers' views of teaching science appear to support or constrain these prospective teachers' intentions and abilities to teach science as inquiry? Despite support from a professional development school setting, the Interns' teaching strategies represented an entire spectrum of practice—from traditional, lecture‐driven lessons, to innovative, open, full‐inquiry projects. Evidence suggests one of the critical factors influencing a prospective teacher's intentions and abilities to teach science as inquiry, is the teacher's complex set of personal beliefs about teaching and of science. This paper explores the methodological issues in examining teachers' beliefs and knowledge in actual classroom practice. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 613–642, 2007.

Studying successful intelligence and personality traits that influence academic achievement helps to realise the underlying abilities of students with high intelligence in teacher education programmes who have low academic achievement. Factors that do not influence academic achievement are probably important factors for life success. The purpose of this study is 1) to examine whether successful intelligence predicts grade point average (GPA), and 2) to discover whether personality moderates the relationship between successful intelligence and GPA. Undergraduate teacher education students (N = 328) were assessed using an analytical reasoning test (verbal and nonverbal), Kaufman Domains of Creativity Scale, Tacit Knowledge in Academia test, and Big Five Personality Inventory. Among components of successful intelligence, only analytical intelligence predicted GPA significantly. GPA had a negative correlation with creative intelligence and practical intelligence. Personality factors do not significantly moderate the relationship between intelligence and GPA. Teacher education exams do not encourage creative and practical intelligence. Students who are interested in social affairs have low academic achievement; however, they are likely to become successful due to their social ability.

Purpose of the study: With mathematics self-efficacy and entrance exam scores being predictors of academic performance, the researchers of this study examined the relationship between these two predictors. Methodology: The instrument used for this study is the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Survey to measure the first-year prospective high school teachers’ mathematics self-efficacy. After the data were obtained, they were analyzed through the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient to find the relationship between the two variables. Main Findings: The researchers of this study concluded that the level of mathematics self-efficacy of first-year prospective high school teachers differs, indicating that there are some areas of improvement in terms of their confidence in performing everyday math tasks, solving problems, and dealing with mathematics courses. Moreover, it is also concluded that the college entrance exam scores of prospective high school teachers do not have a significant relationship with mathematics self-efficacy. Novelty/Originality of this study: Despite the evidence that points to the predictive validity of entrance exam scores and mathematics self-efficacy on academic performance, there are limited studies concerned about the relationship between these two predictors, particularly in the context of USM students. Hence, the researchers of this study aim to delve into the possible relationship between college entrance examination scores and mathematics self-efficacy.

Teachers play an important role in spreading energy literacy to students at all level of education. Teacher education must be able to provide learning related to renewable energy education. This study aims to describe the framework of renewable energy education for prospective physics teachers. The research method used is Qualitative Document Analysis (QDA), followed up by the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) method. The results show (1) The development of energy education programs at the university level must support the achievement of graduate profiles (2) There are several physics issues or topics at the high school level that are relevant to renewable energy, including climate change, environmentally friendly technology, global warming, and alternative energy (3) There are several global and national policies on renewable energy development that can be accommodated in the program. Renewable energy education framework for prospective teachers must consider four main points: content, context, and learning outcomes (multiple literacy and skills), which are focused on strengthening the profile of graduates. This study recommends the translation of this framework into a more operational and scalable program.

This study addresses the need for research in three areas: (1) teachers' understandings of scientific inquiry; (2) conceptual understandings of evolutionary processes; and (3) technology-enhanced instruction using an inquiry approach. The purpose of this study was to determine in what ways The Galapagos Finches software–based materials created a context for learning and teaching about the nature of scientific knowledge and evolutionary concepts. The research used a design experiment in which researchers significantly modified a secondary science methods course. The multiple data sources included: audiotaped conversations of two focus pairs of participants as they interacted with the software; written pre- and posttests on concepts of natural selection of the 21 prospective teachers; written pre- and posttests on views of the nature of science; three e-mail journal questions; and videotaped class discussions. Findings indicate that prospective teachers initially demonstrated alternative understandings of evolutionary concepts; there were uninformed understandings of the nature of scientific inquiry; there was little correlation between understandings and disciplines; and even the prospective teachers with research experience failed to understand the diverse methods used by scientists. Following the module there was evidence of enhanced understandings through metacognition, and the potential for interactive software to provide promising context for enhancing content understandings. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

We present a study on teacher education and, in particular, on Physics. Our assumption is that General Didactics and Disciplinary Didactic constitute two fundamental components of teachers’ professional development and therefore both must be used to interpret didactic phenomena adequately. This research involves a sample of 274 prospective teachers, enrolled in the Primary Education Sciences degrees in three Italian Universities (Milano Bicocca, Udine, Urbino,). It concerns the study of the spontaneous representations produced by students to foster understanding of the force concept and on the reasons given to motivate their effectiveness on an educational level and disciplinary one. The research tools and methods were developed by crossing the literature of General Didactics and Physics Education, identifying analytical categories that emerge from two different and complementary perspectives. In the broad spectrum of students’ conceptions, given by this double perspective, some aspects stand out: most of the representations do not include the representation of the forces at play, but rather imply a precise didactic approach inherent to the concept of force. This is confirmed by the analysis of the didactic and disciplinary motivations, in which a frequent identification of the two types of motivations emerges.

This study aims to discover if Online Learning Self-Efficacy (OLSE) and attitude toward online learning (AOL) significantly predict the academic performance (AP) among Turkish prospective mathematics teachers. Unlike the studies conducted in the literature, online learning self-efficacy and attitude towards online learning as predictor variables were included in the study and both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The study included 1075 prospective mathematics teachers’ responses in the analysis. The Pearson correlation was employed to determine how strongly OLSE, AOL, and AP are related. Results indicated that OLSE and AOL influenced the level of AP. Also, the multiple regression aimed to predict AP based on OLSE and AOL, and this model explained 44.6% of the variance in AP. The beta weights demonstrated that OLSE and AOL (OLSE β = .36, t(1072) = 9.705, p < .001, and AOL β = .34, t(1072) = 9.176, p < .001) significantly contributed to the model. The results showed that the level of academic performance can be predicted by online learning self-efficacy and attitude toward online learning. In addition, this study revealed the factors that have favorable and adverse effects on the academic performance of prospective mathematics teachers to gain more extensive information. Under the theme of negative factors, there were 7 codes. The results obtained from the study can be a guide for practitioners, policy makers and teachers to take the necessary precautions for the effective execution of the distance education process.
 Received: 4 October 2021Accepted: 27 June 2023

Multi-Agent Model-Based Optimization for Future Electrical Grids

Introduction: Mathematics plays a crucial role in the development of science and technology, and its importance is recognized at all educational levels. This study investigates the availability and utilization of mathematics facilities for the improvement and development of prospective teachers. Methodology: This quantitative study targeted students from four universities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. A questionnaire was distributed to 300 respondents, with 175 completed responses collected through proportionate random sampling. The questionnaire was validated by experts and its reliability confirmed using Cronbach’s Alpha. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results/Findings: The findings revealed that most respondents strongly agreed that mathematical content knowledge significantly impacts the learning and understanding of prospective teachers. Additionally, the study highlighted the importance of practice in learning mathematics and emphasized the need for curriculum-based instruction that extends beyond exam preparation. Future Direction: The study recommends developing a framework to address identified challenges, enhance mathematical content, improve pedagogical approaches, and ensure the availability of up-to-date facilities for prospective teachers.

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of the Predict-Observe-Explain technique conducted within the scope of argumentation-supported learning on the conceptual understanding of prospective science teachers on "Electrolytic conductivity". Based on this main purpose action research in practice-based was applied in the study. It was observed that prospective science teachers often constructed non-scientific arguments and had difficulty in justifying many of their arguments before the implications. After the implications, it was observed that the prospective science teachers had the targeted arguments and were able to write grounds and rebuttal in the categories of completely/partially correct to their arguments.