This study examines classroom teachers' perceptions of the extent to which the updated Science Curriculum within the Turkiye Century Education Model (TYMM) supports the development of 21st-century skills. We used Q methodology to capture teachers' subjective viewpoints. Thirty-nine classroom teachers working in K & imath;r & scedil;ehir ranked 32 statements representing key 21st-century skills through a Q sort procedure. Factor analysis yielded three distinct perspectives, accounting for 60% of the total variance. Overall, teachers appraised the TYMM curriculum positively, especially for promoting collaboration, inquiry-oriented learning, and problem-solving. At the same time, they perceived the curriculum as less supportive in areas such as digital content creation, entrepreneurship, and flexibility. Teachers also pointed to implementation barriers, including limited technological infrastructure, insufficient instructional materials, and gaps in teachers' digital literacy. Finally, by leveraging Q methodology's capacity for multidimensional analysis, the study offers an original, teacher-centred account of how 21st-century skills are framed and perceived in curriculum work. The findings may inform education policy decisions, the design of teacher education and professional learning, and ongoing curriculum development.
The Nature of Science (NOS) and Scientific Process Skills (SPS) are central components of science education, as they play a crucial role in fostering students' scientific reasoning, inquiry competence, and understanding of how scientific knowledge is constructed. This study aimed to investigate the effects of NOS-based activities implemented in science classes on the development of fifth-grade students' scientific process skills. The research employed a single-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with fifth-grade students from a public school in Denizli/Beya & gbreve;a & ccedil;, T & uuml;rkiye, over an eight-week period. The NOS activities were designed to introduce students to scientific processes, promote scientific thinking, and facilitate the integration of science into everyday life. Data were collected using the Basic Skills Scale and the Scientific Process Skills Evaluation Form (SPSEF). The analysis of the Basic Skills Scale indicated a significant improvement in posttest scores compared to pretest levels. In addition, the analysis of activity-based data collected through the SPSEF revealed improvements in higher-order skills, including problem identification, variable recognition, hypothesis formulation, experimental design, and data interpretation. These findings suggest that integrating explicit-reflective NOS activities into science instruction can effectively support the development of both basic and emerging higher-order scientific process skills at early grade levels, while also enhancing students' understanding of the epistemic nature of scientific knowledge.
Educational films, beginning with & Ccedil;al & imath;ku & scedil;u in the 1960s, have increasingly expanded their presence in Turkish cinema. These films not only reflect societal perceptions of education but also provide a condensed overview of the history of Turkish education. Thus, education in Turkish cinema has emerged as a significant cultural phenomenon. This study examined the most critically acclaimed Turkish film with an educational theme from each decade since the 1960s, as determined by Internet Movie Database (IMDb) scores (& Ccedil;al & imath;ku & scedil;u, The Chaos Class, A Season in Hakkari, Bullshit, On the Way to School, and Brother's Keeper). Phenomenology was used as the research design to examine how education is represented as a cultural and educational phenomenon in Turkish cinema. The data were analyzed using open coding within the thematic analysis method, using NVivo 8 software within the ecological framework. The findings revealed ecological patterns influencing the teacher-student relationship and identified the depiction of the "burnout school" in The Chaos Class. Qualitative models were developed for each film, and three key themes emerged: (1) The behaviorist approach is prominently reflected in the films, including those set in the 21st century; (2) Throughout cinematic history, characters such as teachers, students, school staff, and families are depicted as being influenced by complex ecological factors; and (3) In every decade, films provide rich insights into the ecological background of education, particularly in the areas of values education, teaching methods, classroom and school management, and measurement and evaluation. Thus, Turkish cinema not only serves as a mirror reflecting the trajectory of educational history but also holds the potential to shape society's perceptions of education.
The aim of this study is to examine the school adjustment of middle school students in T & uuml;rkiye based on gender, class and region. The population of the research consists of secondary school students studying in public schools in T & uuml;rkiye. The sample consists of 26,962 students selected from 24 provinces and 104 schools, representing 12 regions according to T & uuml;rkiye's NUTS. The School Adjustment Kurt et al. (2023) was used to measure the adjustment of secondary school students to school. Factorial ANOVA was applied to the comparisons made by taking into account the gender, grade level and region of residence of the secondary school students. Data analysis was carried out with the Jamovi statistical package program. The results of the research revealed that secondary school students' total school adjustment scores and the academic, social and behavioral adjustment scores, which are the sub-dimensions of school adjustment, showed significant differences according to gender, grade level and statistical regions. Accordingly, the highest average in terms of academic adjustment dimension is in the Northeastern Anatolia Region; the lowest average is in the Eastern Marmara Region; the highest average in the social adjustment dimension is in the Western Black Sea Region; the lowest average is in the Central Anatolia Region; it was determined that the highest average in the behavioral adjustment dimension was in the Western Anatolia Region and the lowest average was in the Istanbul Region. When looked at by region in terms of school adjustment total scores, it is seen that the highest average is in the Northeastern Anatolia Region and the lowest average is in the Western Marmara Region. To reduce these disparities, it is recommended to expand psychosocial support programs for students, particularly in regions with low levels of adjustment, and to strengthen the training processes of teachers so that they can develop sensitive and inclusive educational strategies for students.
In June 2024, the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 1994) have seen its 30th anniversary. The Salamanca Statement has been the mainstay of the spread of inclusion and influenced the educational systems of many countries. Although the countries that signed the Statement have made various regulations in their policies and practices to create more inclusive educational environments, these regulations have not been at the same pace and intensity in every country. In this study, we discussed what happened in the education systems of T & uuml;rkiye and Hungary, the two countries that signed the Salamanca Statement, from 1994 to the present day. This comparison of the education systems of these two countries with different cultural, historical, and political backgrounds can contribute to the evaluations regarding the current situation of the practices of inclusion.
