{"title":"The Adaptation of Early Childhood Care and Education to Cultural and Local Characteristics in West Africa: Challenges for Educational Psychology Research","authors":"Kathrine Maleq, M. Fuentes, Abdeljalil Akkari","doi":"10.31757/euer.514","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.514","url":null,"abstract":": This critical review aims to question whether or not the enthusiasm around early childhood care and education (ECCE) programmes is producing premature models, ill-adapted to West African socio-cultural contexts. Reviewing research that investigates the impact of ECCE on cognitive development and school readiness, we first focus on the universal valuing of formal ECCE, supported by both scientific research and international education agendas. Second, we present a classification that provides a framework to grasp the multiplicity of ECCE programmes and models across West African countries and their relevance to local contexts. Based on the literature reviewed, we conceptualise a multilevel model of ECCE within a holistic and ecologic approach. In the third part, we present research that underlines the challenges for educators and their central role in the design of culturally relevant ECCE. The fourth part will draw from research findings and stress the need to rethink appropriate methods and research tools to assess the quality and outcomes of ECCE programmes in West Africa. We conclude by proposing to move away from ECCE perspectives in which marginalised communities are perceived as deficient towards locally relevant and socially just models.","PeriodicalId":307289,"journal":{"name":"The European Educational Researcher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122212036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Moral Sensitivity of Young People with Intellectual Disability – Its Role in The Process of Their Education","authors":"W. Otrębski, Agnieszka Czusz-Sudoł","doi":"10.31757/euer.512","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.512","url":null,"abstract":"According to Heller and Życiński (1980) the primary regulator of human behaviour is the system of values therefore its development should be in the centre of all educational and upbringing measures. Our focus here is on moral sensitivity understood as the ability of an individual to see social situations from the perspective of moral good and moral evil that represent values embodied in moral norms adopted by the world and internalised by humans as the principles of conduct. The main research question was the following: How morally sensitive are persons with ID and how is their sensitivity associated with the degree of intellectual disability and gender? A non-probability sample 267 of Polish residents aged 16-30 years with mild (58.42%) or moderate (41.58%) intellectual disability was assembled. Men and women were almost in equal proportion. The Moral Sensitivity Inventory (MSI; Otrębski, Sudoł, 2020) has been used to measure the moral sensitivity of people with ID. It consists of 10 illustrated stories presenting typical social situations containing moral dilemmas, and an evaluation form. The tested person’s task is to answer the following question “Who, in this story, did something right or wrong, and what was that?” and to indicate as many moral elements in the story and the picture as they can. The results imply that the study participants had different ability to discern moral good and moral evil. They were more sensitive to the manifestations of good and evil bad associated with Understanding one’s behaviour and its impact on others (more than one-fourth of them had high scores) and less perceptive of those relating to Respect for others’ property and Conformance to principles and norms. The results of the study expand the knowledge of the overall moral sensitivity of persons with intellectual disabilities.","PeriodicalId":307289,"journal":{"name":"The European Educational Researcher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116649000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christina Dimakosa, C. Loomis, Blaise Y. O’Malley, Sylvie Lamont, Gurmakh Singh, Janette Pelletier, Brian D. Christens, Carrie Wright, R. Peters
{"title":"Aspirations Are Not Enough: Barriers to Educational Attainment for Youth Involved with Child Welfare","authors":"Christina Dimakosa, C. Loomis, Blaise Y. O’Malley, Sylvie Lamont, Gurmakh Singh, Janette Pelletier, Brian D. Christens, Carrie Wright, R. Peters","doi":"10.31757/euer.516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.516","url":null,"abstract":"Children of families involved with child welfare services are considered high-risk and are vulnerable to developing problems in a number of domains. In particular, educational achievement among this population tends to be lower relative to general population peers. The goal of this qualitative study was to understand the educational aspirations and subsequent pathways of young adults with former child welfare involvement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven young adults (mean age of 31 years) from Ontario, Canada about their educational aspirations in high school and factors that served as facilitators and obstacles to their achievement. The results indicate youth had high hopes and dreams for their future in high school. However, complex challenges impeded the realization of these dreams. Although all seven participants initiated post-secondary programs, only one reached successful completion. None of the young adults achieved the educational and occupational dreams they had in high school. Nevertheless, returning to school remains a prominent future goal for most participants. Despite significant challenges and unrealized educational aspirations, youth with child welfare experiences continue to place high value on education in inspiring hope and optimism for the future. Addressing barriers to educational achievement for youth with child welfare involvement remains an important focus to help educational aspirations become a reality.","PeriodicalId":307289,"journal":{"name":"The European Educational Researcher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114485146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The literacy preparation in Turkish preschool education","authors":"Semra Tican Başaran, Sabri Sidekli","doi":"10.31757/euer.511","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.511","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this study is to reveal the views and recommendations of the preschool and primary school teachers on the literacy preparation in Turkish preschool education. The study is designed as phenomenological research. The participants of the study are 12 preschool and 9 primary school teachers who have been teaching actively in the western part of Turkey. The qualitative data was collected through face-to-face interviews and analyzed through content analysis. The findings of the study show that preschool teachers have some confusion on literacy preparation and readiness. While preschool and primary school teachers are of the same opinion about the need for literacy preparation in preschool education, they have different opinions about the literacy preparation activities conducted in preschool education. While preschool teachers think that they get preschoolers ready for literacy, primary school teachers think that first graders in their classes do not come literately ready from preschool education. Teachers participated in the study; think that the lack of collaboration among preschool and primary school teachers, some deficiencies in preschool education curriculum and in the education system, and the preschool teachers’ imperfect knowledge in the literacy readiness are the possible reasons of inadequacy of readiness for literacy in preschool education. They recommend systematic collaboration among teachers, review of preschool education curriculum and providing professional support for preschool teachers to support literacy readiness in preschool education.","PeriodicalId":307289,"journal":{"name":"The European Educational Researcher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125924678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Use of a Movie (Lorenzo's Oil) in Teaching Nature of Science to Preservice Science Teachers","authors":"Fatma Taşkin Ekici","doi":"10.31757/euer.515","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.515","url":null,"abstract":"Today, learning environments are constantly getting developed and updated to make the teaching-learning process more active. Besides, tools that enhance learning in educational environments are also getting diversified. One of these educational tools is the movies that are based on real life stories. In addition to informing students about several biological topics and issues, the movie called Lorenzo's Oil handles the impact of a neurological disease on the social environment. The movie also informs the audience about science, scientists, scientific process skills and nature of science, and encourages the audience to think and reflect about these issues. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of this movie, which covers a real-life story, on the teaching of science and nature of science elements of teacher candidates. For this purpose, the data of the study were collected through the VNOS-C questionnaire and reflective writings before and after a course in which the movie Lorenzo's Oil was included in the teaching process. At the end of the study, according to the findings obtained from the reflective writings and VNOS-C questionnaire, it was concluded that the views of the pre-service teachers on science and nature of science changed positively, and they were in the knowledgeable category at the end of the process.","PeriodicalId":307289,"journal":{"name":"The European Educational Researcher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129292024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Turkish Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Colorado Learning Attitudes About Science Survey (CLASS) in Physics","authors":"Derya Kaltakci-Gurel","doi":"10.31757/euer.435","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.435","url":null,"abstract":"The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) is an instrument to measure student beliefs about physics and learning physics. In this research, Turkish adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the CLASS is discussed. In the first stage, the translation process, which included examination of six experts (four experts in physics education and two experts in English and Turkish languages) for content validity and 13 student interviews for face validity, was described. In the second stage, exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analysis results obtained from 1391 freshman students were discussed for construct validty. The EFA yielded three factors that consisted of 20 items, which explained 39.61 % of the total variance. These factors were named as: Problem Solving Effort, Conceptual Understanding, and Personal Interest and Real-World Connection. Based on the CFA results, the three-factor 20-item instrument showed acceptable fit statistics. Compared to the original CLASS, the proposed version with 20-item model was shorter, easier to administer and easier to score, valid and reliable survey, so feasible to use. The overlapping of the constructs (i.e., violation of the unidimensionality) in the original CLASS was a problem, while in the proposed model none of the items were included in more than one construct.","PeriodicalId":307289,"journal":{"name":"The European Educational Researcher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122727535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Comparative Analysis of Reading Self-Efficacy of Turkology Students","authors":"Önder Çangal","doi":"10.31757/euer.432","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.432","url":null,"abstract":"The Turkology Departments in countries other than Turkey fulfill two functions. First, they aim to equip their students with sufficient Turkish language proficiency. Second, they offer students a university degree from the Language, History and Literature program. Therefore, regarding the students who are studying in these departments, their competence in Turkish language skills on an academic level is significant. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the reading skills self-efficacy of Turkology students studying in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Algeria. The study explored if the students’ reading self-accicay changed in line with any of the variables of country origin, gender, and student achievement level. The research data were collected by adopting the “Reading self-efficacy scale of those who learn Turkish as a foreign language” prepared by Güngör and Kan (2020), and the data obtained was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 package program. According to the results of the study, it was seen that the reading self-efficacy of Bosnia and Herzegovinian students was higher than the Algerians. Additionally, it was found out that as the achievement scores and language proficiency levels of the students increased their reading self-efficacy scores also increased. Next, the self-efficacy scores of the graduate students were found to be higher than those of the undergraduate students. In addition, there was no significant difference between the self-efficacy level of the students participating in the study according to their gender. Finally, based on the findings, suggestions were given to increase the reading self-efficacy of the students at the end of the study.","PeriodicalId":307289,"journal":{"name":"The European Educational Researcher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125640819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Panagiotis Gridos, E. Avgerinos, E. Deliyianni, I. Elia, A. Gagatsis, Zoi Geitona
{"title":"Unpacking The Relation Between Spatial Abilities and Creativity in Geometry","authors":"Panagiotis Gridos, E. Avgerinos, E. Deliyianni, I. Elia, A. Gagatsis, Zoi Geitona","doi":"10.31757/euer.433","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.433","url":null,"abstract":"This study aims to examine the relation between spatial ability and creativity in Geometry. Data was collected from 94 ninth graders. Three spatial abilities were investigated: spatial visualization, spatial relations and closure flexibility. As for students' creativity, it was examined through a multiple solution problem in Geometry focusing on three components of creativity: fluency, flexibility, and originality. The results revealed that spatial visualization predicted flexibility and originality while closure flexibility predicted all creativity components. Additionally, it was deduced that auxiliary constructions played an essential role in the problem-solution process. Finally, further study opportunities for the teaching and learning of Geometry are discussed.","PeriodicalId":307289,"journal":{"name":"The European Educational Researcher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127836983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Matthias Stadler, Christoph J. Kemper, Samuel Greiff
{"title":"Assessing subjective university success with the Subjective Academic Achievement Scale (SAAS)","authors":"Matthias Stadler, Christoph J. Kemper, Samuel Greiff","doi":"10.31757/euer.431","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.431","url":null,"abstract":"University achievement is a highly relevant educational outcome with implications for students' academic and professional futures. As the majority of students that drop out of university do so due to subjective reasons in contrast to a lack of capability to handle the workload, a measure of subjective university achievement (complementing grade point average) is helpful to enhance educational research on causes, correlates, and consequences of university success. This study aims to introduce a short scale for assessing subjective academic achievement – the SAAS – and provide first results on its psychometric properties. Based on two independent samples of university students, the internal consistency, factorial validity, and construct validity of the SAAS are corroborated, suggesting the measure's administration in educational research on university success and related issues.","PeriodicalId":307289,"journal":{"name":"The European Educational Researcher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131593682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Teachers’ Attitudes to Use of Advanced Technological Tools as Teaching and Learning Aids: From an Inter-Generational Perspective","authors":"N. Davidovitch, R. Yavich","doi":"10.31757/euer.434","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.434","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines the perceptions and attitudes of teachers towards tablets as pedagogical aids from an intergenerational perspective. It is based on sociological theories and definitions that emphasize the disparities and the uniqueness of each “generation” as well as customary teaching and learning methods. The study compares teachers from Generation Y and Generation X and it was carried out about one year from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when all teachers regardless of “generation” were required to teach digitally. We focused on a common digital tool, the tablet, which enables diverse learning methods. A questionnaire was administered to teachers in the Israeli educational system (N = 154). The research findings showed that teachers from Generation Y (aged 26-42) have more positive general attitudes towards the use of tablets as an integral part of the study program and identify more advantages and less disadvantages than their Generation X colleagues (ages 43-65). The current research findings were compatible with research findings regarding the general attitudes of teachers towards innovative technologies and their integration in study programs in educational systems worldwide. The practical meaning of the study is that it is important to continue leading programs for integrating advanced technological appliances, and not only tablets, in the curriculum, as the generation of teachers who will be responsible for educating the younger generations and for leading these programs in particular is from the age group that has the most positive attitudes towards the subject.","PeriodicalId":307289,"journal":{"name":"The European Educational Researcher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122641868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}