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1 – 10 of over 3000Sally J. Zepeda, Oksana Parylo and Abdurrahman Ilgan
Peer coaching has been described as an effective form of teacher professional development. Consequently, different aspects of the peer coaching process have been examined…
Abstract
Purpose
Peer coaching has been described as an effective form of teacher professional development. Consequently, different aspects of the peer coaching process have been examined. However, no international comparative studies focusing on the differences between the applicability and adoptability of peer coaching in different educational systems were found. This paper seeks to address these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This quantitative study examined cross‐national differences in educators’ beliefs about peer coaching by comparing survey responses of American and Turkish educators.
Findings
Data analysis showed that both American and Turkish educators found peer coaching adoptable at a high level in their school systems. However, on the applicability level there were statistically significant differences found at all subscales of peer coaching survey showing that American participants believed that peer coaching was much more applicable than did the Turkish participants.
Research limitations/implications
While limited by the small sample size not representative of the overall populations in the USA and Turkey, this study contributes to the international discourse on the different types of teacher professional development by examining cross‐national differences in educators’ beliefs about peer coaching.
Practical implications
The results of this study inform practitioners and researchers about the ways peer coaching is perceived by educators in different countries. Given the findings, school districts can examine more contextually and culturally appropriate ways inherent in the post‐observation conference to increase the effectiveness of the peer coaching process.
Originality/value
The findings of this study enrich the body of research on peer coaching, particularly focusing on the teachers’ and leaders’ beliefs and perceptions about the adoption and applicability of peer coaching as a form of teacher professional development and calls for further empirical research on teacher peer coaching in the national and international contexts.
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Village Institutes were founded in Turkey in 1940 in order to educate village teachers. Graduates of these Institutes were educated to guide peasants in agricultural and…
Abstract
Village Institutes were founded in Turkey in 1940 in order to educate village teachers. Graduates of these Institutes were educated to guide peasants in agricultural and technological matters. Legitimising Kemalist ideology and supporting the single‐party system of the day were two of the roles undertaken by these Institutes. This article evaluates the nationalisation and modernisation process of Turkey in terms of Village Institutes by emphasising their dual educational and political roles. A second aim of the article is to analyse Village Institutes and similar educational movements in other countries in comparative perspective within the context of work‐based education. Consequently, the contribution of Village Institutes to pedagogy and its place in the history of education are examined. As a result of the research, it is contended that work school and production school movements in Village Institutes were part of one endeavour and that these Institutes were important examples of the new school movement that was based on contemporary principles of education in Turkey at the time.
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Zehra Keser Ozmantar and Tokay Gedikoglu
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development and implementation process of the balanced scorecard (BSC) approach in an educational institution in the context of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development and implementation process of the balanced scorecard (BSC) approach in an educational institution in the context of the Turkish educational system. It also aims, on the basis of the results of the applications in a particular school, to define principles through which the development of BSC could be successfully achieved.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a design-based research method which provides a particularly useful approach to the solution of real problems in the field of education. The study was carried out in a private educational institution with 161 members of staff including managers, teachers and personnel of the support units. Scorecards for the institution as well as 161 members of staff were developed.
Findings
The examination of the developmental process suggests 12 design principles: willingness to change; managerial support; flexible management structure; appropriate team members; training of staff; availability of strategic planning; distinctive BSC dimensions; smart strategic objectives; balance between leading and lagging indicators; developing individual scorecards; open communication system; structured report format.
Originality/value
This is the first study that develops BSC for a school in a Turkish context. The design principles, the author believes, are particularly useful for schools that do not have a strategic performance management background. This study is also important in terms of putting forward the applicability of BSC in educational organizations in different cultures and thus gaining new insights about the developmental process of BSC.
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The purpose of this paper is to describe the various ways in which a group of principals conceptualize the power basis of teachers within teacher–principal interactions.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the various ways in which a group of principals conceptualize the power basis of teachers within teacher–principal interactions.
Design/methodology/approach
The present study takes power as a potential to influence people as it was conceptualized in the taxonomy developed by French and Raven (1959/1968) and Raven (1993). This taxonomy was also used to discuss the conceptions emerged in the interview data. A total of 16 principals, 8 from public schools and 8 from private schools, were interviewed.
Findings
The phenomenographic analysis of the interviews with the 16 principals revealed five ways of understanding teachers’ power basis. These conceptions (in the form of categories of description) were: (a) the principal’s sense of reciprocity, (b) teachers’ field-specific knowledge, (c) teachers’ administrative experience, (d) teachers’ union affiliation and (e) teachers’ legal rights. Categories (a) and (b) were common to all the study’s participants. Category (c) was unique to participants from private schools, while categories (d) and (e) were unique to participants from public schools.
Research limitations/implications
Three topics – the subtler forms of legitimate power, the issue of teacher tenure and the influence of unions on the educational system – appeared to have potential for interesting future studies in the field of educational management.
Practical implications
There is an apparent need to include social power as a course component in preparatory programs for educational administrators. The revised power taxonomy, which took its final form after the revisions made by Raven (1993), appeared to be an adequate explanatory theory to understand the teachers’ bases of power, and as such, it can be used to structure the content of the course about power interactions in school settings. In addition, the Turkish Ministry of National Education should handle the issue of unions’ improper influence over the educational system and take necessary measures in order to maintain the effective functioning of public schools.
Originality/value
To date, subordinates’ bases of power as a research subject has apparently been ignored. The present study is the first to reveal variations in the ways that school principals conceptualize teachers’ basis of power. Although the study data were collected in one city in Turkey, the research implications drawn from its findings can inspire interest in this neglected field of study all around the world.
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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the benefits and drawbacks of the case method, one of the participative learning techniques, and its appropriateness for the…
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the benefits and drawbacks of the case method, one of the participative learning techniques, and its appropriateness for the Turkish cultural context. It offers an executable strategy for promoting this method in Turkey. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides an analysis of a wide range of articles on organizational and classroom learning, strategic leadership, and Turkish cultural, educational, and institutional contexts. This is complemented by information from semi‐structured interviews with Canadian case method experts and Turkish educators and educational leaders. Findings – The Turkish cultural context provides more favorable conditions for implementation of the case method than that of the Western countries where it originates. For instance, Turkey has one of the highest scores of in‐group collectivism. However, a lack of focused leadership and appropriate motivation prevented the pioneers of the method from overcoming the inertia of the incumbent institutional structures. Research limitations/implications – Only one participative technique in one country is explored in this paper. Further studies may usefully extend this approach to other countries in the region with similar cultures. Practical implications – Recognizing the favorable cultural conditions for the case method, leaders of business education in Turkey can adopt this technique as an explicit strategy. Strategic alliances with expert case‐teaching schools will confer competitive advantage both to Turkish institutions and to their students. Originality/value – This paper focuses on implementation issues of an effective teaching tool within one country, thus making its analysis and recommendations both specific and executable. Although examples of case method research abound, this contextual anchoring is rare.
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The purpose of this article is to underscore the issues of empathy in narrative inquiry, particularly in cases where the researcher shares numerous characteristics in common with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to underscore the issues of empathy in narrative inquiry, particularly in cases where the researcher shares numerous characteristics in common with the research population. The author explores the use of narrative as a qualitative research tool, as well as a means for addressing the challenges of maintaining objectivity in circumstances where empathy and understanding may overpower the need for unbiased reporting.
Design/methodology/approach
This narrative case study, which is based on the author's doctoral research, was designed according to a framework of critical theory, as the original intent of the project was to expose the challenges and injustices faced by Turkish study‐abroad scholarship recipients who are required to serve as university faculty members in the Turkish university system upon completion of their graduate degrees.
Findings
The researcher found that, in opposition to his belief that government‐sponsored scholars were able to contribute significantly to higher education, the strict hierarchy and bureaucratic nature of the Turkish university system prevented them from accomplishing their objectives.
Originality/value
This study is unique in that it is the only qualitative investigation which relates the personal narratives of Turkish faculty members who, at the same time they are charged with bringing innovation to a stagnating system, are deterred by that same system from achieving this aim. As such, it serves to advocate for this marginalized group and to call attention to the need for meaningful and comprehensive reform.
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Kürşad Yılmaz and Murat Taşdan
The purpose of this study is to determine primary school teachers' perceptions regarding organizational citizenship and organizational justice. The study also aims to determine…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine primary school teachers' perceptions regarding organizational citizenship and organizational justice. The study also aims to determine whether such perceptions vary depending on the variables of gender, field of study and seniority, and whether organizational citizenship behaviors and organizational justice are related.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered via a survey instrument that incorporated the “Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale for Schools” (OCB‐Scale) and the “Organizational Justice Scale” (OJS).
Findings
It was found that the teachers had positive perceptions regarding organizational citizenship and organizational justice. Their organizational citizenship perceptions did not vary according to gender, field of study and seniority, whereas their organizational justice perceptions varied according to seniority, but not gender and field of study. There was a moderate positive relationship between the teachers' organizational citizenship and organizational justice perceptions.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to the perceptions of primary school teachers.
Practical implications
The findings of this research provide particular information for Turkish policy makers concerned with school administration as well as insights that may be relevant to similar studies internationally.
Originality/value
The study of organizational citizenship and organizational justice in schools adds to a relatively limited literature on this theme.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between teachers' organizational commitment perceptions and both their psychological hardiness and some demographic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between teachers' organizational commitment perceptions and both their psychological hardiness and some demographic variables in a sample of Turkish primary schools.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 405 randomly selected teachers working at primary schools in Ankara participated in the study. Personal Views Survey III‐R and the Organizational Commitment Scale were used to gather data.
Findings
This paper supports the argument that psychological hardiness is a meaningful construct predicting the perceptions of primary school teachers on organizational commitment. Results reveal that psychological hardiness is positively and significantly related to both identification and internalization components of teacher commitment, whereas it is negatively and significantly correlated to the commitment predicated on compliance. Teacher compliance commitment is negatively associated with both identification and internalization. Although gender and years of experience are significant predictors of identification and internalization, the variables of subject specialization and age did not significantly predict all three subscales of teacher commitment.
Originality/value
This paper represents a different approach to organizational commitment by examining teacher commitment under three components – compliance, identification, and internalization. This paper also explores the relationships between organizational commitment and teacher psychological hardiness which is a personality style reducing the negative effects of stress. Results from this study are discussed in relation to practical implications in school settings.
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Leyla Yılmaz Fındık, İlknur Bayram and Özlem Canaran
The purpose of this paper is to explore how sustainable development (SD) is conceptualized by pre-service English language teachers in Turkey and design a specialized course…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how sustainable development (SD) is conceptualized by pre-service English language teachers in Turkey and design a specialized course syllabus on SD in English language teaching (ELT) in the light of the research findings.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory study design and investigated the case of a state university in Turkey with the involvement of 133 pre-service English language teachers.
Findings
The findings indicated that most pre-service English language teachers received no training or a course on SD in their whole education life and tended to associate SD mostly with the economic growth of a country, followed by education, social and ecological concepts. It was also found that the majority of the participants had a unidimensional view of SD. No direct links with ELT have been detected from participants’ responses. The findings also pointed to the eagerness of the participants to receive an ELT-specific course on SD providing that the course involves interactive teaching and learning activities with reference to contemporary sources focusing on global and local issues, as well as studying the methods facilitating the incorporation of such issues into teaching practice.
Research limitations/implications
This research is based on the experience of one Turkish university with limited quantitative and qualitative data.
Practical implications
Based on the participants’ knowledge, views and suggestions, this paper contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence obtained from a local context and suggests a practical framework for a field-specific course syllabus aiming to enhance teacher candidates’ knowledge, skills and values related to SD and its incorporation into ELT.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study seeking to explore pre-service ELT teachers’ conceptualization of SD in Turkish higher education, and drawing on the research findings, the authors attempted to design a course syllabus targeted at pre-service teachers in ELT departments.
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Hakan Berument, Nukhet Dogan and Aysıt Tansel
This article seeks to examine whether or not various macroeconomic policy shocks have different effects on overall unemployment and the unemployment by different levels of…
Abstract
Purpose
This article seeks to examine whether or not various macroeconomic policy shocks have different effects on overall unemployment and the unemployment by different levels of education in Turkey. These effects are assessed separately for male and female unemployment.
Design/methodology/approach
To examine the relationship, a quarterly VAR model with a recursive order is employed to estimate the effects of real GDP, price, exchange rate and interbank interest rate on unemployment for the period from 1988:01 to 2003:04.
Findings
Main findings indicate that monetary policy does not affect the total unemployment as well as the components of unemployment by educational level and by gender in Turkey. On the other hand, income policies, which include fiscal policies, and unemployment itself, might be the main factors that affect the behavior of total unemployment and its various components.
Research limitations/implications
These findings suggest that policy makers should concentrate on non‐monetary policies to hamper the unemployment in Turkey.
Originality/value
The present study is the first empirical examination of the relationship between various macroeconomic policy shocks and the unemployment both across gender and education levels in a single study.
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