The purpose of this study is to design, develop and evaluate an electronic performance support system (EPSS) for the crime scene investigation unit (CSI). For this purpose, a sequential explanatory strategy as a procedure of the mixed method design was used in analysis and evaluation of the EPSS. The research was composed of three main phases: analysis / design, development and implementation, and evaluation of the EPSS. In first phase composed of performance and cause analyses, the CSI Unit&rsquo / s existing information, and contributing causal performance factors based on Gilbert&rsquo / Behavior Engineering Model were explored. In performance analysis phase, official documentation of the CSI Unit was reviewed. As for cause analysis, the survey and focus group interviews were conducted to 1176 and 22 CSI officers, respectively. These data were analyzed using with both quantitative and qualitative methods to facilitate the selection of the most appropriate intervention and its components. Analyses results revealed that 14 basic influences grouped under the workplace and competency on human behavior impacted performance of the officers. Based on these results, an EPSS composed of intrinsic, extrinsic and external levels, and support components was designed and developed in the second phase. Having been implemented, the evaluation of the EPSS based on the Kirkpatrick&rsquo / Four Levels of Evaluation Model was conducted v to determine the overall impact, perceived benefits, and effectiveness of the intervention in third phase. In this phase, a survey, interviews, computer logs and a checklist were used so as to assess the accomplishment of the EPSS. While the survey and the checklist were administered to the 191 officers and 2 experts from the field, the interviews were conducted with 12 officers. Evaluation results admitted that the CSI officers&rsquo / reactions were very positive to the EPSS. While, an intrinsic support made a major contribution to their productivity, establishing standardization would be perceived as the major impact of the EPSS. Lastly, increasing identity and simplifying criminal justice system were the two main impact factors on the society that the system would influence positively.

The aim of this study is to obtain optimal position and orientation of a trajectory frame with respect to the fixed frame of the manipulator. The work path which is given in the trajectory frame is also constrained in the workspace of the 3 &ndash / PRS parallel kinematic machine. In the analysis, forward and inverse kinematics solutions are derived as well as the inverse dynamics model using Lagrange&rsquo / s Method. Several algorithms governing the motion of the manipulator are developed. Moreover, optimization goals are defined and evaluated with the genetic algorithm.

This study claims that there has been realized an obvious transformation in the way in which the Cyprus question is perceived and handled in Turkey, both in official state policy and popular opinion, during 2000s. It is aimed in this study to depict this transformation with its different dimensions and analyze this transformation with a historical perspective in terms of the actors and dynamics involved. The social and political dynamics which brought about such a transformation are investigated and the positions and attitudes of certain social actors, with special reference to big capital and its representative T&Uuml / SiAD, are disclosed within the scope of this study. It is maintained in this study that in order to understand and analyze the transformation in the Cyprus policy of Turkey and the public opinion, it is necessary to relate this process with general political atmosphere of the country as well as the hegemonic visions/projects/opinions of the period. In this case, it is actually impossible to understand and analyze the transformation of the official policy and public opinion on Cyprus separate from the EU membership project specifically in 2000s. This study analyzes this transformation as a dimension of a general process that is the construction of EU membership objective as a hegemonic project. Antonio Gramsci&rsquo / s theory of hegemony and Bob Jessop&rsquo / s conceptualization of hegemonic project have been utilized in this analysis.

This study aims to examine the foreign policy orientation of the Republican People&rsquo / s Party (CHP) during 2003 and 2005. Thus, four major foreign policy issues during this period will be scrutinized. These issues are namely, Turkey&rsquo / s EU membership process, the Cyprus problem, the US-Turkey relations and the Armenian question. Taking into consideration the current development concerning these issues, this study will focus on the views and reactions of the CHP. In this respect, the main determinant factors behind the foreign policy stance of the party will be discussed. Finally, comparing the foreign policy understanding of the CHP in the past, the study will focus on the question whether the CHP of today constitutes continuation or a shift from the past CHP administrations. At the end of the study, the results of a research issued at the current CHP deputies so as to evaluate their foreign policy orientations will be revealed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the in-service teacher training program, The Certificate for Teachers of English (CTE), run jointly by two departments: The Department of Basic English (DBE) and the Department of Modern Languages (DML) of the School of Foreign Languages (SFL) at Middle East Technical University (METU) in terms of whether it achieved its objectives and to provide suggestions regarding the redesigning of the program for the following years. The model used for evaluating the program was one proposed by Kirkpatrick (1998 / first devised in 1959). This model entails 4 levels of evaluation to carry out while evaluating training programs. Reaction, Learning, Behavior and Results. The research questions focused in this study are all in line with these four levels. The participants of the study were four folded. The main participants were the trainees attending the program. (N=6, 2 from DML / 4 from DBE). Another group of participants were the trainers of the program. (N=2). The third group of participants was the chairpersons at the two departments. Finally, data were collected from the students of the trainees and non trainees. Data was collected via questionnaires from the trainees and their students, interviews with trainees, trainers and chairpersons, observations of sessions of the program and trainees&rsquo / lessons, and related documents of the program. The data collected was analyzed qualitatively using the Miles and Huberman (1994) procedure for analyzing qualitative data: data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing/verification. Results revealed that the CTE program was effective in terms of achieving its objectives. However, there could be improvements in certain components of the program. Another result of the study was that the application of Kirkpatrick&rsquo / s training program evaluation model was not very effective in the evaluation of the CTE program. The main drawback was that the model is a nonlinear one which made it difficult to concentrate on a particular level of evaluation at a particular time. Therefore the suggestion for a more linear and definite model for the evaluation of the CTE program was proposed.

Elastic layers bonded to reinforcing sheets are widely used in many engineering applications, e.g., as elastic foundations to machinery, as seismic isolators to structures, etc. Because of its practical importance, the behavior of bonded elastic layers under some basic deformation modes (e.g., compression, bending and shear modes) has attracted the attention of many researchers. However, the analytical works available in literature involve, with the object of obtaining design formulas, many simplifying assumptions. In this dissertation, a new formulation is developed for the analysis of bonded elastic layers, which removes most of the assumptions used in the earlier formulations. Since the displacement boundary conditions are included in the formulation itself, there is no need to start the formulation with some assumptions on stress and/or displacement distributions or with some limitations on geometrical and/or material properties. For this reason, the solutions derived from this formulation are valid not only for &ldquo / thin&rdquo / layers of strictly/nearly incompressible materials but also for &ldquo / thick&rdquo / layers and/or compressible materials. The advanced solutions obtained within the framework of the new formulation are used to study the behavior of bonded elastic layers under basic deformation modes. The effects of three key parameters, shape factor, Poisson&rsquo / s ratio and reinforcement flexibility, on effective layer moduli, displacement/stress distributions, and location/magnitude of maximum stresses are investigated. It is shown that the stress assumptions of the &ldquo / pressure&rdquo / method are inconsistent with the results obtained for thick layers and/or compressible materials and/or flexible reinforcements, and that the assumption &ldquo / plane sections remain plane&rdquo / is not valid, in general.

The first purpose was to develop a diagnostic test to investigate new anchoring and bridging analogies. Second one was to compare the effects of bridging analogies based instruction (BABI) versus traditional teaching method (TTM) on sophomore students&rsquo / misconceptions in Newton&rsquo / s Third Law (NTL). An Anchoring Analogy Diagnostic Test (AADT), Newton&rsquo / s Third Law Misconception Test (NTLMT), and Attitude Scale toward Newton&rsquo / s Third Law (ASNTL) were used as measuring tools. Unlike single analogies in each step as used in literature, the researcher introduced the group concept and developed the new style of concept diagrams after the first part. The second part was conducted with 308 students in the same department of the same public universities of previous year sample in 2006-2007. In the study, the instructors administered the NTLMT and ASNTL as a pretest. One instructor had randomly assigned one control and one experimental group, while the other instructor (researcher) had randomly assigned two groups. Experimental groups were instructed by the BABI while control groups were instructed by the TTM. After three-week treatment period, the same tests were given as posttests to both groups. The first part analyzed by using both Excel and SPSS indicated that the AADT was effective in diagnosing anchoring analogies, bridging analogies, and target cases. It was also easy to develop the new style of concept diagrams. The second part were analyzed by using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). According to the results, the BABI significantly remediate students&rsquo / misconceptions in the NTL with respect to the TTM. However, the BABI showed no significant effect on students&rsquo / attitudes toward the NTL with respect to the TTM.

The purposes of this study were to explore students&rsquo / perceptions of the extent to which constructivist approaches are present in chemistry classes at high school level in Turkey, to assess students&rsquo / perceptions of their chemistry teachers&rsquo / communication behaviours in their classroom learning environments and to investigate the learning strategies of students in chemistry classes considering school type, gender, and grade level differences. In this study, the Constructivist Learning Environment Questionnaire (CLES), the Teacher Communication Behaviour v Questionnaire (TCBQ) and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) were used as measuring instruments. In addition, the questionnaires included some questions for demographic characteristics of participants. The study was conducted in conveniently selected two schools (private and public) in Ankara with a total of 994 ninth and tenth grade students in the second term of 2006-2007 semesters. Data obtained from the administration of measuring instruments by using the analysis of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) The results of the study indicated that school type, gender and grade level of the students had significant effect on perception of classroom learning environment, teacher&rsquo / communication behaviour and perceived use of learning strategies. For instance, students in private schools perceived their classroom-learning environment more constructivist than student in public school. In addition girls rated that, their learning environment and teachers&rsquo / communication behaviours more favourably than did boys. The study also showed that students use rehearsal-learning strategy mostly in their chemistry classrooms.

Method of Moments (MoM)/Green&rsquo / s function formulation is developed for the analysis of electromagnetic radiation from planar rectangular microstrip antennas with different feeding techniques. Investigated structures are microstrip line fed patch antenna, proximity coupled patch antenna and slot coupled patch antenna. For all these structures equivalent problems are defined. Then, integral equations where currents are the unknowns are obtained from boundary conditions and by using spectral domain representation of Green&rsquo / s functions. Finally, MoM is applied to convert these integral equations to a system of linear equations. Currents on the conducting surfaces as well as equivalent magnetic currents on the apertures are modeled as a sum of piecewise sinusoidal subdomain basis functions with unknown coefficients which are calculated by solving the system of linear equations. Based on the formulations provided in this study, a Fortran code is developed. Numerical results calculated by using the code are presented in the form of patch and line currents and input impedances. Presented results are in good agreement with the results given in the literature.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of using dynamic geometry software while teaching by guided discovery compared to paper-and-pencil based guided discovery and traditional teaching method on sixth grade students&rsquo / van Hiele geometric thinking levels and geometry achievement. The study was conducted in one of the private schools in Ankara and lasted six weeks. The sample of the study consisted 47 sixth grade students in the school. The present study was designed as pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental study.In order to gather data, Geometry Achievement Test (GAT) and Van Hiele Geometric Thinking Level Test (VHL) were used. At the end of the research, the data were analyzed by means of analysis of covariance. The results of the study indicated that there was a significant effect of methods of teaching on means of the collective dependent variables of the sixth grade students&rsquo / scores on the POSTVHL after controlling their PREVHL scores, and there was a significant effect of methods of teaching on means of the collective dependent variables of the sixth grade students&rsquo / scores on the POSTGAT after controlling their PREGAT scores.