The main purpose of the study was to explore how learning cycle and traditional method as teaching methods contribute to the effect of contextual approach on 11th grade students&rsquo / achievement in &ldquo / impulse and momentum&rdquo / , and attitude towards physics. Therefore, a distinction between teaching approach (contextual vs. non-contextual) and teaching method (learning cycle vs. traditional method) was made and they were used as independent variables. Students&rsquo / gender was also used as an independent variable. Thus, the study was a 2x2x2 factorial design. The sample, drawn through the purposive sampling, included 226 students. Pretests and posttests were used for assessing students&rsquo / achievement in impulse and momentum, and attitude towards physics. Using Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA), the main effects of contextual approach, learning cycle, and student gender as well as the interaction effects among them were investigated. Consequently, (1) contextual approach was more effective in supporting students&rsquo / conceptual understanding of impulse and momentum, (2) learning cycle was as effective as the traditional method, (3) gender related difference in attitude towards physics in favor of males could not be removed through the treatments, (4) contextual approach worked better with the traditional method than the learning cycle for achievement and attitude, (5) males benefitted a little more from learning cycle while females benefitted a little more from traditional method in terms of conceptual and non-conceptual scores.

The aim of study was to investigate the effect of context-based approach (CBA) through 5E learning cycle (LC) model over traditional instruction on students&rsquo / understanding, achievement, and chemical literacy on chemical reactions and energy concepts. The effect of instruction on students&rsquo / motivation to learn chemistry and the factors of motivation questionnaire were also explored. Additionally, the effect of gender difference was investigated. Six eleventh grade classes with 187 students taught by three teachers from two public Anatolian high schools of Ankara in 2011-2012 fall semester were enrolled in this study. Each teacher had experimental and control group. These classes were assigned randomly as experimental and control groups. The experimental groups were treated with CBA through 5E LC model, control groups were treated with traditional instruction. Chemical reactions and energy concept test and chemistry motivation questionnaire were administered as pre- and post-tests to groups. Achievement test and open-ended chemical literacy items on chemical reactions and energy were administered as post-tests to all groups. Science process skill test was administered to all groups at the beginning of the instruction. Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) was used for the analysis of data. The results revealed that CBA through 5E LC model was superior to traditional instruction on students&rsquo / understanding, achievement, and chemical literacy in the chemical reactions and energy unit. Although, students&rsquo / overall motivation scores did not changed across the groups, experimental groups intrinsic motivation and relevance of learning chemistry to personal goals was superior than control groups. No gender difference was found.

The thesis shows soft power as one of the most effective strategies of global leadership. Through different methodological concepts author tries to classify instruments of soft power and surmount conceptual contradictions. The research of soft power’s political, cultural and economic instruments is based on the integrate analysis of South Korean foreign policy. Author tries to find the way to increase Republic of Korea geopolitical influence through the most powerful “soft” instruments. / В работе рассматривается комплекс методологических подходов к анализу концепта «мягкой силы» как одного из наиболее эффективных инструментов глобального влияния современных государств. Автор предлагает оригинальную классификацию ресурсов «мягкой силы» и новые пути преодоления концептуальных противоречий. На основе анализа внешней политики Республики Корея автор раскрывает специфику политических, экономических и культурных стратегий «мягкого» влияния указанной страны. Автор выявляет сильные и слабые стороны внешней политики Республики Корея, предлагает методы увеличения влияния южнокорейской «мягкой силы» на мировой арене.