This study analyzes the current situation women&rsquo / s NGOs in Ankara in terms of the organizational structure and networks. A total of 28 interviews were realized with active women&rsquo / s NGOs located in Ankara on identification of not only organizational structure such as age, type, focus, target group, ICT infrastructure but also communication and collaboration pattern. Both descriptive analysis and network analysis were performed. The main concern is whether women&rsquo / s NGOs collaborate with each other? Results demonstrate that women&rsquo / s NGOs in Ankara mostly use informal linkages based on friendship but do not work with each other in the same projects or campaign. Main reasons behind reluctance to collaborate with the women&rsquo / s NGOs are loss of autonomy, performing the same activities, lack of trust, and ideological differences.

Recent studies show that parent involvement in schools increases students&rsquo / academic achievements, and it has many benefits for parents, teachers, children, schools and the community as a whole. Teachers are one of the most important components of parent involvement and their attitudes toward parent involvement are significant. Unfortunately, all around the world, and especially in Turkey, there are not enough studies measuring various aspects of preschool teachers&rsquo / attitudes toward parent involvement. This study was designed to see whether differences exist in preschool teachers&rsquo / attitudes, who work in public and private schools toward parent involvement, to determine the affects of school type, educational level, graduated program, experience, income, number of students, age group, taking course on parent involvement and preparation to parent involvement by means of course/s, in-service education, sending newsletter, and frequency of sending them on teachers&rsquo / attitudes of parent involvement and to examine whether there were differences in attitudes of teachers with different self efficacy levels. Preschool teachers were asked to complete &ldquo / The Attitudes of Teachers toward Parent Involvement Scale&rdquo / that includes six subscales all of which were supposed to measure the attitudes of teachers toward parent involvement. The subscales included to the study were: teacher beliefs about parental involvement, teacher self-efficacy for teaching, teacher beliefs about parents&rsquo / efficacy for helping children succeed in school, teacher beliefs about the importance of parent involvement practices, teacher reports of parent involvement and teacher report of invitations to parental involvement. The sample of study consisted of preschool teachers working with children between the ages of 3 and 6 and working in public and private schools of Ankara. 169 preschool teachers from public schools and 121 preschool teachers from private schools in Ankara comprised the total sample. The results revealed that there were not significant differences between the attitudes of public and private school teachers with respect to first five subscales. Educational level of teachers was found effective in the attitudes of teachers only for the fourth subscale. The effect of experience, age group of children, and courses taken on parent involvement on attitudes were only reported for the last subscale. Finally, sending newsletters was found to have an effect on attitudes toward parent involvement for the last two subscales and for frequency of sending newsletters, it was reported that there were differences between the attitudes of teachers with respect to second and last subscales. Graduated program, income, number of children, preparation by means of courses and in-service training did not have an effect on teachers&rsquo / attitudes toward parent involvement. The last finding was related to the difference in the parent involvement attitudes of teachers with lower, middle and higher self efficacy. The results yielded that teachers with higher self efficacy held more positive attitudes on the first two subscales than the ones with middle and higher self efficacy. For the last three subscales, no differences were found. Limitations of the present study, implications for practice and finally recommendations for further studies were offered.

This thesis analyzes the influence of Orientalism on Turkey&rsquo / s relations with the European Union (EU) since Turkey&rsquo / s application for full membership. EU-Turkey relations are elaborated in the context of how Europe constitutes its relations with Turkey as an oriental &lsquo / other&rsquo / . Thus arguments on the role of the other in identification process, self/other conceptualization and Orientalism as an othering mechanism of the west are presented to provide a theoretical framework. The question of how Turkish-European affairs have developed since the eighteenth century is answered in order to constitute a historical background of EU-Turkey relations, adopt theories of othering and observe construction of Orientalism. Lastly the traces of Orientalism since Turkey&rsquo / s application for membership in 1987 are searched in the official documents of the EU and statements of European statesmen. Religion, culture and civilization are analyzed as differentiating factors in the hegemonic relationship between the west and the Orient, between the EU and Turkey. It will be concluded that Orientalism continues to be an influential factor in EU&rsquo / s enlargement process, specifically in Turkey&rsquo / s accession.

This thesis aimed to investigate Ba&quot / kent University second-year students&rsquo / attitudes towards English, motivation to learn English and their general and vocabulary study habits with respect to their motivation levels. It also attempted to examine the relationship between students&rsquo / attitudes and their grades and departments. In addition, it explored the students&rsquo / motivation and motivation orientation levels, and looked into the correlations between the students&rsquo / motivation, motivation orientation levels and their grades, and finally, it examined the differences in students&rsquo / motivation levels, motivation orientation levels with respect to their departments. The study was carried out with 82 second-year students at BaSkent University using a survey designed on a five-point Likert-scale. The data collected were analyzed through descriptive statistics, a one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation procedures. The participants were also asked to describe their general and vocabulary study habits. These descriptions were analyzed by means of categorization and illustrated using Excel.

This thesis studies the alienated characters of Albert Camus&rsquo / s The Outsider, John Wain&rsquo / s Hurry On Down and Yusuf Atilgan&rsquo / s Aylak Adam, respectively. It argues that each of the protagonists of these novels experiences alienation. That is, Camus&rsquo / s character is an alienated man because he has the characteristics of an absurd man / Wain&rsquo / s character is an estranged man due to his social discontentment and Atilgan&rsquo / s C. is an outsider owing to his psychological problems. The works are analyzed with philosophical, social and psychological foundations consisting of Camus&rsquo / s absurd worldview for Meursault / the social and cultural aspects of Britain in the 1950s for Charles Lumley and Sigmund Freud&rsquo / s psychological theories for C. Although the reasons that make these protagonists alienated differ, they mainly share similar attitudes towards their fellowmen, social conventions and metaphysical issues in some cases. Thus, through the analyses of the protagonists, the study discloses how these outsiders occupied a major place in the existential, social and psychological spheres of life in the twentieth century and became a universal source for the writers who came from different cultural, intellectual and historical backgrounds. This thesis has been written in order to contribute to the problem of outsiderness, which has been of great significance in the twentieth century European Literature.

It may be assumed that the various resources individuals have will be needed in coping with the adjustments required in college. Any deficits in individuals&rsquo / psychological make-up or maladaptive coping strategies will block their adjustment to college. Within this idea of adjustment, adjustment to college and psychological well being were predicted by several variables named as personality, hardiness, and coping strategies under a stressful condition. Students who have completed their freshmen year were administered the scales related to the above variables and a series of path analyses were carried out. Results indicated that problem focused coping and helplessness/self blame had a mediator role between personality variables and psychological well being. Neuroticism was named as a vulnerability factor. Students with neuroticism as a personality characteristic were regarded as risk groups, who were likely to use helplessness/self blame coping. On the other hand, personality characteristics such as conscientiousness, openness/intellect, and hardiness were concluded to be a resilience factors together with problem focused coping.

Economic liberalism has always been a very controversial issue in the content of development economics. The relation of neo-liberalism with economic development, as today&rsquo / s dominant discourse of economics, has been highly debated in the last decades. The main objective of this thesis is to investigate this relationship via comparing four countries&rsquo / development experiences / Argentina, China, Turkey and Poland, in between 1965-2005. In addition to that purpose, this thesis aims to analyze whether the experiences of the countries are unique or they display strong similarities with each other / and moreover to assess whether countries that follow the dominant development discourse are more successful than those that diverge from it. Development is defined on the basis of twenty-one indicators which consist of both purely quantitative ones and also others that possess qualitative elements. The comparison was concluded with the results that there was not a universal development path followed by the four countries / neo-liberal transition and reforms in the four countries have in fact brought about changes in some indicators and finally China has been performing better than the other countries by means of a number of indicators, as a country which has relatively been outside the dominant development trend in the world

This study aims to examine the relation between mock-documentary and factual discourse of documentary. By factual discourse it is meant to documentary&rsquo / s claim of representing reality. Within this respect, documentary has its own particular codes and conventions to construct its factual discourse. Mock-documentary, simulates these codes and conventions to create a fictional world. In this study, mock-documentary and its relationship with the most popular modes of documentary is examined. Within this study the earliest examples of mock-documentary and recent examples of the form are compared, and it is stated that with the recent examples of the form the critical approach of mock-documentary has been reduced.

This thesis aims to provide an analytical outlook for the relevant dynamics of transnational relations in the field of energy with specific reference to key issues and tools for governance. Not only contemporary structure of interdependent and in some cases asymmetrical relations requires a multi-level approach in addressing main issues but also there exists considerable amount of attention in global agenda over alternative policies in response to the developments in this complex context of dynamic and transnational relations whereby an action of an actor results in spillover effects in other regions. It is necessary to have a multi dimensional approach in addressing issues of energy governance where interdependence plays a significant role.

The purpose of this study is to depict and analyze the foreign policy perspectives of political factions in Iran. The focus will be on the goals of the factions while the mechanics of the factional contention will be discussed only to the extent that it is related to this issue. The argument will be that the views of the factions with regards to foreign policy of Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) are determined by the needs of the domestic agenda of each faction namely its economic and cultural policies. To develop the thesis, firstly the concept of factionalism will be reviewed within the context of Iranian politics. Secondly, the foreign policy perspectives of the factions in the first two and a half decades of the Islamic Republic will be outlined. Next, an account of the most recent factional positions regarding the foreign policy will be provided. To conclude, an analysis will be made to demonstrate the main arguments of the thesis.