The main purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of case- based learning method instruction over traditional method instruction on eleventh grade high school students&rsquo / understanding of solubility equilibrium concepts. In addition, students&rsquo / attitudes toward chemistry as a school subject and students&rsquo / epistemological beliefs were investigated. Sixty-two eleventh grade students from two classes of a chemistry course taught by the same teacher in Atakent High School in 2007-2008 spring semesters were enrolled in the study. The classes were randomly assigned as experimental and control group. Experimental group students instructed by case-based learning method in which specific situations, generally real-life examples were discussed. On the other hand, control group students were instructed by traditional method. Solubility Concept Test was administered as a pre-test to both groups. Moreover, Attitude Scale toward chemistry and Epistemological Belief Scale about chemistry were administered as a pre- and post-tests to all groups. Solubility Equilibrium Concept Test and Open-Ended Solubility Equilibrium Concept Test were administered as a post-test to all groups. The results showed that case based learning instruction produced significantly greater achievement in understanding of solubility equilibrium than the traditional instruction. Also, there was a significant difference between the experimental and the control group with respect to their epistemological beliefs and attitudes toward chemistry as a school subject in the favor of experimental group. Results obtained revealed that students have several misconceptions related to solubility equilibrium. Case based learning was effective for remediation of misconceptions and enhancing students&rsquo / understanding in comparison to traditional method.

This study is aimed to explore the relationships among elementary students&rsquo / epistemological beliefs of science, perceptions of learning environments, learning approaches and science achievement. For this purpose, a model of the associations among these variables was proposed and tested by structural equation modeling. In this model, it was hypothesized that a) students&rsquo / perceptions of their learning environments would directly influence their epistemological beliefs of science and learning approaches, b) students&rsquo / epistemological beliefs of science would directly influence their learning approaches and science achievement, c) students&rsquo / learning approaches would directly influence their science achievement. A total of 2702 students from 139 public elementary schools from istanbul, Ankara, izmir, Diyarbakir, Van, Antalya, Afyon, EskiSehir, and Samsun were administered three instruments to assess their epistemological beliefs of science, perceptions of learning environments, and learning approaches. Students&rsquo / previous year final report card grades were used as the indicator of their science achievement. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to determine the structure of students&rsquo / epistemological beliefs of science, perceptions of learning environments, and learning approaches. Although multidimensionality of epistemological beliefs of science was supported, a different factor structure was obtained for Turkish elementary school students compared to the theoretically proposed structure for the instrument. The results of the structural equation modeling generally supported the proposed hypotheses. The final model obtained in the study revealed that students&rsquo / perceptions of the classroom environments directly predicted students&rsquo / epistemological beliefs and learning approaches. Students&rsquo / epistemological beliefs predicted their learning approaches and science achievement, and students&rsquo / learning approaches influenced their science achievement.

The main purpose of this study was to determine preservice science teachers&rsquo / (PSTs) epistemological beliefs regarding the nature of knowledge and learning in the domain of environment through comparing with the domains of biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics. A total of 12 PSTs voluntarily participated in the study. The sample of this study was consisted of senior elementary PSTs who registered for an elective course titled &ldquo / Laboratory Applications in Science and Environmental Education&rdquo / in the fall semester of 2008-2009 at a public university, in Ankara. The major data of this study was collected by using a semi-structured interview protocol, developed by Schommer-Aikins (2008). The data of this study were analyzed through descriptive statistics and Miles and Huberman approach (1994). The data analyses of this study were presented along with five dimensions of epistemological beliefs. The analysis of omniscient authority indicated that the PSTs less trust in environmental experts&rsquo / opinions, give more importance to informal education in the acquisition of environmental knowledge, and believe that environmental knowledge is justified more on the basis of direct observation. The analysis of stability of knowledge revealed that the PSTs conceived of environmental knowledge as more uncertain. The analysis of structure of knowledge pointed out that the PSTs consider environmental knowledge as more complex. The analysis of control of learning revealed that the PSTs believe that the large percentage of ability to learn can be acquired after the birth more in environment. The analysis of speed of learning indicated that the PSTs believe that much of learning takes less time in the domain of environment. This study provided evidence that epistemological beliefs are multidimensional and domain-specific. Moreover, this study highlighted that the nature of environmental knowledge and learning are also an important issue to be addressed in environmental education.

The purpose of this study is to probe whether there is a significant effect of 5E learning cycle model as compared to traditional instruction and gender on tenth grade students&rsquo / understanding in the particulate nature of matter concepts and their epistemological beliefs and to investigate whether there is an impact of 5E learning cycle model and traditional instruction in promoting the understanding of the nature of science. Pilot study was performed for the instruments in the between April and June 2009. Treatment was conducted between October and December 2009. Participants were 113 students from one high school in Ankara. Two experimental groups and two control groups were randomly formed from four classes. Before and after the treatment, pre-tests and post-tests were administered and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Treatment was executed throughout the five weeks. While 5E learning cycle model was used in the experimental group, traditional instruction was used in the control group. According to MANCOVA results, there was a significant mean difference between groups on the collective dependent variables of the particulate nature of matter concepts and epistemological beliefs toward chemistry and chemistry courses. This effect was favor of the experimental groups. Also, there was no significant mean difference between post-test mean scores of girls and boys and for the interaction of treatment with gender on the collective dependent variables of the particulate nature of matter concepts and epistemological beliefs toward chemistry and chemistry courses. Moreover, the mean scores of students in the experimental group on the understanding of the nature of science were higher than those of students in the control group. Responses of the students in the interviews supported their responses in the tests.

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The aim of this study was firstly to evaluate the impact of two interactive-engagement models of instruction, namely Whole Class Discussions (WCD) and Computer Simulations (CS) on first year physics student-teachers’ conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics, and on their epistemological beliefs about physics. The force concept inventory was used to evaluate the impact on conceptual understanding while the Epistemological Beliefs About Physical Science questionnaire was used to evaluate the impact on their epistemological beliefs. The findings suggest that interactive engagement models had a positive impact on students’ conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics, and on their epistemological beliefs about physics. The study also contributed WCD and CS activities that can be used or adapted with an aim of enhancing conceptual understanding in physics. The study did not show any direct relationship between students’ conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics and their epistemological beliefs about physics. Key words: Interactive-engagement, Whole Class Discussion, Computer Simulations, epistemological beliefs about physics. / Physics / M.Sc. (Physics Education)

Self-regulated learning skills have been shown to positively impact academic achievement in educational settings. This same set of skills becomes critically important as graduates enter today‟s dynamic work environment. That environment increasingly requires accountants and other professionals to be lifelong learners. This study is a response to the call of the Accounting Education Change Commission (AECC) to make "learning to learn" a priority in the accounting classroom. This study used a quantitative, quasi-experimental design within the context of a beginning accounting course. The course is characterized by high failure rates, highly conceptual content, and a population of novice learners. Study participants were stratified according to ACT level, prior GPA level, and academic major. The control group received instruction based on course content only. The treatment group received an intervention in which instruction focused on the process of learning as well as on regular course content. The purpose of the study was to determine whether academic performance differed between the 2 groups. The study further examined whether differences in the means on exam scores varied as a function of ACT level, prior GPA level, or academic major. A MANOVA indicated a significant difference in exam scores between the control and treatment groups with the treatment group outperforming the control group on 4 of the 5 exams. Follow-up ANOVAS were used to determine on which exams statistical significance was found. Two-way ANOVAS revealed no significant interaction between classroom method and prior GPA or academic major. Although statistical significance was not found in the interaction between classroom method and ACT level, descriptive statistics revealed that the greatest differences (between the mean exam scores of the control and treatment groups) occurred among the high-ACT group. The researcher did not attempt to trace causal paths, or changes in the mediating variables that may have linked changes in the learning environment to changes in academic performance. This study provided evidence that instruction related to the process of learning did not diminish academic performance on content-based exams and for most groups of students who received such instruction performance on exams was enhanced. This study casts doubt on the presence of a "ceiling effect," which is often associated with high-ACT students.

The aim of this study is to compare the effects of the instructions based on cognitive bridging and cognitive conflict approaches and gender on 9th grade students&lsquo / conceptual understanding of force and motion, self-efficacy, and epistemological beliefs. The study was conducted with a sample of 206 students in two different schools. The instructional method (traditional, cognitive conflict, and cognitive bridging) and students&lsquo / gender were used as independent variables in a 3x2 factorial design. Within this design, three treatment groups were constructed, one was control group with no researcher intervention and the other two were used as experimental groups. In one of the experimental groups, students received cognitive bridging instruction and students in the other group received cognitive conflict instruction. Pretests and posttests were administered to assess students&lsquo / conceptual understanding of force and motion, self-efficacy, and epistemological beliefs. Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) was used to explore the main effects of teaching methods and gender, and possible interactions between them. The results showed that teaching method had a significant effect on students&lsquo / conceptual understanding of force and motion in favor of experimental groups. Nevertheless, no significant difference was detected between the effects of cognitive conflict and cognitive bridging. There was no significant difference between male and female students either on the dependent variables of conceptual understandings of force and motion, self-efficacy, and epistemological beliefs. Finally, the present study couldn&lsquo / t capture any significant interaction between teaching method and gender on the combined dependent variables.

This research was conducted to determine what the nature of teachers’ educational beliefs about teaching, knowledge and learning are, whether there is a relation between their educational beliefs and the way in which they instruct, and if a relation exists, what the nature of such a relation is. Teachers’ educational beliefs about the way in which learners learn and what they are supposed to learn, have a major influence on how the teacher instructs and on how the learners achieve. Educational beliefs are a comprehensive phenomenon and include beliefs about everything. Educational beliefs generally refer to beliefs about teaching, knowledge and learning. The construct epistemological beliefs are actually also used in the literature and can be seen as the more restricted construct that only includes beliefs about knowledge and learning. Both constructs are used in this study. The phenomenon of educational beliefs is used concerning the beliefs about teaching, knowledge and learning, whilst the phenomenon of epistemological beliefs are used when concerned with the beliefs about knowledge and learning. Educational beliefs vary from naïve to sophisticated. Teachers are characterised according to their educational beliefs about teaching as more teacher–centered or more learner–centered. Teachers who are more teacher–centered have more naïve epistemological beliefs and promote superficial learning, which leads to lower academic performances. Conversely, teachers who are more learner–centered have more sophisticated epistemological beliefs that promote an in depth approach to learning, which leads to higher academic performances. The implementation of Outcomes Based Education (OBE) requires inter alia a learner–centered teaching approach and more sophisticated epistemological beliefs. These requirements of OBE poses a major challenge to teachers with more naive epistemological beliefs, because beliefs develop over years and are deeply rooted and difficult to change. With this study it was found that the participants’ epistemological beliefs could be typified as a system including more and less sophisticated epistemological beliefs, thus they did not only have naïve or sophisticated epistemological beliefs. It was also found that the participants of this study were more learner–centered than teacher–centered. Participants with more naïve epistemological beliefs were more teacher–centered compared to participants who had less naïve, thus more sophisticated epistemological beliefs that were more learner–centered. A relation was found between teachers with more naïve epistemological beliefs and a teacher–centered approach and teachers with less naïve epistemological beliefs (thus more sophisticated epistemological beliefs) and a learner–centered approach. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

This research was conducted to determine what the nature of teachers’ educational beliefs about teaching, knowledge and learning are, whether there is a relation between their educational beliefs and the way in which they instruct, and if a relation exists, what the nature of such a relation is. Teachers’ educational beliefs about the way in which learners learn and what they are supposed to learn, have a major influence on how the teacher instructs and on how the learners achieve. Educational beliefs are a comprehensive phenomenon and include beliefs about everything. Educational beliefs generally refer to beliefs about teaching, knowledge and learning. The construct epistemological beliefs are actually also used in the literature and can be seen as the more restricted construct that only includes beliefs about knowledge and learning. Both constructs are used in this study. The phenomenon of educational beliefs is used concerning the beliefs about teaching, knowledge and learning, whilst the phenomenon of epistemological beliefs are used when concerned with the beliefs about knowledge and learning. Educational beliefs vary from naïve to sophisticated. Teachers are characterised according to their educational beliefs about teaching as more teacher–centered or more learner–centered. Teachers who are more teacher–centered have more naïve epistemological beliefs and promote superficial learning, which leads to lower academic performances. Conversely, teachers who are more learner–centered have more sophisticated epistemological beliefs that promote an in depth approach to learning, which leads to higher academic performances. The implementation of Outcomes Based Education (OBE) requires inter alia a learner–centered teaching approach and more sophisticated epistemological beliefs. These requirements of OBE poses a major challenge to teachers with more naive epistemological beliefs, because beliefs develop over years and are deeply rooted and difficult to change. With this study it was found that the participants’ epistemological beliefs could be typified as a system including more and less sophisticated epistemological beliefs, thus they did not only have naïve or sophisticated epistemological beliefs. It was also found that the participants of this study were more learner–centered than teacher–centered. Participants with more naïve epistemological beliefs were more teacher–centered compared to participants who had less naïve, thus more sophisticated epistemological beliefs that were more learner–centered. A relation was found between teachers with more naïve epistemological beliefs and a teacher–centered approach and teachers with less naïve epistemological beliefs (thus more sophisticated epistemological beliefs) and a learner–centered approach. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.