The present study mainly focuses on the effect of cooperative learning based on conceptual change conditions to remedy 11th grade students&rsquo / misconceptions related to reaction rate. Also, effect of this method on their motivation was investigated. A total of 110 eleventh grade students participated in the study. Two schools in Ankara and two classes being instructed by the same teacher in each school were included in the sample. One of the classes was randomly assigned as a control group instructed by traditional way and the other as an experimental group instructed by cooperative learning based on conceptual change conditions. This study was conducted on 2008-2009 first semester over six weeks. Reaction Rate Concept Test and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire were administered as pre-test and post-test to measure students&rsquo / understanding of reaction rate, and their motivation. Moreover, Science Process Skill Test was given before instruction to decide whether there was a significant difference between two groups in their science process skills. ANCOVA was used to evaluate the effect of cooperative learning on students&rsquo / understanding of reaction rate. The results indicated that cooperative learning based on conceptual change conditions removed most of students&rsquo / misconceptions about reaction rate concept and resulted in a significantly better understanding of reaction rate than traditional instruction. Furthermore, data reflecting the effect of conceptual change based cooperative learning on students&rsquo / motivation was analyzed by MANOVA. According to the results, cooperative learning based on conceptual change conditions improved intrinsic goal orientation, and self-efficacy for learning and performance.

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of case-based instruction based on conceptual change conditions to overcome 10th grade students&rsquo / misconceptions related to gas concepts. Moreover, the effect of this method on students&rsquo / attitudes toward chemistry and their perceived motivation was explored. The study was carried out during the 2008-2009 academic year at both a state high school and an Anatolian high school. A total of 128 tenth grade students were the participants of the study. One of the classes of the same chemistry teacher was randomly assigned as experimental group and one of them was control group in each school. Students in experimental groups were instructed by case-based learning based on conceptual change conditions while the control group students received traditionally designed chemistry instruction. Gas Concept Test, Attitude toward Chemistry and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire were administered to both groups of students as pretest and posttest to determine the students&rsquo / misconceptions and their understanding of gas concepts, their attitude toward chemistry and perceived motivation. Two two-way ANOVA based on gain scores were used to assess the effect of case-based learning on students&rsquo / understanding of gas concepts and attitudes toward chemistry. In addition, the effect of case-based learning on students&rsquo / perceived motivation was investigated by MANOVA based on gain scores. The results revealed that case-based learning was an effective method for overcoming students&rsquo / misconceptions about the gas concepts and promoting their attitudes and motivation towards chemistry in Anatolian high school.

The purpose of this study was to investigate 7th-grade students&rsquo / typical errors and possible misconceptions in graphs concept before and after the regular mathematics instruction. The study was conducted in an elementary school in the 2nd semester of 2009-2010 academic year in Afyonkarahisar. A mathematics teacher and 71 7th-grade students participated in the study. The data were collected through achievement tests administered to the students before and after the instruction and interviews conducted with the teachers and the selected eight students based on the results of the pretest and posttest. The teacher&rsquo / s instruction was also observed. Students were not exposed to a special treatment, but rather the influence of regular mathematics instruction on a group of 7th-grade students from the four classes taught by the same teacher was investigated. The results of data analysis indicated that 7th-grade students had common typical errors and possible misconceptions about the usage, construction, reading, and interpretation of line, bar, and circle graphs before and after the regular instruction. The comparison of pretest and posttest results showed that while there were differences between the students&rsquo / errors and misconceptions in pretest and posttest, some misconceptions were decreased or increased, or did not change from pretest to posttest. The interviews conducted with the selected students addressed that the students had errors and misconceptions in graphs concept. Findings of the observation of teacher&rsquo / s instruction showed that the teacher did not fully discover and prevent students&rsquo / typical errors and possible misconceptions. Moreover, the findings of the interview conducted with the teacher indicated that her knowledge of students&rsquo / errors and misconceptions were limited. The results of this study showed that teachers&rsquo / planning was important in understanding students&rsquo / typical errors and possible misconceptions. Inservice training of teachers should put more emphasize in effective planning and understanding students&rsquo / typical errors and possible misconceptions.

The purpose of this study was to investigate mistakes made by elementary fifth grade students regarding basic fractional concepts and operations, and difficulties that they encounter. The other purpose was to investigate underlying misconceptions and reasons of those difficulties and mistakes. For this purpose, a mixed-method research combining quantitative and qualitative approach respectively was performed. Data were collected from elementary fifth grade students at the end of the spring semester of 2009-2010. Operation with Fraction Questionnaire (OFQ) was administered to 151 fifth grade students who were chosen from the two public elementary schools in Eskisehir province. By this way, difficulties that elementary fifth grade students encounter and mistakes they make regarding basic fractionalconcepts and operations was analyzed. Afterwards, sixteen of these students participated in a semi-structured interview which was designed to investigate underlying reasons and misconceptions behind those mistakes and difficulties. Results were presented in two phases. In the first phase, common mistakes and difficulties of students were analyzed in detail and representative examples of these errors were introduced. In the second phase, students&#039 / mistakes were grouped under five categories as: algorithmically based mistakes, intuitively based mistakes, mistakes based on formal knowledge on fractions, misunderstanding on problem, and missing information in solution. In this phase, misconceptions and underlying reasons of those mistakes and difficulties which students may encounter while learning fractions were described. Results revealed that there was evidence that fifth grade students made various mistakes regarding fractional concepts and operations in the fifth grade elementary mathematics curriculum and they had many misconceptions regarding fraction concepts and operations.

Intuitive Modelle der Informatik sind gedankliche Vorstellungen über informatische Konzepte, die mit subjektiver Gewissheit verbunden sind. Menschen verwenden sie, wenn sie die Arbeitsweise von Computerprogrammen nachvollziehen oder anderen erklären, die logische Korrektheit eines Programms prüfen oder in einem kreativen Prozess selbst Programme entwickeln. Intuitive Modelle können auf verschiedene Weise repräsentiert und kommuniziert werden, etwa verbal-abstrakt, durch ablauf- oder strukturorientierte Abbildungen und Filme oder konkrete Beispiele. Diskutiert werden in dieser Arbeit grundlegende intuitive Modelle für folgende inhaltliche Aspekte einer Programmausführung: Allokation von Aktivität bei einer Programmausführung, Benennung von Entitäten, Daten, Funktionen, Verarbeitung, Kontrollstrukturen zur Steuerung von Programmläufen, Rekursion, Klassen und Objekte. Mit Hilfe eines Systems von Online-Spielen, der Python Visual Sandbox, werden die psychische Realität verschiedener intuitiver Modelle bei Programmieranfängern nachgewiesen und fehlerhafte Anwendungen (Fehlvorstellungen) identifiziert. / Intuitive models in computer science are Gestalt-like mental concepts about information processing, which are accompanied by confidence. People use them, when they try to understand the semantics of a computer programme, explain an algorithmic idea to someone else, check the logical correctness of existing code or create computer programmes. Intuitive models can be represented and communicated in different ways using static pictures, animated movies, concrete examples or verbal language. In this paper basic intuitions concerning the following issues are discussed: allocation of activity within a running programme, assignment of names to entities, data, functions, processing concepts, control of programme execution, recursion, classes and objects. By observing activities with a set of specially designed online games (the Python Visual Sandbox), evidence has been collected to proof the psychological existence of certain intuitive models among high school students and identify inappropriate applications (misconceptions).

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors affecting preservice mathematics teachers&rsquo / decisions on probability teaching. The sample of the study was 248 preservice mathematics teachers from Gazi University, Hacettepe University, and Middle East Technical University. According to the gender the number of females and males were 170 and 78 respectively. To obtain necessary data for the study, the following measuring instruments were used: (1) Probability Achievement Test (PAT) / (2) Probability Misconception Test (PMT) / (3) Attitude toward Probability Teaching Scale (APTS) / (4) Attitude toward Probability Scale (APS). Only the third measuring instrument was developed and its reliability and validity was tested by the researcher. An interview was done with 12 preservice mathematics teachers from Gazi University, Hacettepe University, and Middle East Technical University. The data of the study were analyzed by using SPSS and with qualitative techniques. The results of the study demonstrated that there are some factors affecting preservice mathematics teachers&rsquo / decisions on probability teaching. These factors were their attitude toward probability, probability achievement and misconceptions. Subjects thought that gender would have no affect on their decision on probability teaching.

In this study, a comparison of the effectiveness of conceptual change oriented instruction with traditionally designed chemistry instruction and an investigation of the effect of gender difference were made on ninth grade students&rsquo / understanding of phases and phase changes concepts. In addition, the effects of these instructional methods on students&rsquo / attitudes toward chemistry as a school subject were compared. In this study 56 ninth grade students from two classes of a chemistry course instructed by the same teacher from Ankara Atat&uuml / rk Anatolian Lycee in 2003-2004 educational year&rsquo / s first semester took part. The classes were randomly assigned as control and experimental groups. The experimental group was instructed by conceptual change oriented method with conceptual change texts supported by demonstration, whereas the control group was instructed by traditionally designed method over a period of three weeks. Both groups were administered to Phases and Phase Changes Achievement Test as pretest and posttest in order to assess students&rsquo / understanding of phases and phase changes concepts. Additionally, Science Process Skills Test was given before the treatment to measure students&rsquo / science process skills and Attitude Scale toward Chemistry as a School Subject was given after the treatment to determine their attitudes. The hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), paired samples t-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results of this study indicated that conceptual change oriented instruction caused a significantly better understanding of phases and phase changes concepts / that males had fewer alternative conceptions than females on phases and phase changes / and that science process skills were strong predictors of understanding in phases and phase changes concepts. On the other hand, no significant difference between conceptual change oriented instruction and traditionally designed chemistry instruction / and no effect of gender difference on students&rsquo / attitudes toward chemistry as a school subject were found.

This study investigated the 9th grade students&#039 / achievement regarding diffusion and osmosis in relation to reasoning ability, prior knowledge and gender. A total of 397 ninth grade students participated in the study. The Test of logical thinking (TOLT) and the Diffusion and Osmosis Diagnostic Test (DODT) were administered to determine students&#039 / reasoning ability and achievement in diffusion and osmosis, respectively. DODT results showed that the range of correct answers for the first tier was 41 % to 91%. When both tiers were combined, the correct responses were reduced to a range of 21% to 61%. This result reveals that students have enough content knowledge but they don&rsquo / t know the underlying reason of their choice in diffusion and osmosis concepts. Pearson Product Moment correlations showed a statistically significant positive correlation between achievement and students&#039 / prior knowledge &amp / reasoning ability. MRC Analysis was conducted to determine the contribution of prior knowledge, reasoning ability and gender to the achievement. Prior knowledge and reasoning ability, but not gender, made a statistically significant contribution to the variation on achievement. Prior knowledge and reasoning ability together predicted 37 % of the variation on achievement. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was computed to determine the variables were best predicting students&rsquo / achievement. While prior knowledge explains 33 % of the variation in achievement, reasoning ability explains only 4 % of the variation in achievement. Results indicate that prior knowledge is a better predictor than reasoning ability in students&rsquo / achievement.

Appropriate first aid should be one of the basic skills every citizen has. This obligation is based on the law of the Czech Republic. The European Resuscitation Council regularly publishes recommended procedures for resuscitation and first aid, called the Guidelines (currently "2015"). This document defines the correct procedures, that should be followed when providing or teaching first aid. Nonetheless, misconceptions often persist in the common population. This is often the case of outdates procedures, inaccuracies or myths that can significantly reduce the chance of convalescence of even endanger the life of the injured person. Teachers encounter pupils who require appropriate treatment of first aid. Therefore they should be trained in current first aid procedures and thus form a suitable focus group for this reaserch. This diploma thesis aimed to describe the extension of misconceptions in first aid and to find the most frequent sources involved in disseminating this information. Two groups of the Czech teachers were analysed - science teachers and teachers of other selected subjects. Through the presented case studies, the level of knowledge in the field of first aid (the extension of misconceptions) was determined as well as where the respondent obtained the given information. Key words first...

This diploma thesis focuses on the education of genetics to grammar schools and students' comprehension of genetics. This abstract scientific discipline is considered difficult to learn so I decided to prepare educational materials with the aim to improve students' understanding of the topic. The main aim of the thesis was to prepare and test a didactic game focused on Mendelian inheritance and compare the effectivity of this kind of interactive education compared with the classical explanatory style of education. Other aims included evaluating the influence of other variables; comparing the difficulty of individual terms in genetics and the connection within chosen triplet of terms; and identifying the most common misconceptions. The data was collected in four classes of upper graders at two grammar schools by newly prepared questionnaire focused on demographic and knowledge. The results showed that the didactic game was as efficient as the classical explanatory method at creating short term knowledge Students had a bigger problem with explaining the connection among the terms than defining the individual terms. The most complicated term reported by the students was chromosome. It was the only term in which there wasn't any improvement between pre-test and post-test. Part of this thesis is also...