Note: This is an abstract of Mevlüt AYDOĞMUŞ masters thesis, which was done under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ali Murat SÜNBÜL at Necmettin Erbakan University, Institute of Educational Sciences. The aim of this research is to analyse the appropriate realization level of Comenius Projects in terms of some variables based on teachers perceptions. In this research some questions about Comenius program asked to the teachers who carried out Comenius projects in Konya Province and the results have been analysed in terms of some variables. Also, literature research has been carried out about EU and Comenius Program which is part of EU Education Program and previous researches have been investigated. A survey has been used as a tool in order to collect data. Online survey has been used because the number of the participant is very high and geographically distributed. In order to receive the views of the teachers on Comenius program the survey was sent to the participants and totally 176 feedbacks received. At the end of the research continuous increase on the number of the application to the program has been observed. The teachers who have already taken part in Comenius Project thinks that Comenius Projects develops the teamwork among the students, Comenius Projects are effective on developing language skills of the students and skills of using ICT, Comenius projects makes positive contribution on views of the foreigners on our country. They think that by means of the project had opportunity to know different cultures.
2. THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE OF A BLENDED LEARNING COURSE IN HONG KONG
With the rapid increase of using blended learning in higher education, the understanding of student experience in blended learning environment becomes significant. The aim of this research was to understand the learning experience of the undergraduate Accounting sub degree students in a blended learning environment in Hong Kong. The research was conducted on a Management Accounting course of a sub degree programme. A case study was carried out with in depth interviews with students as primary data sources and data analysis was performed by Thematic Analysis. The results showed that, firstly, assessment was very significant in the provision of the blended learning course and therefore design of the course activities should be aligned with assessment. Secondly, students engaged in learning activities which they perceived as helpful for their learning and design of learning activities should be helpful to students study. Thirdly, the roles of teacher were important in blended learning. Instruction, facilitation, guidance and teaching support were vital to students online learning. Fourthly, students actively learnt via discussing by online communication tools and sharing resources by online tools which were not designed by the teacher. With an understanding of their learning experience, lifelong education providers can adopt blended learning in the most appropriate way so that teaching and learning effectiveness can be enhanced and the benefits of blended learning can be fully implemented. This research will fill the gap and contribute to the literature about learning experience of Hong Kong sub degree undergraduates in the blended learning environment.
3. FAST VANISHING BORDERS, PASSPORTS OF HEART AND PROMISES: A BRIEF ANALYSIS OF SELECT INDIAN NOVELS AND THE GLOBALISED WORLD
Hippolyte Taine famously said literature is a study of “the race, the moment and the milieu” (01). If literature mirrors society, then globalization is very much a theme of many writings for the tremendous change that it has caused over the last two decades. The present paper is an effort to read select novels of Amitav Ghosh, Kiran Desia and Aravind Adiga who have dealt with the changing times in various of their works. Ghosh in his fictions establishes the fact that globalization is not a present day phenomenon, rather centuries ago the world was closely knit together before the toll of colonization in The Circle of Reason and In an Antique World. Kiran Desai in the Inheritance of Loss shows how this international enterpreneural movement brought a new light in the impoverished and marginalized classes but it also proved a dawn of false promises for many. Adiga also takes a lower, labourer class character in The White Tiger, who ascends surprising heights propelled by the globalised world but the loopholes are rampant. There is a grand show of money minting but the old values and humane ways of life are trampled over by the means adopted. This overwhelming phenomenon no doubt, improves economy and social structure but the mental and spiritual health of the same flourishing society is scarred and scourged forever. The paper also intends to look at women in perspective of the upcoming situation.
4. CONTEXTUAL GAME LEARNING (CGL) AS A MEANS OF IMPROVING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ABILITIES IN LEARNING MATHEMATICS IN SPECIAL SERVICE CLASS (RETRIEVAL REMEDIAL) PROGRAM IN INDONESIA
Special Service Class (SSC) or Retrieval Remedial (RR) is an educational program in elementary school which is implemented as an effort to provide learning readiness for students who drop out or have never attended formal education. Special Service Class (SSC) or Remedial Retrieval (RR) is primarily a teaching program implemented in special classes. Until recently, special education that is being developed is an education for children with physical or psychological problems. The development of educational problems that becomes more complex arises various development of terms for children with learning disorder. It is not only due to the physical but also psychological and social condition. One of the problems that arise today is children with disabilities caused by social factors including the economic situation in the family, which hereinafter referred as SSC students. SSC students are associated with those who fail classes or drop out of school because of economic problems in the family or the environment.
Some constraints relating to students that are encountered in implementing SSC program or RR, are: • student’s attendance and interest which is not optimal; • Children who have work in the morning are not willing to be transferred to the morning class (regular); • SSC or RR students prefer to learn in a short time (2 hours); • Students always feel quickly bored and are sluggish in learning; • The student’s concentration is still unstable and quickly disturbed oftentimes; • The desire to learn is low, the lack of confidence that is very disturbing in the absorption of the lesson • lesson materials which are unattractive and boring made students reluctant to go to school.
In general, the problems encountered by SSC or RR students are psychological problems in learning. In solving these problems, SSC teachers in elementary school are required to have an ability in developing learning techniques, a patience, and an ability of teaching by using enjoy-learning method (learning is fun) so that it is possible to overcome the problems in learning activities in class. The psychological and sociological intervention which is integrated in every subject is essential to emphasize in Special Service Class (SSC) learning or Retrieval Remedial (RR) in order to prepare the students to follow the lessons in regular class, including in mathematics subject.
One common problem in mathematics education in Indonesia is the low interest towards mathematics because students feel that learning mathematics is a learning to memorize formulas which are used later to solve mathematical problems. For elementary school children, to learn like this will be very boring and meaningless because it is far from their characteristics that prefer to play especially for students with special needs in SSC or RR themselves. This paper will discuss the contextual learning that can be implemented in learning mathematics which relates to Indonesian Realistic Mathematics Education so that mathematics will no longer be a horrifying subject for elementary school children yet as a fun subject to learn because the children can learn mathematics in their games. Studies have found that strategies in games are effective in motivating children to learn math and also make the learning more meaningful. The focuses of this paper are examples in games that can support the process of learning mathematics and the role of teachers in facilitating students to learn math meaningfully which is indirectly integrated in the games.
5. WOMEN EDUCATION AS TOOL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ISSUES AND PROSPECTS
Nigeria is a society in transition subjected to the hardest test of growth and development. The paper attempts to examine the prospects of women education as a tool for sustainable development. In many countries, it has been recognized that the development process does not promote gender equity in the distribution of the benefits of economic growth. Indeed, there is a growing awareness of the existence of differential access that the distribution of the benefits of economic growth is skewed in favor of the men fork. Female labor is regarded as supplementary to that of male and consequently, the benefits of development programs are only expected to filter down to women through their men fork. Furthermore, socio cultural restrictions often inhibit women active participation in the development process. Women have therefore, become a major focus of research and policy throughout the world .The paper discusses what women education, national unity and integration entailed , particularly their roles as the transformers or engines that propel sustainable development in Nigeria. A questionnaire technique was used to collect relevant data. Due to inferential nature of the study, background information obtained from the respondents were interpreted and analyzed using t test. However, the presentation and discussion of results were carried out around the research questions hypotheses which have guided the analysis. The paper began with introduction, objective of the study, conceptual and theoretical frame work related to the study. And followed with conclusions and some recommendations on how best to overhaul the present educational system with a view to providing final approach to the persistent problems of women education globally.