Publications

Method: A phenomenological study at a public middle school used semi-structured interviews with 15 students across grades 5–7, analyzed via conventional content analysis in NVivo 12.

Contribution: The study contributes a student-centered perspective by recommending physical and experimental modelling as core teaching strategies, supplemented by game-based, creative, and biological modelling to address diverse learning preferences.

Highlights:

1. Physical modelling (57 references) and experimental modelling (41 references) dominated the 164 total recollections, owing to their hands-on and interactive nature.
2. A phenomenological design was applied with 15 students from grades 5–7 in a mid-SES public middle school through semi-structured interviews; data saturation was reached at the 15th interview.
3. The authors recommend physical and experimental modelling as core teaching strategies, supplemented by game-based, creative, and biological modelling to address diverse learning preferences.

Method: A qualitative study used purposive sampling to conduct structured face-to-face interviews with fourth-year prospective science teachers in eastern Turkey; data were thematically analyzed in NVivo with two-coder reliability (99.76% agreement).

Contribution: The study analyses reflective teaching across four dimensions—planning, assessment, student development, and learning control—mapping prospective teachers' strengths and gaps, and suggests how teacher-preparation programmes can strengthen these competencies.

Highlights:

1. The reflective thinking and teaching (RTT) process is examined across four dimensions: planning, assessment, student development, and student learning control.
2. Purposive sampling was applied with fourth-year prospective science teachers in eastern Turkey; data were analyzed thematically in NVivo with an inter-coder agreement of 99.76%.
3. Candidates show general proficiency in reflective teaching techniques, yet the study identifies areas for improvement in planning, assessment, student development, and learning management.

Method: A systematic literature review covering the past 10 years synthesized 73 studies retrieved from WoS, IEEE Xplore, ERIC, Scopus and Google Scholar; scientific articles (87.67%), conference papers, online resources, a book chapter and reports were reviewed, with VOSviewer network analysis used to visualize conceptual connections.

Contribution: The study offers a holistic account of AI and personalised learning in science education, discusses future perspectives including adaptive learning systems, virtual tutors and immersive environments, and highlights barriers such as cost, infrastructure, data privacy and teacher training—providing guidance for policymakers and technology developers.

Highlights:

1. Through a systematic literature review of 73 studies from WoS, IEEE Xplore, ERIC, Scopus and Google Scholar (87.67% peer-reviewed articles), the study offers a holistic account of how AI is shaping personalised learning in science education.
2. Findings show that AI-supported personalisation—adaptive assessment, instant feedback, intelligent tutoring systems and virtual tutors—can strengthen student engagement, motivation and conceptual development in science teaching.
3. The study highlights barriers such as cost, infrastructure, data privacy and teacher training, and—for policymakers and technology developers—proposes future perspectives built on adaptive learning systems, virtual/augmented reality and natural language processing.

Method: The Blended Teaching Readiness Survey (BTRS; Archibald, Graham & Larsen, 2021) was translated into Turkish via a translation–back-translation process with three foreign-language experts and two Turkish-language experts. The adapted form was administered to 260 science teachers (139 female, 121 male) in a large city centre in eastern Turkey. Construct validity was examined through EFA (KMO = 0.93) and CFA; internal consistency was calculated via Cronbach's alpha.

Contribution: The study contributes a high-reliability 43-item, four-factor scale tailored specifically to science teachers (online integration α = 0.95; personalization of instruction α = 0.94; trends α = 0.91; online interaction α = 0.93; overall α = 0.98). It also maps science teachers' blended-learning readiness across gender, administrative duty, education level and years of experience, offering concrete recommendations for in-service training design.

Highlights:

1. Archibald, Graham and Larsen's (2021) 43-item Blended Teaching Readiness Survey was adapted into Turkish; EFA and CFA on data from 260 science teachers reduced the original five-factor structure to four factors: online integration, personalization of instruction, trends, and online interaction.
2. The adapted scale showed high reliability: online integration α = 0.95; personalization of instruction α = 0.94; trends α = 0.91; online interaction α = 0.93; overall Cronbach's α = 0.98 (KMO = 0.93).
3. Science teachers with administrative duties show significantly lower blended-teaching readiness; early-career teachers have the highest trends and online-interaction scores, levels drop between years 15–19 and partially recover after 20 years, suggesting that in-service training should prioritize the trends and online-interaction dimensions.

Method: A quantitative survey study used cluster sampling to reach 306 science teachers (166 female, 140 male) across 13 districts of a major city in the Eastern Anatolia Region. Data were collected via a four-dimensional, 38-item scale covering technological literacy, technology integration, social/ethical/legal provisions and communication, and analyzed in SPSS 26.0 with independent-samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA across gender, prior training, educational level, professional tenure, duty location and age.

Contribution: The study offers a holistic mapping of Turkish science teachers' educational-technology competence across four sub-dimensions and six demographic variables, showing that younger, male, district-based, early-career teachers and those previously trained in educational technology tend to be more competent—offering concrete, nationally-scaled recommendations for MoNE-focused in-service training design.

Highlights:

1. The study surveyed 306 science teachers (166 female, 140 male) employed by the Turkish Ministry of National Education via cluster sampling and measured educational-technology competence across four sub-dimensions—technological literacy, technology integration, social/ethical/legal adherence, and communication—with an overall scale Cronbach's α of 0.97.
2. Significant differences emerged by age, gender, duty location, professional tenure and prior training, but not by educational level: younger, early-career teachers and those previously trained in educational technology showed higher competence, while male teachers only outperformed female teachers in the "Technology Literacy" sub-dimension.
3. Findings indicate that current in-service training clusters around areas where teachers are already proficient (Technology Literacy, Communication) rather than areas of weakness, and call for prioritized, targeted in-service training for teachers in district/rural settings and those with 20+ years of experience.

Method: Narrative literature review: Integration of digital technologies into science teaching is synthesized under learning environments, instructional tools, encountered challenges, and solution strategies.

Contribution: Offers a holistic framework for student-centered, interactive, and personalized approaches in science teaching through applications such as digital tools, online platforms, VR/AR, virtual labs, gamification, and blended learning.

Highlights:

1. Digital technologies make science teaching more interactive, supporting student engagement, personalized learning, and real-world connection.
2. VR/AR, virtual labs, simulations, and educational games help visualize and deepen understanding of complex scientific concepts.
3. The teacher's role shifts from content-transmitter to learning-facilitator; digital-pedagogical competence and integration strategies are essential.

Method: Narrative literature review: The convergence of science education and technology-integrated personalized learning is synthesized through a comparative reading of eight case studies (Lobo, 2018; Guzey et al., 2016; Walan, 2020; Smetana & Bell, 2012; Hennessy et al., 2007; Nipyrakis et al., 2023; Herro et al., 2018; Kilty & Burrows, 2021).

Contribution: Offers a holistic framework for integrating personalized learning into science education; grounds the student-centered use of adaptive systems, virtual labs, and AR/VR with concrete examples, and discusses nine implementation barriers (inequality, teacher training, infrastructure, funding, curriculum alignment, resistance to change, student digital literacy, security, rapid change).

Highlights:

1. Personalized learning is a student-centered approach that tailors content, pace, and assessment to each learner's interests, abilities, and learning style.
2. Virtual labs, simulations, and AR/VR make abstract scientific concepts tangible and interactive in safe settings, boosting student engagement.
3. Successful technology integration depends on teacher training, infrastructure, curriculum alignment, and overcoming the digital divide.

Method: Narrative literature review: Technological tools used in modern science education (interactive whiteboards, online simulations, virtual laboratories, AR/VR, artificial intelligence, 3D printers, robotics, and educational games) are synthesized through a comprehensive literature review; the balance between traditional teaching and technology integration is examined, along with implementation challenges (equity, teacher training, privacy).

Contribution: Provides a holistic framework for technology integration in modern science education: emphasizes the role of interactive whiteboards, virtual labs, AR/VR, AI, and 3D printing/robotics tools in making abstract scientific concepts tangible and boosting student engagement; advocates balancing technology with traditional instruction, and offers recommendations for implementation challenges such as equity, teacher training, and data privacy.

Highlights:

1. Interactive whiteboards, virtual labs, AR/VR, artificial intelligence, and 3D printers enrich modern science education by making abstract concepts tangible and boosting engagement.
2. Technology should complement rather than replace traditional teaching; effective integration balanced with sound pedagogy yields deeper learning.
3. Digital inequity, teacher training needs, and data privacy concerns are the principal challenges to technology integration in science education.

Method: Comparative qualitative study: semi-structured interviews with 47 in-service and 41 pre-service science teachers from Turkey and the US. Data coded with grounded theory by two researchers using a refined codebook (Cohen's Kappa = .83). Fifteen subcodes for 'model' and eleven subcodes for 'modelling' were derived and compared by country and service level.

Contribution: Shows that both Turkish and American teachers (pre- and in-service) predominantly perceive scientific models as single (typically physical) representations rather than multiple coordinated representations (graphical, mathematical, diagrammatic, physical), and conflate 'model' (noun) with 'modelling' (verb). Argues that multi-representational understanding and the predictive modelling cycle must be embedded into both pre-service methods courses and in-service professional development; the similar pattern across two countries at different PISA/TIMSS performance levels suggests the issue is global.

Highlights:

1. Turkish and American science teachers predominantly view a scientific model as a physical representation; the multi-representational view (graphs, equations, diagrams) is weak in both countries.
2. Teachers fail to distinguish 'model' (noun) from 'modelling' (verb; predictive cycle), and pre-service teachers do not differ meaningfully from in-service teachers in this regard.
3. Findings indicate that both pre-service methods courses and in-service professional development programs need redesign to incorporate the scientific modelling cycle explicitly.

Method: Qualitative research with thematic analysis: A 5-week augmented reality (AR) application was implemented with 37 students (27 female, 10 male) in a General Chemistry I course at a faculty of education in eastern Turkey. Recognition-based AR was delivered via the Elements 4D mobile app with three-dimensional cardboard markers. Data were collected through a structured but open-ended questionnaire (eight questions) and analyzed inductively with free coding and theme building using NVivo; results were visualized as branched-tree diagrams.

Contribution: Demonstrates that AR is an optimal tool in science education, especially for teaching abstract topics that cannot be directly observed or examined. Student experiences are organized under four themes (Dimensions, Suggestions for Courses, Suggestions for Improvement, Effectiveness). The study reports that AR software interfaces require improvement for instructional use and that AR boosts engagement and learning-by-doing in abstract-heavy courses (chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy); it offers concrete recommendations for better integration of AR into learning environments.

Highlights:

1. Augmented reality supports learning by making abstract science topics that cannot be directly observed (e.g., atomic structure, periodic properties of elements) tangible and interactive.
2. Students cite 'reality' and 'learning by doing' as AR's strongest aspects and point to limited session time and software interface shortcomings as its principal weaknesses.
3. Effective AR use depends on the integrated planning of pedagogy, content, and technology; software updatability, multi-language support, and durable materials are priority development areas.

Method: Single-group quantitative study: 16 preservice science teachers (9 female, 6 male, 1 unspecified) enrolled in a 'Special Teaching Methods' course at a faculty of education in eastern Turkey. The E-exam was delivered via the Socrative app on students' mobile phones as a 20-item content test (including 16 image-question-type items); student opinions were collected with a 17-item questionnaire comprising three sub-factors (practicality/usefulness, affective effect, reliability; Cronbach α = .87) and analyzed with one-sample t-tests.

Contribution: Finds that preservice science teachers' opinions on E-exams are significantly positive and that they prefer E-exams over paper-pencil (K-) exams. Statistically significant favorable orientations are reported for all three sub-factors (practicality/usefulness, affective effect, and reliability). The study argues for a gradual transition from K-exams to E-exams, accompanied by further research on teachers' adaptation to the new technology.

Highlights:

1. Preservice science teachers hold statistically significant positive views of E-exams across all three sub-factors (practicality/usefulness, affective effect, and reliability).
2. Opportunities unique to E-exams—such as unrestricted use of image question types (IQTs) and easier student participation—make them a strong alternative to paper-pencil exams.
3. The transition to E-exam systems should be gradual; additional research and professional development are needed to support teachers' adaptation to this technology.

Method: Quantitative case study with post-test only survey design: 42 elementary preservice teachers (2 male, 40 female; mean age 21.2) enrolled in a blended Science Education Methods Course (MOODLE-supported) at a Turkish university. A validated 55-item Likert-type survey (Cronbach α = 0.94; Cabı & Gülbahar, 2013) covering four factors — Face-to-face (F2F), Online Learning Environment (OLE), Blended Learning Environment (BLE), and Technical Dimensions (TD) — was administered anonymously online at term's end. Data analyzed with one-sample t-tests and descriptive statistics after q-q plot normality check.

Contribution: Demonstrates that blended learning can promote active, inquiry-oriented science learning for elementary preservice teachers (EPT) who historically fear science: EPT held significantly positive perceptions toward the F2F, OLE, and blended-environment dimensions of the course. Critically, technical problems (connectivity, platform usability) were identified as a distinct barrier to learning, highlighting that effective BL implementation requires both sound pedagogy and robust technical infrastructure.

Highlights:

1. Elementary preservice teachers held significantly positive perceptions toward blended learning across F2F, online, and blended-environment dimensions of the science methods course.
2. Technical problems — connectivity issues and platform usability — emerged as a distinct barrier that hindered EPT learning within the blended environment.
3. Blended learning enables active, inquiry-oriented science pedagogy by offloading content delivery to online environments, freeing F2F time for hands-on group activities.

Method: Descriptive survey design: Applied to 169 students from 2 public and 2 private schools in Malatya, selected by random sampling during the 2018-2019 spring semester. A 15-item 'determining who makes teaching decisions' questionnaire (Doyle, 2008), translated into Turkish, was used. Data were analyzed with frequency and percentage; public and private schools were compared separately.

Contribution: Reveals that decision-making in science classrooms is predominantly teacher-dominated (approximately 80% of 15 planning areas); students have no domain where they decide independently. Shows that public schools exhibit more teacher-student joint decision-making (40%, 6/15 items) compared to private schools (80% teacher dominance, 12/15 items), highlighting a structural gap between constructivist learner-centered ideals and classroom reality.

Highlights:

1. Teachers dominate approximately 80% of the 15 classroom planning areas; there are no areas where students make decisions independently.
2. Public schools show more joint teacher-student decision-making (40%, 6/15 items) compared to private schools, where teacher dominance reaches 80% (12/15 items).
3. Provides concrete evidence of the gap between the constructivist learner-centered ideal and the reality of top-down teacher control in Turkish science classrooms.

Method: Descriptive study: Conducted with 33 preservice teachers (32 female, 1 male) enrolled in a Science Education course in the Preschool Teaching Department of a newly established university in eastern Turkey. A MOODLE-based blended learning application ran for one semester. A two-part instrument was used: an 11-item 5-point Likert survey on blended learning advantages and 4 open-ended questions on online usage habits. Data analyzed with mean, median, mode, and percentage statistics.

Contribution: Demonstrates that blended learning in science instruction provides medium-to-high advantages for preservice teachers. The strongest benefit is increased class attendance (mean 3.91), followed by supporting learning (3.79) and effective time use (3.70); the weakest perceived effect is a reduction in note-taking (2.70). Regarding online usage habits, students spent an average of 60 minutes per day on online activities.

Highlights:

1. Blended learning most strongly supports class attendance (3.91) and overall learning (3.79) in science courses; reduced note-taking (2.70) is the weakest perceived advantage.
2. Preservice teachers spend an average of 60 minutes per day on online activities, predominantly using mobile devices and personal computers.
3. Blending face-to-face instruction with MOODLE-based online learning integrates in-school and out-of-school activities in a balanced manner.

Method: Qualitative research with open-ended written documents: 40 science teacher candidates randomly selected from all class levels in a mathematics and science education department in eastern Turkey. A 10-question open-ended form based on the LASSI (Learning and Study Strategies Inventory) structure was used; students responded in writing with no time limit. Data were analyzed with NVivo, yielding 73 distinct strategies organized under 10 themes (anxiety, attitude, concentration, information processing, motivation, self-testing, selecting main ideas, study aids, time management, test strategies).

Contribution: Maps the actual self-regulation strategies used by science teacher candidates across 10 LASSI dimensions, revealing that students employ a wide variety of strategies (73 total) but that several are theoretically misaligned — e.g., escape-avoidance behaviors for anxiety control, relaxation techniques labelled as motivation. Argues that universities cannot assume students already possess effective self-regulation skills and must explicitly teach them; results can inform future LASSI editions.

Highlights:

1. Science teacher candidates use 73 distinct learning and studying strategies across 10 self-regulation dimensions, but several strategies are theoretically misaligned with established self-regulation frameworks.
2. Students rely on escape-avoidance behaviors for anxiety control and use relaxation methods as motivational strategies, indicating gaps in self-regulation knowledge that require explicit instruction.
3. Qualitative mapping of student-generated strategies complements psychometric tools like LASSI by capturing idiosyncratic approaches not represented in standardized inventories.

Method: Qualitative case study: 18 undergraduate preservice science teachers (7 male, 11 female; age 21–27, median 23) enrolled in an elective 'Misconceptions in Science' course at a faculty of education in eastern Turkey, spring 2015. Smartphones were used as clicker devices via the Socrative app approximately ten times per semester; results were projected anonymously on the classroom screen. Student perceptions were captured through 4 open-ended survey questions adapted from Manke-Brady (2012) and analyzed with NVivo, yielding 4 themes.

Contribution: Demonstrates that low-cost smartphone-based feedback systems (Socrative used as a clicker) effectively support learner-centered science classrooms by providing real-time, anonymous, whole-class formative feedback. Students reported four key benefits: self-assessment opportunity, misconception awareness, peer comparison, and enhanced self-regulation. Provides an accessible, hardware-free alternative to costly dedicated clicker systems.

Highlights:

1. Smartphones used as clickers via Socrative provided real-time, anonymous feedback for all 18 students, creating shared awareness of misconceptions across the whole class.
2. Four themes emerged from NVivo analysis: self-assessment opportunity, misconception awareness, peer comparison, and enhanced self-regulation.
3. Smartphone-based clicker systems offer a cost-effective, hardware-free alternative to dedicated clicker devices, lowering the barrier to active, technology-supported learning.

Method: Qualitative descriptive study using individual document technique (open-ended written questionnaire). 66 science education students (16 male, 50 female) enrolled in General Chemistry Laboratory I at a university in eastern Turkey; purposive sampling. Blended learning implemented in General Chemistry Laboratory II via Google Groups (GG) for pre-class hypothesis formation and post-class result sharing. Content analysis with NVivo; free-node coding. Two sentence-completion items.

Contribution: Demonstrates that blended learning in a university-level general chemistry laboratory is effective across three domains: (1) individual — promotes planned study, lesson preparation, and increased self-study; (2) social — enhances peer interaction and cooperative learning via Google Groups; (3) pedagogical — perceived as more practical, innovative, and instructive than face-to-face instruction. Main barriers (internet access, computer skills, system adaptation) stem from infrastructure limitations, not dissatisfaction with the approach itself. Students referenced blended learning 29 times vs. 17 for face-to-face across all evaluation nodes.

Highlights:

1. Students cited blended learning 29 times (vs. 17 for face-to-face) across 13 positive nodes — constructivist advantages dominate.
2. Main barriers to blended learning preference were internet access and computer literacy — infrastructure limitations, not dissatisfaction with the method itself.
3. Pre-class hypothesis formation via Google Groups, combined with in-class testing and post-class sharing, created an inquiry cycle that improved preparation and peer knowledge exchange.

Method: Qualitative descriptive study using structured open-ended questionnaire (4 questions). 45 pre-school education students enrolled in a Science Education course at a recently established university in eastern Turkey; 19 volunteered written responses (voluntary participation). Semester-long blended learning implementation combining face-to-face and online activities (reading, writing, listening, watching). NVivo content analysis with free-node and tree-node coding. Two expert reviews for conceptual validity.

Contribution: Identifies six weaknesses and eleven strengths of blended learning in a science education course for pre-school teacher candidates. Weaknesses cluster around infrastructure (internet access, individual facilities) and design (classroom feedback, resource availability, time constraints). Strengths span individual (planned study, lesson preparation, individualized learning, responsibility), social (active participation, peer sharing), and pedagogical dimensions (multidirectional teaching, research opportunities, fun learning environment). Students overwhelmingly requested blended learning in additional courses, with Special Teaching Methods ranked first.

Highlights:

1. Eleven strengths vs. six weaknesses — blended learning's advantages outweigh limitations in science teacher education, with weaknesses largely rooted in technological infrastructure rather than pedagogical design.
2. Students spontaneously requested blended learning in additional courses (Special Teaching Methods, Classroom Management), indicating high learner satisfaction beyond the study context.
3. Blended learning promoted a fun learning environment, active participation, and individualized instruction — three constructivist pillars that traditional face-to-face science courses in the same program did not provide.

Method: Qualitative study; focus group interview with structured form (6 themes, 9 nodes). 70 Mechanical Engineering freshmen enrolled in Physics I at Erzincan University (2015–2016 fall semester); 7 students participated in focus group (6 male, 1 female); purposive sampling. Cell phones used as cost-free clicker alternative for mobile-technology-based formative assessment and feedback in a large lecture hall. Audio-recorded interview transcribed and analyzed with NVivo (free-node and tree-node content analysis).

Contribution: Demonstrates that cell phones can replace commercial clickers for formative assessment and feedback in large-enrollment science courses without extra hardware cost, achieving comparable effects on active participation, repetition, and academic recall. However, the system showed no effect on motivation — traced to insufficient teacher-provided feedback-correction during lessons, not to system deficiencies. The teacher's role (discussion facilitation, in-class evaluation, timely correction) is identified as the primary determinant of system effectiveness.

Highlights:

1. Mobile phones successfully replaced commercial clickers in a 70-student Physics I lecture, enabling real-time formative assessment and feedback at zero extra hardware cost.
2. The system improved active participation, repetition, and recall but had no motivational effect — gap attributed to the teacher not providing adequate feedback-correction, not to the technology itself.
3. Students identified in-class discussion/evaluation and teacher feedback-correction as the two keys to more effective use — both are teacher-behavior variables, not system limitations.

Method: Mixed-method study. 31 undergraduate primary education students (25 male, 6 female; mean age 19) enrolled in Environmental Education, Faculty of Education, fall 2015. Flipped classroom implemented for 10 weeks (50+50 min/week) via Moodle LMS; weekly video and reading resources delivered online, with in-class activities (concept mapping, drama, mind mapping, concept cartoons, puzzles). Quantitative: posttest IMMS (Instructional Material Motivation Survey, 24 items, 2 factors: Attention-Relevance α=0.73, Confidence-Satisfaction α=0.72). Qualitative: focus group interview with 9 open-ended questions, NVivo content analysis.

Contribution: Establishes flipped classroom feasibility in a higher education Environmental Education course, finding positive student attitudes (overall IMMS x̄=3.38; Attention-Relevance x̄=3.52, high-level) and effectiveness across eight dimensions: active engagement, cognitive skills, contribution to other courses, course preparation, drawing ability, edutainment-enjoyable environment (most referenced), higher-level learning, and peer instruction. Two implementation problems — intra-group disputes and limited in-class time — provide actionable guidance for instructors designing flipped lessons.

Highlights:

1. Edutainment-enjoyable environment was the most-cited effectiveness node — students described flipped class activities (drama, concept cartoons, mind mapping) as genuinely fun, matching intrinsic-motivation research on fun-as-learning-driver.
2. Mixed-method design (IMMS posttest + focus group) showed convergent validity: quantitative attitude scores and qualitative perception nodes (8 effectiveness dimensions) both confirmed flipped classroom as a viable higher-education model.
3. Two practical problems — intra-group disputes and limited in-class time — provide concrete design guidance: careful group formation and time-budgeted activity plans are prerequisites for effective flipped science courses.

Method: Qualitative research design. Structured written forms administered to 32 fourth-year preservice science teachers (purposive sampling) who had completed School Experience observations. Data analyzed with NVivo software using open coding; Visio brainstorming diagrams used for visualization.

Contribution: Identifies 2 teaching strategies (expository and inquiry) and 9 teaching methods/techniques employed by secondary science teachers. Direct instruction (anlatım) was the most preferred method, consistently combined with Q&A across all lesson phases. Sequential co-occurrence patterns between methods reveal laboratory used exclusively after direct instruction. Findings expose a gap between the diversity of methods theoretically available and the limited repertoire actually practiced in classrooms.

Highlights:

1. Q&A method was the most versatile — linked to 9 other methods at different lesson stages.
2. Discussion (tartışma) was the only method used throughout the entire lesson period.
3. Drama and role-play appeared only after the direct instruction phase.
4. Findings suggest teachers may lack competence or resources for a broader pedagogical repertoire.

Method: Scale development study using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). N=80 science education students enrolled in Computer I at a recently established eastern Turkish university. A MOODLE-based online exam was administered between the midterm and final paper-pencil exams; the 25-item survey was completed online immediately after. Items were reduced iteratively (cross-loading removal, item-total correlation filtering ≥0.3); EFA with Varimax rotation. Cronbach alpha for reliability; KMO & Bartlett's Test of Sphericity for sampling adequacy.

Contribution: Produced a validated 17-item, 3-factor Online Examination Assessment Survey (overall α=0.87). Factor 1 — Practicality and usability (8 items, α=0.89): students' preferences for online over paper-pencil exams, perceived clarity and orderliness. Factor 2 — Affective impact (6 items, α=0.82): anxiety, fatigue, and adaptation difficulty with online format. Factor 3 — Reliability (3 items, α=0.82): perceived appropriateness of question selection, difficulty, and discrimination. The three factors together explain 61.8% of total variance (KMO=0.82). Provides a standardized instrument for evaluating student-perceived quality of online examinations in science instruction.

Highlights:

1. Three-factor structure (practicality, affective impact, reliability) explains 61.8% of variance; KMO=0.82 confirms strong factor analytic suitability.
2. Online exam delivered via MOODLE with randomized question ordering per student — a deliberate anti-cheating design applied between midterm and final exams.
3. Scale is currently validated for science education students only; authors recommend CFA across additional departments to establish broader generalizability.

Method: Scale development study using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). N=253 science education students (159 female, 94 male) enrolled in General Chemistry I Laboratory at a recently established eastern Turkish university; 14-week blended learning implementation. Online component: pre-class hypothesis writing and peer questioning via a digital platform. Face-to-face component: in-lab hypothesis testing and result sharing. The cycle repeated weekly throughout the semester. A 21-item draft scale (adapted from Walker & Fraser's DELES instrument) was administered; one cross-loading item removed; reliability confirmed via Cronbach alpha; inter-factor correlations reported.

Contribution: Developed a 20-item, 3-factor Blended Learning Environment Assessment Scale for science instruction (overall α=0.91). Factor 1 — Active learning (7 items, α=0.88): learner autonomy, self-directed study strategies, and personal control over learning. Factor 2 — Relevance (7 items, α=0.87): connecting classroom and online learning to real-world situations and daily experience. Factor 3 — Interaction and collaboration (6 items, α=0.85): peer collaboration, knowledge sharing, and cooperative work in lab settings. The three factors explain 57.7% of total variance. Scale is adapted for Turkish science laboratory settings from an internationally validated instrument.

Highlights:

1. 20-item scale with α=0.91 overall reliability; all three sub-factors show high internal consistency (α=0.85–0.88), confirming the instrument's psychometric robustness.
2. Blended design structured as a weekly cycle — online pre-class hypothesis formation, face-to-face lab testing, and online post-class peer sharing — embedding inquiry throughout the semester.
3. Scale adapted from Walker & Fraser's (2005) DELES instrument and re-normed for Turkish university science laboratory contexts; factor structure closely mirrors the original.

Method: Qualitative descriptive research using an open-ended written questionnaire (5 questions). N=113 science and technology pre-service teachers (grades 1–4) at a state university; data collected in spring semester 2013. Written responses analyzed with NVivo content analysis software; findings presented as node maps showing reference frequency for each theme. Five research questions addressed: views on KPSS exam structure, general culture section, field exam component, preferred assessment system, and need for a field-specific exam for science teaching.

Contribution: Revealed that pre-service science teachers broadly support the 2013 structural reform that added a field exam to KPSS — the most frequently cited opinion across all five question areas (33 coded references). Participants additionally recommended supplementing KPSS with oral interview and practical exam components to more comprehensively assess teaching competency. Findings align with and extend concurrent national reform discussions on Turkish teacher selection policy, corroborating similar results in Social Studies and other teaching fields.

Highlights:

1. Addition of a field exam to KPSS in 2013 was endorsed by 33 coded references — the strongest and most consistent opinion across all five research questions.
2. Students called for oral interview and practical exam components to complement written testing, arguing that classroom performance cannot be captured by a single standardized test.
3. NVivo content analysis of 113 written documents produced node maps for each research question, offering a transparent and replicable qualitative coding structure.

Method: Mixed-methods study combining descriptive statistics and NVivo content analysis. N=156 undergraduate students: 43 from the science education department (Faculty of Education) and 113 from electrical and electronics engineering (Faculty of Engineering). A 3-part questionnaire covered: (1) mobile device ownership and functionality, (2) user preferences for e-learning platforms, and (3) an open-ended item on mobile phone use in science instructional settings. Countable data analyzed with descriptive techniques; written responses coded via NVivo content analysis producing 17 themed nodes.

Contribution: Identified student needs and views regarding mobile devices in science e-learning environments. Mobile phones emerged as the most functional and preferred device. Students were nearly equally split between viewing mobile use as "very necessary" (23.7%) and "convenient but unnecessary" (23.7%), indicating ambivalence that suggests a need for structured integration guidance rather than voluntary adoption. Theoretical courses were the preferred context for mobile use (39.1%), while laboratory settings were less frequently cited. The 17 NVivo nodes — ranging from video-based learning and educational applications to concerns about distraction — provide a detailed map of student expectations for mobile-supported e-learning design.

Highlights:

1. Mobile phones identified as the primary device for science e-learning; 17 NVivo nodes captured the full range of student views, from video-based learning to distraction concerns.
2. Equal proportions (23.7%) viewed mobile use as "very necessary" and as "convenient but unnecessary" — a split that underscores the need for structured, instructor-guided integration.
3. Theoretical courses were the most preferred setting for mobile use (39.1%), while laboratory contexts were rarely mentioned — suggesting students see mobile tools as supplements to face-to-face instruction rather than replacements.