Research Article
Ali Simsek, Kemal Elciyar, Taner Kizilhan
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 2, pp. 106-119
ABSTRACT
Considering that social media addiction is probably the most recent type of technology addiction, the present study was designed based on the six components suggested by Griffiths (2013). Toward the main purpose of the study, the "Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale" was adapted to social media addiction and translated into Turkish. After the validation process, it was administered to a total of 700 students; of them 397 were high school students and 303 were university students. The data collection instrument included 18 five-point Likert-type items in six categories, along with 5 structured items regarding demographics of the respondents. In addition to the original findings of the present study, similar research on social media addiction in some other countries were examined for comparisons. The results showed that both university students and high school students have a moderate level of addiction to social media. Being a university or high school student does not make any difference on the level of social media addiction. However, significant differences were found regarding gender, duration of use, department at the university, and type of high school. Finally, the results of the study show certain similarities and a few differences with the results of the studies conducted in other countries.
Keywords: Internet addiction, Social media, Internet addiction, Social media addiction, University students, High school students
Research Article
Fernando Almeida, Jorge Simoes
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 2, pp. 120-136
ABSTRACT
Education 4.0 is a new educational paradigm that intends to address the needs and potentialities of the fourth industrial revolution. Education 4.0 builds on the concept of learning by doing, in which students are encouraged to learn and discover different things in singular ways based on experimentation. This study intends to analyze the role of emerging technologies like serious games and industry 4.0 in the transformation of education 4.0 in higher education. A qualitative methodology was employed based on 25 case studies of innovative projects in Portuguese higher education institutions. The results indicate a residual adoption of serious games and gamification approaches only appear in less than 20% of the projects. It was also possible to identify that most projects involve several stakeholders such as teachers, students and university managers, and typically involve multidisciplinary competencies fields. The main benefits brought to the education context include greater involvement of students in projects, development of their skills and its application in a real context. On the other hand, the main challenges are the simplification of the real world made by these applications, the difficulties inherent to their inclusion in the didactical system and the limited capacities to offer greater interactivity without predefined external stimuli.
Keywords: Education 4.0, Industry 4.0, Serious games, Gamification, Educational paradigm
Research Article
Ozcan Ozgur Dursun
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 2, pp. 137-155
ABSTRACT
This study investigates the changes in self-efficacy perceptions, professional self-esteem, and attitudes towards the teaching profession of pre-service information technology teachers in accordance with their academic achievement and career choices. A longitudinal research was conducted over a four-year time period with participation of 40 pre-service teachers. The data were collected through three separate scales at five different data collection points (entrance, freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years) corresponding to their initial states and their states at the end of each academic year. Findings indicated an improvement in terms of attitude towards the teaching profession and teaching self-efficacy through the time period. However, change in professional self-esteem did not follow such a clear pattern. While grade point averages (GPA) did not show significant relationships with attitude, self-efficacy or self-esteem in earlier states, as the participants gained experience, significant relationships arose among GPA, attitude and self-efficacy. Career choices of pre-service teachers were examined under three categories: teaching, coding and design. Preference for teaching was relatively high at the initial state and continuously increased over time. As the participants progressed in the program, their preference for coding and design increased as well. The increase in career choices of pre-service teachers accords with the courses in the program.
Keywords: Teacher training, Information technology education, Self-efficacy, Attitude, Self-esteem, Longitidunal study
Research Article
Osman Erol, Nese Sevim Cirak
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 2, pp. 156-172
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to examine the loneliness and Internet addiction levels of college students in terms of demographic variables and to determine the variables that predict their Internet addiction level. Data were collected from college students studying at a public university in Turkey. The UCLA Loneliness Scale Version3 and Internet Addiction Test (IAT) were used as the data collection tools. College students were delivered an online survey and at the end 489 college students were voluntarily participated in the study. This survey study employed independent sample t-tests, ANOVA tests, correlation and multiple regression tests for data analysis. The results show that younger participants felt significantly more loneliness than older participants; similarly, students in lower classes felt more alone than those in upper classes. In terms of addiction, it is seen that the frequent use of computers, smartphones and social media increases the Internet addiction level of students. The study suggests a significant correlation between loneliness, Internet addiction, age, and Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). Additionally, loneliness and CGPA significantly predict Internet addiction. This study may be important in terms of determining the psychological variables affecting today's increasing technology addiction (internet, smart phone, etc.). Thus, determining the effect of the level of loneliness of young people on internet addiction may be effective in terms of preventing this addiction.
Keywords: Internet addiction, Loneliness, UCLA loneliness scale, Internet addiction test
Research Article
Hatice Yildiz Durak, Fatma Gizem Karaoglan Yilmaz, Ramazan Yilmaz
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 2, pp. 173-197
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to determine the skill levels of secondary school students regarding computational thinking, programming self-efficacy and reflective thinking aimed at problem solving and examine their experiences in the programming training process on robotic activities. Toward this purpose, a 10-week application was conducted with 55 students from 6th and 7th grades who received education at a secondary school in Western Black Sea region of Turkey during the school year of 2017-2018. The study was conducted using the mixed model and various scales in the quantitative dimension. On the other hand, a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers was applied in the qualitative dimension. As a result, it was found out that students’ computational thinking skills, programming self-efficacy and reflective thinking aimed at problem solving were moderate. Students’ levels of computational thinking and programming self-efficacy were observed to differ depending on their grade levels. In addition, a positive and moderate relationship was found among the levels of computational thinking, programming self-efficacy and reflective thinking aimed at problem solving.
Keywords: Robotics, Computational thinking, Programming self-efficacy, Reflective thinking, Programming
Research Article
Nurullah Sahin, Mehmet Fatih Ozcan
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 2, pp. 198-213
ABSTRACT
The Turkish history has a very rich content in literary context as well as political and administrative achievements. The Turkish language, which dates back to B.C., has become one of the great languages that continues its existence until modern day, leaving priceless reference guide behind. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of lessons taught using activities designed with Augmented Reality Technology on the academic achievement and motivation of students in the teaching of the subjects of Yusuf Has Hacib, Kasgarli Mahmud, Kutadgu Bilig and Divanu Lugati’t-Turk which are among the cultural heritages called “Old Turkish Language Mementoes.” In this context, Augmented Reality environments were designed in relation to the mentioned works and authors and these designs were uploaded to AURASMA 3D application and made available for smart phones. Quantitative research model was adapted in the study and the quasi-experimental method with pre-test-post-test control group was used. At the end of the study whose procedures took 6 weeks in total with the involvement of 50 college students, it was determined that AR activities has a positive effect on the academic success of the students and increases the academic success of the students, and it creates a positive environment which motivates the students towards the lesson and learning.
Keywords: Augmented reality, Educational technology, Old Turkish language mementoes, Academic achievement, Student motivation