M.A. Theses
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Item Parent engagement in early childhood during COVID-19 online education(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Çakır, Semanur.; Caner, Ayşe.; Erdemir, Ersoy.The aim of this phenomenological study is to understand parent engagement experiences in online education during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of early childhood teachers and explore their learning needs to improve parent engagement in online education. The study was conducted with 12 early childhood teachers who delivered online education in Istanbul during the 2020-2021 academic year due to the pandemic. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic approach. Based on the analyses of the lived experiences of early childhood teachers, themes of parent engagement practices in online education; challenges, and opportunities of online education for parent engagement; and learning experiences and needs of teachers in online education emerged. The findings of this study show that parents were engaged in their children's online education during the pandemic period and that parent engagement practices in this period gained a different dimension. However, teachers preferred to conduct parent engagement practices in face-to- face education rather than online education. Although various challenges in parent engagement in online education were encountered, teachers developed specific strategies to overcome these challenges. Lastly, teachers did not receive sufficient training on parent engagement practices in online education during this period and they needed training and support in this regard. This study is significant to document effective methods and approaches in terms of practice, curriculum, and policy with respect to online parent engagement practices in early childhood education.Item Informal learning experiences of school counselors during the COVID-19 pandemic(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Ertuğrul, Gözde Demir.; Caner, Ayşe.This study aims to investigate the challenges, opportunities, informal learning experiences, and strategies for coping with the difficulties of school counselors during the COVID-19 pandemic from the adult education perspective. Phenomenology was employed in the research as one of the qualitative research approaches. Guided interview questions were utilized during the semi-structured interviews of the thirteen (13) school counselors, one of which was a pilot study. Thematic analysis was used for the verbatim transcripts of the interviews by utilizing MAXQDA qualitative data analysis program. In the current study, seventeen (17) themes emerged: four (4) themes emerged under the title of challenges, five (5) themes under the title of opportunities, four (4) themes under the title of informal learning experiences, and four (4) themes under the title of strategies to cope with challenges. The themes of adverse effects on well-being, communication difficulties, technology adaptation challenges, and professional/vocational procedure difficulties are challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The themes of flexibility in terms of time and locality, the opportunity for self-initiated professional development, convenience and comfort, facilitation of participation, and online counseling are opportunities for the COVID-19 pandemic. The themes of social media and digitalization, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), reading and researching, and social support groups are informal learning experiences. The themes of getting information from reliable sources, physical self-care activities, professional solidarity, and connectedness, and maintaining daily routines are coping strategies.Item Learning and developing critical consciousness through activism experiences : a comparative study(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Tuğcu, İrem Ege.; Somel, R. Nazli.The aim of this study is to examine the learning and development of Freire’s (1974) critical consciousness through activism practices by focusing on LGBTQ+ activism in Turkey. Learning experiences and critical consciousness development were revealed comparatively by analyzing LGBTIQ+ activists, who stand up against social injustice and discrimination, and non- activist, who are LGBTIQ+ individuals. In this qualitative study, biographical interviews were conducted with six participants, their narratives were analyzed through the Documentary Method to reveal their orientation frameworks. The orientations of activists were clearly distinguished from non activist participants through accessing information sources, joining a community to learn by joining a community and developing motivation for learning. The components of critical consciousness, which are critical reflection, critical motivation, and critical action, varied between activist and non-activist participants. Unlike non-activists, the components of critical consciousness were encountered in the orientations of activist participants. The presence of all these components together demonstrated that activists were in the process of developing critical consciousness.Item Is ecological citizen something to be pedagogically made? an andragogical evaluation based on expert interviews(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Morelli, Zeynep.; Somel, R. Nazli.This study examines the concept of ecological citizenship from an interdisciplinary perspective and discuss the implications of the findings for adult environmental education. Through expert interviews (Bogner, Littig, & Menz, 2009) from the disciplines of education, ecology, economics, politics, and sociology (total N=5), the study identifies current debates on environmental issues, views on the parts the individual and systemic structures play on the path to ecological citizenship, and the implications of these for adult environmental education. This study designed as a qualitative research and expert interviews were analyzed using Qualitative Content Analysis (Mayring, 2000). Within the scope of ecological citizenship, the similarities and differences of the perspectives in the fields were analyzed and the dynamic relationships between the individual, society and the system were identified as guiding points for adult environmental education. The importance of the relationship between the individual and the system in the process and the need for the collective movement initiated by the individuals to lead the transformation of the system have emerged. According to the empirical analysis, adult education should be effective in providing ecological awareness, responsibility, and being a change agent competency to become an engaged citizen in ecological issues. The results support that adult education should offer capabilities that enable individuals to identify the underlying causes of ecological issues and to collaborate with others as pioneers of systemic change.Item Alienation of labor: perceptions of English language teachers at Turkish universities(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2011., 2011.) Davarcı, Ebru.; Seggie, Fatma Nevra.This qualitative study aims to figure out what perceptions of English language teachers have about their own labor under the condition of labor as a commodity. Through these perceptions, this research tries to find the answers for the following research questions which are (1) What are the perceptions of English language teachers working in the English preparatory schools of public and private universities about their own English language teaching labor? (2) What are the perceptions of English language teachers about the extent of their alienation in their labor? (3) What are the perceptions of English language teachers about the factors that trigger their alienation in both contexts? (4) How do English language teachers respond to their alienation in their own labor? For this study, case study method was employed and data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with 12 participants in Turkish. All interviews based on single meetings were recorded and later transcribed and translated into English. As for the data analysis, all transcribed data were content-analyzed. Findings showed that all the participants chose to be an English language teacher because of perceiving this labor as something with an employment guarantee in a way; yet they also found teaching something monotonous which showed the alienated character of their labor since they weren’t content with it. As the majority of these participants dreamt about something else other than teaching till the end of their lives, they didn’t identify themselves with their life activity but were doing it involuntarily which made them have no control over it. Perceptions of feeling less secure in the workplace which was especially common among the females and trying to make oneself more productive with less workload and more time despite already being productive were the indicators of the extent of alienation of the participants in private context. Similarly, perceptions of feeling secure in public context were also the indicators of how alienated the participants were there because they were the contracted state employees who could be replaced any time but they were unaware of their situation. Also, perceiving students’ undemanding nature as a reason for unproductivity in the public context or again perceiving them as imposing different expectations on teachers in the private context, and perceptions about how technology eased their work showed both the students and technology as the triggering factors for the alienation of participants in both contexts. However, division of labor among the teachers which was believed to ease work and different forms of conflicting relationships with the colleagues were the triggering factors of the alienation of all participants. Regarding how they dealt with their alienation, participants of both contexts responded their alienation with extreme tiredness especially the mental one affecting their social and private life. What was seen as an advantage in public context was the opposite in the private one; yet what was seen as an advantage such as the job security or money being paid was in fact the thing causing and triggering their alienation. Additionally, the things participants didn’t like about being an English language teacher were indeed the factors triggering their alienation but they were unaware of that because of the loss of the reality.Item The construction of gender roles and motherhood: the case of ''the family education program for ages 0-18''(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2011., 2011.) Günaydın, Ayça.; Gök, Fatma.This study is an attempt to understand family education policies in Turkey. By analyzing one of the popular family education programs implemented nationwide, “The Family Education Program for Ages 0-18”, the construction of motherhood ideology and the sexual division of roles in the family are questioned. The content analysis method is utilized in the study. The family letters that are distributed to the families as the learning materials during the education program are selected as the data of the study. Regarding the attempt to understand family education policies, the first aim of the study is to analyze the definition of the family in the education program. The question of how the term “family” is defined in the documents of the program is asked in order to examine the characteristics of the family highlighted in the program. Secondly, so as to understand the sexual division of roles in the family, the roles attributed to the family members in the program are questioned, and the roles and responsibilities of fathers, mothers and the children are studied. Lastly, to distinguish the strategic position of women in shaping families, the ideology of motherhood emphasized in the program is analyzed. To conclude, the content analysis of “The Family Education Program for Ages 0-18” reveals that the sexual division of roles in the family and the ideology of motherhood that restricts women‟s mobility and burdens them with the responsibility of nurturing and caring are reproduced in the education program. In that sense, it is concluded that “The Family Education Program for Ages 0-18” serves for the continuation of patriarchal relations that strengthen women‟s subordination in the family. Lastly, it is highlighted that whilst the “family” as an institution is aimed to be supported and protected by the government‟s education policies, the rights of individuals as women and men in terms of gender equality are ignored.Item Perceptions of quality of life in children with learning disabilities(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2011., 2011.) Sakız, Halis.; Sart, Zeynep Hande.This study investigated the difference between children with Learning Disabilities (LD) and children without LD in terms of their perceived quality of life. Children with LD and children without LD matched in terms of age, gender, income level and GPA. Children ranging from ages 8 to 15 were selected purposefully from two districts of Ġstanbul (n=240). Children‟s perceived quality of life was measured by the Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents – Revised Version (KINDL-R) Turkish Form and perceived quality of life of mothers, who had children with LD, was measured by World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL-BREF) Turkish Form. In addition, Learning Disabilities Screening Measure was used to gather data from classroom teachers about children with LD. Results of the study showed a statistically significant difference between self-perceived total quality of life of children with LD (M=53.2, SD=12.9) and quality of life of children without LD (M= 71.7, SD=15.8). Parents of children with LD also perceived their children with significantly lower quality of life (M=56.8, SD=13.3) than parents of children without LD did (M=65.6, SD=14.9). Similarly, teachers of children with LD assigned lower quality of life scores (M=43.4, SD=8.4) than teachers of children without LD (M=60.8, SD=13.9). When the relationship between quality of life scores of children with LD and their mothers‟ quality of life was analyzed, a positive and statistically significant relationship was found (r=.44, p<.001). As a result, this study revealed that children with LD have lower quality of life scores than their peers without LD and that the difficulties they experience are observable in different domains of life quality.Item Leadership effectiveness of heads of departments in state universities in Turkey from the perspective of leadership roles(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2011., 2011.) Akbulut, Meltem.; Seggie, Fatma Nevra.The purpose of the study is to investigate leadership effectiveness of leaders in state universities in Turkey from the perspective of leadership roles used to lead internal and external worlds of state universities, and the thesis defines leadership effectiveness as the utilization of multi roles to balance internal and external worlds of state universities in Turkey. There is not a lot of research in higher education regarding leadership roles and their correlations to leadership effectiveness, thus this study seeks to gain an understanding of leadership roles commonly applied by heads of departments, relationships between leadership roles and leadership effectiveness and predictors of leadership effectiveness. The population was drawn from seventy faculty members at one social science based faculty which consists of three departments at a state university in Turkey. Leadership effectiveness data was obtained using The Competing Values Managerial Behavior Instrument which was adapted for use with this sample and referred to in this study as the Leadership Effectiveness Survey. Leadership roles were correlated to leadership effectiveness. Pearson correlation was used to examine relationships among leadership roles. The leadership roles positively correlated to each other. It was further used to analyze relationships between leadership roles and leadership effectiveness. Leadership roles positively correlated to leadership effectiveness. Multiple regression was conducted to determine whether leadership roles and gender were good predictors of leadership effectiveness. Leadership roles and gender were found to be good predictors of leadership effectiveness, and the most significant predictor of leadership effectiveness was the create leadership function which included motivator, visionary, and innovator leadership roles.Item The effects of people education centers' literacy courses on participants' lives(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2011., 2011.) Erbay, Ayhan.; Gök, Fatma.The aim of this study is to find out the effects of literacy acquisition on adults’ lives by exploring their background profiles, (e.g. their life history, their economic and social background, their demographic information like age, gender, marital status, etc.) literacy course experiences, and thoughts pertaining literacy’s effect. In order to find effects of literacy course, case study method was used and semi-structured interviews were carried with both Level 1 and Level 2 literacy course participants in Kadıköy People’s Education Center. Results of this study can be grouped in two categories. The first is participation process of adults and second is outcomes of literacy courses. Almost all participants had similar life histories which triggered them to looking for new solutions in order to cope with life. Age and psychological status of participants were especially powerful inputs in participation process. On the other hand, results that appeared after their participation in the courses all participants were able to travel, read and write in order to perform in their daily lives without having rely on others. Also, all participants in this study felt themselves more confident, improve their communication skills and develop sense of empowerment. The outcomes of this study underlined that literacy course must be separated according to age and psychological status of participants where needs and aims of participants differentiate. Moreover; strategies, aims, and methods of literacy education should be improved according to participants needs.Item Learning experiences of individuals with visual disabilities in the workplace(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2011., 2011.) Yiğit, Esin.; Ünlühisarcıklı, Özlem.The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of individuals with visual disabilities in the workplace with a focus on their ways of learning. On the one side, the study investigated the workplace experiences of individuals with visual disabilities by focusing on the theme “having a job” which included recruitment process, required knowledge and skills and the experiences in the workplace. On the other side, learning experiences of individuals with visual disabilities in the workplace were examined under the dimensions of types of learning and learning sources. Twelve individuals with visual disabilities who were working in Istanbul were interviewed for this study by means of a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher. Six of the participants were working in public institutions whereas six of them were working in private organizations when the interviews were conducted. For in-depth analysis, half of the participants were determined among high school graduates and the other half from university graduates. The obtained data was analyzed using content analysis method. The findings revealed that finding a job was rather challenging for individuals with visual disabilities and the participants found their jobs through exams, projects and personal contacts. While some participants stated that it was an intentional choice to work in their jobs, some others said that they had no other choice. In terms of required skills and knowledge, the significance of having a good command of computers was heavily emphasized throughout the interviews. Moreover, the use of switchboard, knowledge in the content area, a good memory, communication skills and daily living skills were also mentioned as important to effectively perform in the workplace. The analysis of the data also indicated that individuals with visual disabilities had various problems in the workplace. Discrimination, not being given equal opportunities, issues related to the job itself, having to find their own solutions to the problems and not being regarded as an employee were mentioned as the most prevalent problems in the workplace. Furthermore, participants also indicated the attitudes of colleagues and managers, unawareness of people and problems stemming from physical conditions as having an impact on their performance. In terms of the learning experiences of individuals with visual disabilities, the findings revealed that informal learning experiences were considered as the basic way of learning in the workplace. However, formal learning experiences were also emphasized especially by the participants working in private organizations. Based on the findings of the study, it could be stated that participants either learnt on their own or they learnt from other people in the workplace and their learning sources were mainly their colleagues, managers, the Internet or other individuals with visual disabilities.Item Factors related to basic numeracy skills of adults in Turkey(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2011., 2011.) Albayrak Ataklı, Pınar.; Seggie, Fatma Nevra.The first aim of this study is to investigate the level of basic numeracy skills of adults in Turkey. Secondly, it aims to determine educational and non-educational factors in predicting the basic numeracy skills of adults. The data was collected with three instruments; these are demograpic information form, numeracy attitute scale, and basic numeracy skill test paper. Research participants were selected from six Ismek course centers at the beginning of 2010- 2011 course term. The level of basic numeracy skills of adults were analyzed descriptively. The result indicates that the participants were found as highly in need of numeracy education, especially for these four subjects: using tables, charts, diagrams and line graphs to present results; selecting and use suitable methods and forms to present and describe outcomes; approximating by rounding; and finding the range for a set of data. For analyzing the factors predicting basic numeracy skills, the multiple linear regression method and one way ANOVA was used. Educational backgroud, father‟s educational background, mother‟s educational background for female participants and numeracy attitude were found as highly significant for predicting the basic numeracy skills of participants, whereas gender, age, and mother‟s educational background for male participants were not. The results indicated the necessity of establishing a national policy and curriculum for adult numeracy education in Turkey.Item Adult educators' views on their occupation and professionalization of adult education(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Kahriman, Nevin.; Ünlühisarcıklı, Özlem.The aim of the study is to explore the views of adult educators on their occupation and professionalization of adult education through questioning the ways, difficulties, good sides, and the importance of becoming an adult educator; the kinds of knowledge, education, skills and experience needed for being an adult educator; the roles, responsibilities, concerns and status of adult educators. For this study, a qualitative research was carried out and semi-structured interviews were conducted with eighteen adult educators who work at eight different Public Education Centers in stanbul, Turkey. Four of these Public Education Centers were selected among Public Education Centers located in relatively lower socio-economic areas of stanbul and four of them were selected among Public Education Centers located in relatively higher socio-economic areas of stanbul. The content analysis method was used for data analysis. Three themes emerged during data analysis, which were becoming an adult educator, the scope of being an adult educator and the scope of professionalization of adult education. The analysis of the data indicated that adult educators mostly did not start their career in adult education intentionally and willingly, that in spite of some difficulties they had, they were happy in their jobs and that their jobs were generally very important to them. Adult educators mostly did not get an education or a certificate related to adult education before starting to work as adult educators and did not receive in-service training while working. However, they indicated that a certificate or different kinds of education such as in-service training, seminars and internships were needed for adult educators. Adult educators claimed to have secondary roles in addition to their teaching roles such as providing psychological support and guidance and teaching good behaviors and manners. As for their responsibilities, they expressed that they were mainly contributing to individuals and society. They mostly stated that their roles and responsibilities were different from educators in formal education. The findings revealed that adult educators had concerns related to finance, social security and working conditions. Adult educators generally stated that adult education was not regarded as a profession and Public Education Centers and adult educators working there were not widely known by society. Most of them also indicated that professional organizations and unions did not exist in adult education. Based on the findings of the study, it could be said that there are a number of important changes that need to be made related to the working conditions, status and education of adult educators.Item Credit card literacy among university students(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Kumbaracı, Okan.; Kızıltepe, Zeynep.The aim of this study is to analyze university students’ credit card knowledge level, learning ways in which they acquire this knowledge and their credit card payment practices. The data was collected by an instrument including Credit Card Knowledge Test (CCKT) developed by the researcher; questions related with the demographic characteristics of the subjects; questions related with credit card payment practices of subjects; and structured interview questions in order to determine learning ways in which subjects acquire knowledge of credit cards. The survey instrument was given to a sample of 95 subjects registered at Boğaziçi University Summer School 2010. Quantitative and qualitative analysis are used in the study. Content analysis was applied to analyze the interviews in order determine participants’ learning experiences related to credit cards. Descriptive statistics were employed to determine participants’ level of credit card knowledge, credit card payment practices and, to analyze whether independent variables of the study have any influence on credit card knowledge of the subjects. As a result, credit card knowledge level of the sample was found to be low. Number of credit cards of the respondents was the only independent variable which showed significant differences in credit card knowledge of the respondents. It was also found that university students acquire knowledge of credit cards by informal learning.Item The Relationship between learning styles and personality traits of students from Boğaziçi University Faculty of Education(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Yanardöner, Erdal.; Kızıltepe, Zeynep.The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between learning styles and personality traits of students from Boğaziçi University Faculty of education. In addition to that purpose, description of learning styles, personality traits, and their relationship between gender, department and grade point average (GPA) were searched. Three instruments were used for data collection in the study. For collecting demographic information regarding to sample, demographic data form designed by researcher was used. In order to measure learning styles of students, the Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (1985) was used. Finally, to measure personality traits of students, the Big Five Inventory (1993) (John, Donahue & Kentle) was administered. The data were collected from 236 students during 2009-2010 summer term, and data of 224 students were considered valid. The findings of the study indicated that the majority of students had assimilator learning style, and there was not a significant relationship between students' learning styles and their genders, departments, and GPAs. Findings also showed that the majority of students' personality trait was agreeableness and there was not a significant relationship between students’ personality traits and their gender, departments, and GPAs. Finally, according to the findings of the present study, no significant relationship was found between learning styles and personality traits of students.Item The development of the Turkish form of the Spielberger test anxiety inventory: |a study of transliteral equivalence and reliability(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Sosial Sciences, 1985., 1985.) Albayrak-Kaymak, Deniz.; Öner, Necla.This thesis is based on a study about the Turkish adaptation of the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAl), developed by Spielberger in 1980. It was carried in two phases. First, the transliteral equivalence of the inventory was established; then, the reliability of the Turkish form of the inventory was studied. In the transliteral equivalence part of the study, the English and the Turkish forms of the inventory were tested on 164 Turkish bilingual university and highschool students. The analyses including analysis of variance. Product Moment, alpha, item-total, and item-remainder correlation techniques showed that there were no significant differences between the scores obtained from the English and the Turkish language forms of the TAl. This finding indicated that the English and the Turkish forms of the TAl are comparable psycho linguistically. In the reliability part of the study the stability and the internal consistency of the Turkish form of the TAl (TAI-T) were investigated. For this purpose, 1031 Turkish students from different levels of education (university, senior, and junior highschool) and SES in istanbul were tested. The stability of the scores of the TAI-T was found by test-retest correlations with varying time intervals. The obtained high test-retest correlations attested to the stability of the scale. The internal consistency of the TAI-T was established us~ng alpha, item-total, and item-remainder correlations. High alpha coefficients, and mediocre to high item-total and item-remainder correlations were obtained. These values indicate that the item consistency and the homogeneity of the Turkish form are very satisfactory in general. One particular finding, however, was that with younger (junior highschool) students some test items need further improvement for better internal consistency. It is recommended that this point is taken up in the following studies. Generally, the study demonstrated supporting data on the stability and the internal consistency of the TAI-T.Item Reasons for student field trips to botanic gardens: A case from Turkey(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Bayındır, Dilan.; Seggie, Fatma Nevra.The aim of this survey is to determine the reasons why elementary school teachers organize student field trips into Nezahat Gökyigit Botanic Garden in stanbul, Turkey. The thesis defines the characteristics of elementary school teachers who organize field trips into the garden, the reasons for teacher personal visits into informal learning centers, the roles of teachers on field trip experience in its first parts. Then, it states what are the reasons of organizing student field trips and whether the reasons why teachers organize trips into the garden differ according to the identified teacher characteristics and contextual factors or not. A questionnaire, particularly developed for the study by the researcher, was used to collect data. Data was collected from elementary school teachers who organized student field trips into the garden during April-June 2010 period. The findings indicate that all of the identified nine factors are all very valid and important reasons for organizing field trips for teachers. There are no significant differences on factor scores according to many selected teacher characteristics such as years of teaching experience, teacher personal interest, and the perceived support of the school community. The significance of teacher agendas on field trip experience is drawn by findings and a significant relation is found between teachers’ interest and field trip experience they provide to their students.Item Comparison of factors affecting the level of job satisfaction of certificated and non-certificated nurses(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Yılmaz, Fatma Kantaş.; Kızıltepe, Zeynep.This study aims to determine and compare the factors that affect job satisfaction level of certificated and non-certificated nurses in public hospitals, private hospitals, and teaching and research hospitals which belong to the Ministry of Health in Istanbul. Six hundred and sixty nurses (F=579, M=81) aged between 18 and 58 were chosen by convenience sampling. As a framework to guide the design of the study Herzberg's Motivational-Hygiene Theory (1982) was used, and as an instrument Spector’s (1985) Job Satisfaction Survey was administered. In addition to the questionnaire, nurses were also asked four open-ended questions about their work motivations and demotivations, the reasons for their career choice, and if they have ever considered leaving their jobs. Results indicate that nurses who work at private hospitals have a higher level of job satisfaction than the nurses working at teaching and research hospitals and public hospitals. There is no significant difference between the level of job satisfaction of certificated and non-certificated nurses in general. However, there is a significant difference between the means of hospital types and sub-dimensions of Job Satisfaction Survey (pay, promotion, supervision, fringe benefits, contingent rewards, operating conditions, co-workers, nature of work, communication). In addition, according to the relationship between the job satisfaction level of nurses and their demographic characteristics; there is a relationship between sub-dimensions of job satisfaction and age/gender. Also, there is no relationship job satisfaction and marital status/having children. It is indicated that while patient satisfaction, alturistics reasons, economic reasons, relations with colleageus and administration and working conditions are motivating factors; economic reasons, working conditions, problems with patients, relations with collegues and administration, conflict between nurses and doctors, personal reasons and social status are demotivating factors. The reasons for leaving nursing categorized under unpleasant working conditions, personal reasons, economics reasons, social status, administration and others. The most important reasons for choosing nursing as a job were economic reasons, family reasons, altruistic reasons, task identity, task significance, wrong university choice.Item Profile of students and the reasons why they prefer private universities in Turkey(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Altunay, T. Eylül.; Seggie, Fatma Nevra.This survey research describes the profile of students who attend private higher education and explores the reasons why they prefer to study at private universities in Turkey. In this study private universities are ranked as “high- ranking, middleranking, and low- ranking” so that it will be possible to make comparisons between them, which enable us to understand varying dynamics of Turkish private higher education. Initially, this thesis draws the picture of students profile studying at three different ranks of universities by demonstrating their selected characteristics such as their age, socio economic status and gender. Then, it moves to whether the students’ characteristics show differences according to three ranks of universities and student status (scholarship/non-scholarship students). In the second place, the reasons why these students prefer to study at private universities and whether these reasons differ according to three ranks of universities and student status are analyzed. The data was collected with a questionnaire, particularly developed for this study. Research participants were selected from the universities representing high, middle and low ranking universities. Based on the findings ,it is possible to conclude that students characteristics differ depending on the ranks of universities and student status. For example, the types of high schools they graduated from differ in terms of student status and ranks of universities. Moreover, the reasons why students prefer to study at a private university differ from one another according to ranks of universities and student status. For instance, prestige, job opportunities, facilities are among the reasons which differ according to ranks of universities.Item The influence of university students' perceived paternal and maternal acceptance, father involvement and depressive symptoms on their resiliency(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Serbest, Sevla.; Erkman, Fatoş.The present study investigated the influence and association among perceived paternal acceptance, maternal acceptance, father involvement, depressive symptoms and perceived resiliency among 379 university undergraduate students in Istanbul with the mean age of twenty one years and six months. The independent variables of this study were: perceived paternal acceptance, perceived maternal acceptance, perceived father involvement, and perceived depressive symptoms while perceived resiliency was the dependent variable. Personal Data Sheet, Resiliency Scale, Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (Child PARQ-Turkish Short Form), Father Involvement Scale (FIS-Turkish Form), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D [NIMH] Turkish Form) and Beck Depression Inventory (Turkish Form) were used for data collection. Data analysis was conducted through SPSS and Structural Equation Modeling, in AMOS software statistics program. Results indicated that for university students perceived mother acceptance and depressive symptoms had a significant effect on resiliency, explaining 41 % of the variance. When data was analyzed separately for gender it was seen that for male university students, perceived maternal acceptance, depressive symptoms and perceived father involvement had a significant influence on resiliency explaining 45 % variance of resiliency. For female university students, depressive symptoms had a significant influence on resiliency with 39 % of the variance. It was also seen that perceived paternal acceptance had a significant relation to father involvement, for the total student sample (β=.71) in the study as well as for males (β=.67) and females (β=.72) when the data was analyzed according to gender, The implications of these findings, specifically the positive influence of maternal acceptance and the negative influence of depressive symptoms on resiliency of university youth can be translated into the work of counselors for health promotion of this population.Item Professional development in corporate training through learning experiences in the workplace(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2009., 2009.) Çimen, Canan Aratemur.; Ünlühısarcıklı, Özlem.The purpose of this study was to investigate learning experiences of corporate training practitioners in the workplace while acquiring necessary knowledge and skills for their professional development. More specifically, it explored the ways in which practitioners start to work in the profession, the kinds of knowledge and skills needed for professional expertise and the ways of professional development in corporate training. By using a qualitative research method, the research was carried out with thirteen corporate training practitioners within three different private business organizations operating in the banking, retail and telecommunication sectors in İstanbul, Turkey. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. The data was analyzed through content analysis method. The analysis of data indicated that practitioners generally did not make informed decisions when they started to work in corporate training. Corporate training practitioners defined their roles as consultants and strategic partners within the organization. They were mainly responsible for managing training activities within the organization as a process starting from training needs analysis to measurement and evaluation. To perform these roles and responsibilities, having conceptual knowledge in training and business knowledge together with communication and presentation skills were considered necessary. The findings revealed that professional expertise in corporate training was mostly developed through informal learning experiences in the workplace where formal learning experiences were found as complimentary but insufficient. In the study, there emerged two main categories of informal learning, “learning on their own” and “learning from others”. The informal learning activities under “learning on their own category” included exploration, execution of the job, presenting and self-reflection. The informal learning activities under the “learning from others” category included questioning, consulting and working in projects. The factors influencing practitioners’ informal learning experiences were classified as contextual factors and individual factors. While attitude of managers and colleagues towards practitioners, structure of work, access to learning resources and management attitude towards training were classified under contextual factors, personality characteristics and educational backgrounds of practitioners were classified under individual factors.