Browsing by Author "Ahi B."

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A phenomenographic investigation into preschool children’s relationships with nature through drawings
(2019-10-02) Ahi B.; Atasoy V.
This study aims to investigate preschool children’s relationships with nature through drawings. To this end, a total of 212 preschoolers constituted the study group. This study employed a triangulation design, i.e. one of the mixed-methods approaches in which qualitative and quantitative processes were carried out. As a result of the analyses, it was concluded that the children visually presented and narrated their relationships with nature positively. The age and gender variables were found to have led to statistically significant differences in the activities depicted in the drawings and the tone of the drawings, as well as the settings and people that are drawn in them. In light of the findings of this study, it can be argued that starting environmental education at an early age and enabling children to spend more time engaging with nature are important.
A study to determine the mental models in preschool children’s conceptualization of a desert environment
(2016-03-01) Ahi B.
This study aimed to determine mental models and identify codes (schemes) used in conceptualizing a desert environment. The sample for this study consisted of 184-out of a total population of 3,630-children in preschool education in the central district of Kastamonu, Turkey. Within the scope of this study, the children were initially asked to draw a desert-themed picture, followed by a semi-structured interview to seek their opinions about the drawing and clarify what a desert environment meant to them. According to the findings, the children referred to 38 different codes relevant to the conceptualization of a desert environment; the most frequently used were the sun (f= 160, 86.9%), sand (f= 100, 54.3%), cacti (f= 74, 35.3%) and camels (f= 52, 28.6%). During the interview phase, 33 children described a desert as a place where there is no life, although a significant number of the children (f= 65, 39.1%) did describe a desert as a place where plants and animals live. Moreover, the sun and its rays were disproportionately bigger in size, in order to emphasize the excessive heat associated with the specific ecosystem found in a desert environment; to reinforce this, humans drenched in sweat, the absence of trees and the prevalence of cacti and exotic wildlife, including camels, scorpions and lizards, were all features of the children’s drawings. Based on these findings, it was inferred that the mental models in some of the children (f= 72, 39.1%) were scientifically informed, with a degree of accuracy, about a desert environment. On the basis of the findings, it is considered that determining mental models in children in relation to different ecological concepts can be beneficial to teachers and curriculum programmers involved in environmental education.
An analysis of plant blindness in Turkish textbooks used at the basic education level
(2018-01-01) Ahi B.; Atasoy V.; Balci S.
The importance of plants is not as clearly understood as that of animals. This lack of attention is called “plant blindness” and is considered one of the most important problems in biology education. Textbooks do not put much emphasis on plants and, therefore, they may contribute to plant blindness. In this research, ten textbooks used for teaching at the basic education level in Turkey were analyzed for plant blindness using the document analysis method. The words and photographs associated with plants and animals were analyzed. The data analysis did not find any evidence that could lead to a conclusion of plant blindness based on the text and photos of these textbooks. However, if the number of plant and animal species covered is increased, and more words and photos are used to introduce these species, children will become more familiar with plants and animals. Besides textbooks, other educational tools can be analyzed in terms of plant blindness to expand on the related literature.
Ecology and the child: Determination of the knowledge level of children aged four to five about concepts of forest and deforestation¹
(2018-07-03) Ahi B.; Balcı S.
The purpose of the study is to reveal the knowledge level of pre-school children aged four to five about the concepts of forest and deforestation. The study group of the research consists of 29 children having pre-school education. The data were collected using a standardized open-ended interview technique. Results of the study showed that children have limited knowledge about concepts of forest and deforestation. A significant proportion of children could not define forest (f = 11) or deforestation (f = 9). Moreover, although a high number of children stated that the destruction of forests has negative influences on animals but only one child stated it would negatively affect the atmosphere, and only one child stated it would lead to landslides. The children think that the reasons for the destruction of forests are human-induced such as heating, paper production and use of construction materials. No significant correlation was found between the children's knowledge of these two concepts and their age or gender. In light of the findings of the study, it is suggested that ecological concepts should be directly incorporated into pre-school education programmes and that environmental education should be conducted outdoors based on daily life experiences.
“Environment Is Like Nature”: Opinions Of Children Attending Forest Kindergarten About The Concept Of Environment
(2021-01-01) Ahi B.; Kahriman-Pamuk D.
The purpose of the current study is to determine the opinions of children attending forest kindergarten about the concept of environment. The participants of the study are thirty six 50-70 month-old children attending a forest kindergarten. In line with the purpose of the study, the triangulation design, one of the qualitative research models, was used. In the quantitative dimension of the current study, the children were asked to draw what comes to their mind when they hear the word “environment” and then interviews were conducted with the children about their drawings. Then, on the basis of the codes derived from the drawings and DAET-R, it was attempted to understand the structure of their opinions about environment. In the qualitative dimension of the study, interviews were conducted according to the phenomenological design. As a result of the analyses conducted, it was concluded that the children generally evaluated nature as environment. In both drawings and interviews, the children generally drew and mentioned biotic and abiotic factors. The concepts of human and designed environment were rarely emphasized in the drawings and interviews. Given that the participating children were attending a forest kindergarten it was already expected by the researchers that their opinions would be “nature” centred. In light of these findings, it is thought that it is important to make educational programs built on environmental education more widespread.
Examining 48-60 months old children’s perceptions about teacher concept by analyzing their drawings
(2016-01-01) Ahi B.; Cingi M.A.; Kıldan A.O.
Exploring Turkish preservice teachers' mental models of the environment: Are they related to gender and academic level?
(2017-05-27) Ahi B.; Balci S.; Alisinanoğlu F.
The current study aimed to establish Turkish preservice teachers' mental models of the environment and to determine the relationship these models have with gender and grade level. The study group comprised 463 Turkish preservice teachers from primary school education and preschool education departments. The data from the study were collected from drawings made by the participants. The drawings were evaluated using the Draw-an-Environment Test Rubric (DAET-R). The results of the study revealed that preservice teachers provide only superficial and scientifically deficient descriptions of the environment and that they constructed their mental models by perceiving the environment not as a unity of systems but as an object. On the basis of the findings, which showed that many preservice teachers do not include humans in their drawings, or draw biotic factors without other elements, it was concluded that preservice teachers perceive the environment as “nature” only. Although no statistically significant difference was found between females and males with respect to their mental models, significant differences occurred between second-year and fourth-year students and between third-year and fourth-year students, in favor of second- and third-year students.
Forest schools as a family choice: a narrative study
(2022-01-01) Ahi B.; Kaya G.; Kahriman-Pamuk D.
The study aims to understand the story underlying parents’ preference for forest schools in Turkey and determine the reasons for the choice. This study was conducted according to the narrative study model, one of the qualitative research designs. Within the context of this study, the opinions of parents of five children receiving their education in the forest school during their preschool period were elicited. As a result of the analysis of the interviews conducted, three super themes and seven different codes gathered under these themes were obtained. In conclusion, the reasons for the parents’ choice of forest school instead of a formal education institution were found to be ‘Inconsistency between the parents’ expectations and what is offered by the education system, adverse effects of formal education on the child, family ideal, school experiences, educational philosophy, through recommendation and developmental reasons/concerns.
How is the environment in the mind of the gifted elementary school student? A phenomenology study
(2020-01-01) Akar İ.; Ahi B.
The purpose of this phenomenology study is to elicit and understand the gifted elementary school students’ opinions about environment. A total of three gifted elementary school students selected by means of the homogenous sampling technique participated in the current study conducted in line with the phenomenology design of quantitative research. The data were collected through the Draw-An-Environment Test and Rubric and one-to-one interviews conducted with the students. In the analysis of the collected data, textural and structural descriptions were used. In light of the findings of the current study, it can be said that the gifted students mainly used biotic elements in their drawings. In addition to this, the findings obtained from the drawings and interviews have revealed that the gifted students have a limited and anthropocentric perception of the environment. On the basis of the findings of the current study, it can be suggested that the number of environment-centred studies including gifted students as their participants should be increased and the environmental education to be given to gifted students should be focused on the inculcation of ecocentric conception of the environment in these students.
Mind the gap! Differences between parents’ childhood games and their children’s game preferences
(2017-12-01) Balci S.; Ahi B.
This study discusses the differences between parents’ childhood games and their children’s game preferences. Four hundred and nineteen parents were surveyed to determine their play experiences as children as well as their children’s play experiences today. The results of the study indicate that there is a gap between the time spent outdoors by parents in their childhood and their children. Today, most children spend time indoors, usually playing computer games. The activities and games preferred by the children differed from those of their parents. Although the parents preferred mostly group games requiring group cooperation, competition between groups and physical activity, the children preferred more individualized activities such as cycling and playing in the park. The factors hindering children from playing outside are considered. Although most parents indicated that playing outside is beneficial for their children, they prevented their children from playing outside for reasons such as the dangers of being hit by a car or abduction.
The world of plants in children’s drawings: Color preferences and the effect of age and gender on these preferences
(2017-01-01) Ahi B.
Plants is a neglected topic in biology education. Educational activities about plants are important in early terms because they are the base of both the science and the biology education. The purpose of this research is to understand opinions of the children by utilizing drawings and the colors they used. It is run by the phenomenological model point of view in qualitative research method. In the scope of the research, researchers worked with 80 children (40 girls, 40 boys). Data of the research consist of children’s drawings. In this context, A4 sized papers and crayons have been distributed to children and they have been asked to make drawings of plants. At the end of the research, it was found that there was a total of 21 different elements and that these elements were drawn 237 times in the children’s drawings. Moreover, no statistically significant dependence was particularly found between the elements of the sun, tree, flower, grass and rain, and age and gender. Similarly, while no significant correlation was found between the number of colors used in the drawings and age, a statistically significant correlation between the number of preferred colors and gender was found in favor of the girls. Furthermore, it was found that the children preferred light colors in their drawings. In light of the findings of the current research, it can be argued that science education given during the preschool period should be conducted by using methods, which are enjoyable and allow children to reflect the knowledge in their minds, for example, through drawings.
What do primary school students’ drawings tell us about their mental models on marine environments?
(2020-01-01) Atasoy V.; Ahi B.; Balci S.
The current study aims to investigate the mental models of primary school students about marine environments and how variables such as gender, grade level, and city of residence affect their mental models. To this end, 100 students were selected from each of the four grade levels of primary education in Turkey; thus, a total of 400 students participated in the study. In the analysis of the collected data, both statistical tests and the content analysis method were used. As a result of the analyses conducted, it was found that with increasing grade level, the number of the codes belonging to marine environments also increased significantly (X 2 (3, n = 400) = 151.296, p = 0.000). In other words, the students’ mental models about marine environments were parallel to their grade level. In addition, the students’ mental models about marine environments were not found to vary significantly depending on gender (U = 18,513, z = −0.861, p = 0.39 with effect size r = 0.04) and city of residence (U = 19,852, z = −0.129, p = 0.897, with effect size r = 0.006).
“Where does the breath I take from my nose go? Children's knowledge about respiratory system
(2017-01-01) Ahi B.; Balcı S.