Subject Matter Competency Perceptions of Teacher Educators in Education Faculties of Turkey

The purpose of the current study is to determine teacher educators’ level of general subject matter competency perception and to investigate whether this level varies depending on different variables. In the collection of the data of the study employing the survey model, a single dimension and 106-item “scale of teacher educators’ general subject matter competency perceptions” was used. The scale was prepared in the online environment and sent to 8200 faculty members working in education faculties all over Turkey by e-mail. A total of 789 teacher educators responded to the scale. It was found that the teacher educators generally consider themselves highly competent in terms of general subject matter competences. The area with the lowest competence perception level was found to be foreign language. The teacher educators’ general subject matter competence perceptions were found to be not varying significantly depending on their gender, type of the university where they are working (state/foundation), academic title, discipline (educational sciences/subject area education) and teaching experience. In light of these findings, it can be argued that these competences should be considered in the recruitment of teacher educators in education faculties.

Health sciences librarian competency perceptions: a survey of national community college librarians

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to determine how community college health sciences librarians perceive their proficiencies in the essential skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary for the practice of a health information professional as defined by the Medical Library Association (MLA) Competencies for Lifelong Learning and Professional Success. A secondary objective was to determine their current level of engagement with the professional community and identify barriers to further professional development.Methods: A survey was posted to various email discussion lists, and volunteer follow-up interviews were conducted.Results: The survey was completed by seventy-five community college health sciences librarians, and seven follow-up interviews were performed. Survey results indicated that community college health sciences librarians perceived themselves as having intermediate or advanced intermediate proficiency in the six MLA competencies. Survey and interview results indicated that community college health sciences librarians were engaged with the profession and faced the same barriers to continued professional development and continued education as other academic librarians.Conclusion: The results affirm that community college librarians who are responsible for collections and services in the health sciences meet the MLA competencies, which fills a gap in the literature regarding how these librarians develop professional competencies and are involved in professional associations. The results suggest that community college librarians can improve their skill levels by continuing their education and following trends in the literature.

Self-efficacy perceptions of teachers on using the Montessori method in special education in North Cyprus

The aim of this study is to determine the self-efficacy perceptions of special education teachers about the use of the Montessori method by a valid and reliable scale developed by the researcher. The model of the research is a general descriptive model of quantitative research methods. In the 2017–2018 academic year, 67 special education teachers who work under the Directorate of Primary Education of the Ministry of National Education of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are participated in this research universe, which comprise 29, 12, 20, 4 and 2 teachers from Special Education Application Centre, Special Education and Work Application Centre, primary schools, kindergartens and school for visually impaired, respectively. This study was conducted only with all the special education teachers in the universe not by any sampling method. The general proficiency perceptions of the special education teachers for the use of the Montessori method were at the level of instability. According to the general competency perceptions of the female teachers on the use of the Montessori method, it was found that their responses were more positive than the males. Keywords: Montessori method, self-efficacy scale, special education.

Trust and its predictors within a cyber-physical system context

Purpose This paper aims to provide empirically derived insights into trust and its predictors within a cyber-physical system context of a household service. Design/methodology/approach The methodology comprises an innovative mixed methods design encompassing a videographic animated film portraying a potential “slice of life” household service-system scenario that was subsequently incorporated into a quantitative survey. A total of 400 responses were then used to examine trust dimensions and their hypothesised predictors. Findings Findings suggest trust is two-dimensional, with “online networking competency”, “perceptions of risk”, “propensity to trust technology in general” and “concerns about security” being significant predictors. Surprisingly, “concerns about privacy” do not have a significant effect. Originality/value The contribution of this research is twofold. Firstly, from a theoretical perspective, the paper offers empirical insights into trust and its predictors within a cyber-physical system context of a household service. Secondly, and from a pragmatic perspective, the model derived from this study may aid practitioners in developing trust strategies and trust management systems within such contexts.

Impact of the Time of Diagnosis on the Perceived Competence of Adolescents With Dyslexia

Intergroup comparison studies have shown that children with specific learning disorders hold lower self-perceptions regarding their abilities than their typically developing peers, especially in an academic setting. This small-scale study investigated the potential effect of diagnostic timing on competency perceptions within a sample of adolescents with dyslexia, either diagnosed in primary or secondary school, but paired on duration of intervention and academic impairment. Perceived competence was assessed via self-report on an academic, social, and more general level. These measures were complemented by open-ended questions investigating pupils’ understanding and tolerance of their dyslexia. Early-diagnosed adolescents were found to hold higher academic and general competency perceptions. Moreover, pupils’ personal statements to the open-ended questions revealed a statistically significant association between time of diagnosis and understanding as well as tolerance of dyslexia, indicating that early-diagnosed adolescents, compared with their late-diagnosed peers, have more adequate representations of their reading disorder as specific and non-stigmatizing and are more open to announcing their dyslexia to others. These preliminary findings suggest that diagnostic timing might lead early-diagnosed adolescents to a more adequate understanding of their dyslexia, which might also be related to higher competency perceptions.