Alpturk AKCOLTEKIN1 Ali Osman ENGIN2 Hikmet SEVGIN3
1Ardahan University, TURKEY
2Ataturk University, TURKEY
3Gazi University, TURKEY
DOI: 10.14689/ejer.2017.68.2
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The main objective is to investigate high school teachers’ attitudes relating to educational research with respect to demographic variables.
Research Methods: The study is based on the relational screening model. Data was obtained through an adapted scale to determine high school teachers’ attitudes toward educational research. The study was carried out with 669 teachers working at 11 different branches in metropolitan areas, towns, and counties. The data obtained in this study was analysed by SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) for Windows 21.0 program.
Findings: It was observed that teachers with 1-5 years’ occupational seniority showed more sensitivity towards educational research than those who had been working for more than five years. Their tendency to “[follow] scientific journals relating to their study field” was also found to be significant. Additionally, among teachers following scientific journals relating to their field, female teachers showed a greater interest in educational research than male teachers.
Implications for Research and Practice: Based on these results, in-service training activities should be organised and given to high school teachers who have completed five years in the teaching profession at state schools and in relevant university departments in order to improve the attitudes of teachers towards educational research and encourage teachers to follow publications related to their field.
Keywords: High school teachers, educational research attitude, classification-tree method, firstand second-level confirmatory factor analysis.