Effectively engaging learners in an online learning environment is a crucial component of instructional design that contributes to improving performance. Gamification, a contemporary instructional strategy, seeks to integrate game elements such as leaderboards into non-game contexts with the aim of increasing learner engagement and performance. This quasi-experimental study explores the impact of integrating leaderboards as a gamification element into formative assessment on learner achievement and engagement in an engineering course. Conducted over eight weeks in the Mechatronics Technology Department of a public university in Türkiye, the study involved 159 s-year engineering students. Using a pretest-posttest control group design, the intervention included a pre-test in the first week, six weeks of instruction and formative online assessment, and a post-test in the final week. Analyzing the data using descriptive and inferential statistics, the results of the study show a positive correlation between the incorporation of a leaderboard as a gamification element into formative assessment procedures within an online platform and improved learner achievement and engagement. However, it is noted that gamification may not sustain learners’ long-term attention. Therefore, instructors are advised to carefully consider time and retention concerns when designing or adopting gamified learning opportunities.

CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF ONLINE LEARNING READINESS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH LEARNER ACHIEVEMENT

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the dispositions of early career teacher educators as young academics toward sustainability and accountability for sustainability issues. Through their interpretations, concerns, awareness and ownership of sustainability, the study portrays how a global phenomenon is articulated specifically within the local context of teachers colleges in Turkey.Design/methodology/approach: The study was designed as a survey, and the data were collected through a cross-sectional online questionnaire. The sample (n = 72) was limited, through purposeful sampling, to early career teacher educators teaching and being trained in well-established Turkish teachers colleges to become prospective faculty members of newly founded teachers colleges across the country. The data were analyzed primarily through quantitative methods. For the analyses, STATA software was used to perform descriptive and inferential statistics.Findings: The general results indicated that the participants were highly concerned about sustainability problems. However, their concerns were not reflected to the same degree on their perceived awareness and ownership of education for sustainable development (ESD). Hunger and poverty, loss of biodiversity, climate change and epidemic diseases were all perceived to be urgent more in the global context. On the other hand, unemployment, refugees and terrorism were perceived to be locally urgent problems. Different agencies within the community were addressed to be accountable for different types of sustainability problems. The accountability for economic, environmental and societal problems were mainly placed on governments. Additionally, individuals/families and educators were held more accountable for environmental issues, while corporations and super powers were held more accountable for economic issues. As for societal issues, educators, individuals/families and non-governmental organizations were addressed to be more responsible.Originality/value: The significance of the study is mainly twofold. If sustainable development is conceptualized with a futuristic viewpoint that attaches a great importance to next generations' needs, focusing on the dispositions of early career teacher educators as young academics is a reasonable way of addressing the current gaps and eliminating the future inefficacies. Building on the assumption that ESD would remain imperfect without the commitment of teacher educators who have the potential to bring changes in educational systems and shape knowledge and skills of future teachers, in turn future generations; this study becomes even more valuable as it includes specifically the academicians in the field of teacher education.

Öğretmenlik, hem bilişsel bir etkinlik hem de sosyal bir davranış olarak karmaşık bir özelliğe sahiptir; bu nedenle, öğretmenlerin sınıftaki alışkanlıklarını ve davranışsal eğilimlerini nasıl geliştirdiğini ve yönettiğini izlemek son derece önemlidir. Öğretmenlerin zihinsel yönetimi uzun süredir eğitim araştırmalarının odak noktası olmuştur, çünkü bu zihinsel yönetimin onların eylemlerini yönlendirdiği bilinmektedir. Öğretmen bilişini öğretmenlik alışkanlıklarını geliştirmek ve yönetmek için güçlü bir olgu olarak gören bu makalede, kavramsal geliştirme yaklaşımı benimsenmiş ve öğretmen bilişi tarihsel temelleri, kilit bileşenleri, kavramsal boyutları, temel kökenleri ve itici güçleriyle birlikte ele alınarak kapsamlı ve bütüncül bir alanyazın derlemesi sunulmuştur. Kırk yılı aşkın bir dönemi kapsayan deneysel ve kuramsal alanyazın üzerine inşa edilmiş bu çalışmada, öğretmen bilişinin kavramsal alanlarına ilişkin üçlü bir model ortaya konmaktadır. Öğretmenlerin kişisel ve mesleki yaşantılarını çevreleyen bağlamsal koşullardan etkilendiği için, öğretmen bilişi kavramı üç temel köken ve üç itici güç açısından yeniden değerlendirilmektedir. Bu bağlamda, makale öğretmen bilişini inşa edilme ve eyleme yönelme biçimleri açısından yeniden ele almakta ve son olarak öğretmen eğitimi için öneriler sunmaktadır.