In the ever-changing employment world, HR departments in all sectors are highly meticulous while hiring persons for all sorts of positions for organizations. What they expect the applicants to possess is not only the technical skills they need to do their jobs but also the soft skills they will be using in the job environment such as critical decision making, team-leading, communication and more to be productive, efficient, and effective. Since engineering is a highly interdisciplinary field, graduates of it have the opportunity to work in many different professional contexts and they must acquire soft skills for all sorts of professional settings. This study explores soft skills for professional life and determines the content of the soft-skills course that should be included in the curriculum of engineering faculties at Turkish universities which are in the top 10 ranking of University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) and offers a course design for a soft-skills course originating from academic discussions and the needs of the job market.

This study investigates the necessity for Turkish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop green competitive advantages and the challenges they face in this process. It examines how SMEs adopt and implement green competition strategies in light of proactive and reactive environmental strategies. The research was conducted using a case study approach, with data collected through interviews and observations with six SMEs from various sectors in Türkiye. The findings reveal that while most SMEs are willing to adopt green competition strategies, they face difficulties such as lack of financial and technical resources, integrating green strategies into their core business, and complying with local and global legislation. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers, academics, and practitioners interested in promoting sustainable practices among SMEs.

This research aims to examine the effects of developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and open-access software on the visions of academicians. The research was conducted using the phenomenology pattern, one of the qualitative research methods, and semi-structured in-depth interviews were preferred during the data collection process. Descriptive and coding-based qualitative content analysis methods were used in the research process. Emerging themes include the use of artificial intelligence in higher education; situation analysis of the use of AI in academics (SWOT); and strategic dimension of using AI in higher education. These themes explain in detail the potential effects of AI and open-access software on the strategy and competitiveness dimensions of academics’ visions. It is expected that the study will make significant contributions to understanding the changes that AI and open-access software will create in the academic world and how these technologies can be integrated into the way academics work.

Bu çalışmanın amacı, bir dil sınıfında yetişkin bir öğrenen bulunmasının etkilerini analiz etmektir. Çalışma bir Üniversite Hazırlık Sınıfında (İHS) gerçekleştirilmiş ve 4 İHS öğretim görevlisi, 5 İHS öğrencisi ve 1 yetişkin öğrenen (YÖ) ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. İHS öğretim görevlilerinin yaşları 36 ve 49 arasındadır ve öğretmenlik deneyimleri 10 ila 24 yıl arasında değişkenlik göstermektedir. İHS öğrencilerinin yaşları 19 ve 21 arasında değişmektedir. Yetişkin öğrenen 42 yaşındadır ve doktora eğitimini tamamlamıştır. Araştırma, kolay ulaşılabilir ve amaçlı örneklem yaklaşımı kullanılarak tasarlanmıştır. Veriler, nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden biri olan fenomenoloji tekniği ve açık uçlu sorular kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Veriler, nitel içerik analizi yaklaşımı kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Veri analizine dayalı olarak, bir dil sınıfında yetişkin öğrenen bulunmasına ilişkin dikkate değer temalar tespit edilmiştir. ‘Dil öğrenme sürecinde yetişkin bir öğrenene sahip olmanın zorlukları teması’, ‘dil öğrenmeye yönelik önyargı’, ‘sınıf etkileşiminde yetişkin öğrenenin hâkimiyeti’ alt temalarını, ‘yetişkin öğrenene sahip olmanın faydaları’ teması, ‘motivasyon’, ‘dil öğrenme farkındalığını artırma’, ‘yetişkin öğrenenin rol model olması’, ‘bilgi aktarımı’, ‘kariyer planlaması’ alt temalarını ve 'yetişkin bir öğrenenin dil öğrenme sürecine etkisi' teması ise ‘deneyim aktarımı’, ‘strateji eğitimi’, ‘ders planlaması’ ve ‘materyal tasarımı’ alt temalarını içerir.

The purpose of the study is to analyze the views on Teaching Assistant Practice (TAP) gathered from five senior English Language Teaching (ELT) students. The primary aim is to investigate and reveal how TAP affects EFL pre-service teachers’ teaching quality. The study was designed using a qualitative approach and a purposive sampling approach. The data was collected using open-ended questions and was analyzed using the qualitative content analysis approach. Based on the evidence, significant themes regarding the TAP were discovered. The following were the themes: excelling on pedagogical content knowledge and teaching quality, raising awareness, and improving teacher roles, the benefits of being professionally present as a teacher in the classroom, and the enhancement of multitasking. It was concluded that with the responses obtained from the prospective teachers, the themes mentioned create a positive atmosphere for them to sharpen their practical teaching skills in a professional sense.