Thesis Type: Postgraduate
Institution Of The Thesis: Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Education, Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Turkey
Approval Date: 2019
Student: Nevzat Huruzoğlu
Supervisor: ÖMER DELİALİOĞLU
Abstract:Computational thinking, programming and entrepreneurship are three of the most important domains in 21st century, where the economies are internationalized and primarily based on information technology rather than traditional industry. It is therefore crucial to have individuals with high proficiency and high levels of selfefficacy in these domains, to be able to thrive and advance as a society. The primary purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the possible positive impact of a short-term training on self-efficacy of students and teachers, the dynamic individuals of a society, in computational thinking, programming and entrepreneurship. The study also aimed to investigate whether the short-term training would have a differing impact on students and teachers, in terms of enhancement and sustainability of self-efficacy. Participants were 38 students and 28 teachers, selected using purposeful sampling, from a pool of 203 students and 129 teachers who applied online to participate in Applied Entrepreneurship and Informatics Training for Youth Project. Data was collected from the groups (students and teachers) three times with the same instruments, as pretest, posttest and 2nd posttest, based on a quasi-experimental research design. Data was analyzed using paired samples t-test and Independent samples t-test and results indicated that the short-term training significantly increased student and teacher self-efficacy in aforementioned domains and that the training did not have a differing impact on students and teachers in terms of enhancement and sustainability of self-efficacy, as the increase in self-efficacy was not significantly different for the groups and both groups sustained their self-efficacy in these domains indifferently