This study investigated the characteristics students use in attributing value to and classifying the living things; the relational construction of the life concepts and the living things and the place of human in this construction. Participants were first-year high school students from seven schools in Izmir (a large western city in Turkey). An open-ended conceptual understanding test was developed and administered to students. Semistructured interview forms were applied to students and biology teachers, one from each school; and this provided additional data to clarify ambiguous points in students' responses to the conceptual test. Results revealed that students constructed the life concept by associating it predominantly with 'human'. The most frequently associated concept to the life concept was found to be motion. Students tended to use their own classification criteria instead of biological classification. Generally, we noticed classifications in the form of 'human-animal-plant'

We propose an approach to clustering and visualization of students' cognitive structural models. We use the self-organizing map (SOM) combined with Ward's clustering to conduct cluster analysis. In the study carried out on 100 subjects, a conceptual understanding test consisting of open-ended questions was used as a data collection tool. The results of analyses indicated that students constructed the aliveness concept by associating it predominantly with human. Motion appeared as the most frequently associated term with the aliveness concept. The results suggest that the aliveness concept has been constructed using anthropocentric and animistic cognitive structures. In the next step, we used the data obtained from the conceptual understanding test for training the SOM. Consequently, we propose a visualization method about cognitive structure of the aliveness concept.

This cross-age study investigates the secondary school students' attitudes toward snake. Responses were elicited from a convenience sample of students (9 th , 10 th , 11 th , and 12 th grade, n=188). A Likert-type "Shark Attitude Inventory" developed by Thompson and Mintzes (2002), adapted for snakes and with name of "Snake Attitude Scale" (SS) was used for data collection. The attitude scale, on the basis of "nine attitudinal typologies toward wildlife" defined by Stephen R. Kellert, generated subscale scores on three dimensions: negativistic, scientistic/naturalistic, utilitarian/negative. Significant differences were not found among educational level on all attitudinal dimensions. Gender differences were documented on two of three attitude subscales. The pattern of findings suggests that males excelled in negativistic and scientistic/naturalistic attitudes scores. The results did not yield a statistically significant difference between males and females in terms of utilitarian/negative attitude.

In this study, using fuzzy-rough set and intuitionistic fuzzy set approaches, we propose a cognitive structural model for the concept of life for which a certain definition can not be made because of scientific uncertainty as well as moral, legal, and theological aspects. Total 191 first-year students from seven different high schools in a large western city in Turkey participated in the study. An open-ended conceptual understanding (CULC) test, developed by the researcher, was used for data collection. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 14 students and their biology teachers to clarify ambiguous points in students' responses to the CULC test. The results of analyses indicated that students constructed the concept of life by associating it predominantly with 'human'. Motion appeared as the most frequently associated term with the concept of life. The results suggest that the life concept has been constructed using animistic-anthropocentric cognitive schemes. In the next step, we evaluated the data obtained from the CULC test using the fuzzy-rough set and intuitionistic fuzzy set theories. Consequently, we propose an 'animistic-anthropocentric structural model' about cognitive construction of the concept of life.

Studying individuals and students' attitudes towards environment and factors affecting students to be responsible individuals towards their environment may provide help towards the solution of environmental problems. In this study, it is aimed to evaluate environmental attitudes of high school students in terms of some variables. The sample of the study consists of 330 participants of whom 145 are male and 185 are female having studied in a High School in Balikesir (in western Turkey). In the study, as a means of data collection, Environmental Attitude Scale (EAS) and the personal information form have been used. The EAS which consists of 35 items is composed of 4 sub-dimensions as "Environmental awareness", "Attitude toward recovery", "Attitude toward recycling" and "Environmental consciousness and behavior". According to the findings, considering the analysis of the EAS, statistically a considerable difference was reached between the sub-dimensions of the EAS and the gender, grade and parent education level variables. However, a considerable difference was not found between the branch of students and some sub-dimensions of the EAS.