No abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between preservice teachers' Web 2.0 competencies and their critical thinking disposition (CTD). The study employed an associational research design using California Critical Thinking Disposition-Inventory (CCTD-I) and a Web 2.0 competency questionnaire including items related to Web 2.0 awareness, Web 2.0 use, and educational use of Web 2.0 tools. Five different Web 2.0 tools included in the study: (a) blogs, (b) wikis, (c) social networking websites, (d) YouTube, (e) podcasts. A total of 1335 preservice teachers completed the survey. Findings indicated that participants had a medium level internet use, Web 2.0 awareness, Web 2.0 use and Web 2.0 skills while their educational Web 2.0 use level was low. In terms of competencies on certain Web 2.0 tools, their blog, wiki and podcast competencies were at a very low level, whereas their social networking and YouTube competency levels were high. Findings also showed that there were significant relationships between preservice teachers' Web 2.0 competencies and their critical thinking disposition. The results highlighted that the use of different Web 2.0 tools can be complementary to each other during certain instructional activities to improve different dimensions of critical thinking disposition.

The aim of this study is to examine the loneliness and Internet addiction levels of college students in terms of demographic variables and to determine the variables that predict their Internet addiction level. Data were collected from college students studying at a public university in Turkey. The UCLA Loneliness Scale Version3 and Internet Addiction Test (IAT) were used as the data collection tools. College students were delivered an online survey and at the end 489 college students were voluntarily participated in the study. This survey study employed independent sample t-tests, ANOVA tests, correlation and multiple regression tests for data analysis. The results show that younger participants felt significantly more loneliness than older participants; similarly, students in lower classes felt more alone than those in upper classes. In terms of addiction, it is seen that the frequent use of computers, smartphones and social media increases the Internet addiction level of students. The study suggests a significant correlation between loneliness, Internet addiction, age, and Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). Additionally, loneliness and CGPA significantly predict Internet addiction. This study may be important in terms of determining the psychological variables affecting today's increasing technology addiction (internet, smart phone, etc.). Thus, determining the effect of the level of loneliness of young people on internet addiction may be effective in terms of preventing this addiction.

No abstract

Digital games have taken on an important role in many people's lives and are popular among various age groups and different genders. Hence, it is important to estimate why people are so attracted to digital games. The aim of this study is to investigate the motivational factors that incite people to play digital games. To achieve this, survey methods were implemented and the "Game Motivation Scale" was applied to 330 gamer participants. This scale used in this study is based on self-determination theory. According to the theory there are two types of motivation, namely intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The scale has six main dimensions which are intrinsic motivation, integrated regulation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, external regulation, and amotivation. The obtained data were analysed by MANOVA. The findings show that players are more intrinsically motivated while playing games, and that male participants' motivation is higher than that of females. Besides, players who have played for more years and for more hours, who prefer to spend money on games and gaming environments, are happy with their gaming habits, are highly motivated to play digital games. Based on these findings, the motivation level of players might be considered as beneficial in terms of serious game playing; whereas it might pose problems in terms of exhibiting addictive behaviours or negative issues affecting their psychological and physical wellbeing.