"What have we learned in the international student assessments?: A closer look at the PISA and TIMSS results"

Prof. Dr. Giray BERBEROĞLU

Middle East Technical University
Faculty of Education

Giray Berberoğlu is a professor of Educational Measurement and Assessment at the Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara. He received his BSc and MSc degrees from METU, and his PhD degree from Hacettepe University. He was a Fulbright visiting scholar in the academic years 1995–1996 and 2012–2013 at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has worked as a consultant in national and international organisations and as a director of the Research and Development Section in Student Measurement and Selection Center (ÖSYM) in Turkey. His research agenda basically focuses on trends in students’ learning, factors related to achievement in mathematics and natural sciences, and cross-cultural and cross-lingual assessment of students.

The influence of intuitive theories on learning processes

Have you ever considered how your intuitive beliefs and theories may influence the way you act and how you learn? Intuitive beliefs and theories are implicit and we are often not aware of them, but they can exert considerable influence on our behaviour and on our learning.  In this presentation I will talk about my research on how students’ intuitive theories about the physical world influence the interpretation of information received through instruction and contribute to the creation of misconceptions. I will also talk about intuitive theories regarding learning itself and about how they may influence teaching practices.

Prof. Dr. Stella VOSNIADOU

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens 
Department of Philosophy and History of Science

Stella Vosniadou is Strategic Professor in Education at The Flinders University of South Australia, and Emeritus Professor in the Department of Philosophy and History of Science at  the University of Athens. She received her BA at Brandeis University, MA at Columbia University, and Ph.D. in Psychology at Clark University in the USA. She was a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign before returning to Greece to teach at the University of Athens. Professor Vosniadou has more than 150 publications including authored and edited books, articles in refereed journals and edited volumes, mainly in the areas of cognitive development, cognitive psychology, conceptual change, and learning science and mathematics. She is well known internationally for her research for which she received the 2011 Distinguished International Contributions to Child Development Award by the Society for Research in Child Development. She is a fellow of the American Educational Research Association and of the International Academy of Education, and a frequent keynote speaker in International Conferences.

Prof. Dr. Nailya BAGAUTDINOVA

Director
Kazan Federal University
Institute of Management, Economics and Finance