ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to examine the effect of teaching with worksheets prepared for the 6th grade clusters in distance education on the academic achievement of students. The research was conducted with 39 students studying in a public secondary school in eastern Turkiye in the first semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. In the study, a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was practiced to collect data. In the experimental group, the subject of cluster was taught with worksheets prepared in accordance with the constructivist teaching, and in the control group, with general teaching methods. After the practice, the "Clusters Achievement Test" was applied to the experimental and control group students as pre-test and post-test. The academic achievement of the experimental and control groups were compared and it was determined that there was a statistically significant difference in favor of the experimental group. Data analyzes showed that the worksheets prepared for the subject of clusters in distance education increased the academic achievement of the students. At the end of the practice carried out within the scope of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 students in the experimental group who fully participated in the studies and activities. The findings obtained from the interviews showed that the students adopted the lessons taught with the worksheets. In addition, it was determined from the statements of the students that they were satisfied with the teaching of the lessons using worksheets in the distance education process, they participated more actively in the online lessons, and they made extra efforts in using materials and completing the activities.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to detect the frequency and course of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infection among our rheumatology outpatients and to investigate how patient follow-up differed during Covid-19 pandemic in a tertiary University Hospital in the capital of Turkey. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) registered in our rheumatology clinic were assessed during their routine outpatient follow-up control or contacted via phone between July and December 2020. Patients' demographics, diagnosis, medication, comorbidities, frequency of going outside during the pandemic, work status, whether patients could attend their routine follow-up, treatment changes, access to drugs during the pandemic, and the incidence of Covid-19 infection were collected. RESULTS: A total of 320 patients with IRD were analysed; 114 (35.6%) patients were treated with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) (methotrexate/leflunomide/sulfasalazine), 93 (29.1%) patients with biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs), 113 (35.3%) patients with glucocorticoids, and 103 (32.2%) patients with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). A total of 15.9% of patients on HCQ experienced problems in medication supply. Only 87 (27.2%) patients presented for their routine follow-up appointment, and 38 (11.9%) of the patients changed their treatment without professional health advice. While 53 (57%) patients on biological agents continued their treatment, 31 patients (33.3%) interrupted the treatment with doctor's recommendation and 9 patients (9.6%) on their initiative, and 23 of these 31 patients had to restart treatment because of disease activation. The nasopharyngeal swab collected from 30 patients with a suspected Covid-19 contact but without any symptoms was negative. In total, there were 33 patients diagnosed with Covid-19; none of whom had severe respiratory complications or death. CONCLUSIONS: Many patients with rheumatic diseases are left without disease monitoring during the pandemic. There was no increased risk of severe Covid-19 infection among patients with IRD.