Turkish Validity Examination of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale

The validation studies of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) have been conducted with samples from different nations but mostly from western individualistic cultures. Life satisfaction and its constructs could differ depending on cultural characteristics and life satisfaction scales should be validated in different cultures before using as measurement tools. This paper exhibits the validation study of the MSLSS in the collectivistic Turkish context and the study was conducted among 959 high school and primary school students. The MSLSS was found to be reliable and valid for the Turkish context with a few exceptions.     

A Perception Survey for the Evaluation of Urban Quality of Life in Kocaeli and a Comparison of the Life Satisfaction with the European Cities

Studies on urban quality of life (QoL) have been attracting lots of attention from various countries due to the deterioration of urban environment and decrease of the urban QoL. These studies that have been supported by international organizations such as United Nations, World Bank, OECD, European Commission and EUROSTAT (European Statistics) involve comparative assessment of life satisfaction in the European cities and comparing cities facilitate the exchange of experiment and improve the quality of local policies. The main objective of this study is to measure the local perceptions of QoL in Kocaeli, which is one of the important industrial cities of Turkey and compare the life satisfaction with the European cities. Generally, two different types of indicators have been used: objective and subjective indicators. The objective indicators cover five fields: socio-economic aspects, participation in civic life, education and training, environment and culture, and leisure. The subjective indicators are mainly for valuation of QoL perceptions in a city. In this research, a perception survey will be carried out to measure the local perceptions of QoL in Kocaeli. This survey will present on issues for which the residents in the Kocaeli had widely diverging opinions: employment opportunities, housing costs, safety, cleanliness of city, public transport, air quality and overall satisfaction with the QoL of their city. Thus, the study will become a major reference for local officials to improve QoL in Kocaeli and contribute to researches on QoL in cities.     

Generating Bivariate Uniform Data with a Full Range of Correlations and Connections to Bivariate Binary Data

In this article, random number generation algorithms for generating bivariate uniform data based on a known class of symmetric bivariate uniform distributions that allow the entire correlation range are given, and its previously unrecognized connection with bivariate binary data is established via matching the cumulative distribution functions.     

Computing the Point-biserial Correlation under Any Underlying Continuous Distribution

The connection between the point-biserial and biserial correlations is well-established when the underlying distribution is bivariate normal. For many other bivariate distributions, the formula that links these two quantities is not straightforward to derive or does not have a closed form. We propose a simple technique that enables researchers to compute one of these correlations when the other is specified. For this, we take advantage of the constancy of their ratio, which can be easily approximated for any distribution. We illustrate the proposed method using several examples and discuss its extension to the ordinal case. We believe that this approach is potentially useful in stochastic simulation..     

Subject‐level matching for imbalance in cluster randomized trials with a small number of clusters

In a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT), the number of randomized units is typically considerably smaller than in trials where the unit of randomization is the patient. If the number of randomized clusters is small, there is a reasonable chance of baseline imbalance between the experimental and control groups. This imbalance threatens the validity of inferences regarding post‐treatment intervention effects unless an appropriate statistical adjustment is used. Here, we consider application of the propensity score adjustment for cluster RCTs. For the purpose of illustration, we apply the propensity adjustment to a cluster RCT that evaluated an intervention to reduce suicidal ideation and depression. This approach to adjusting imbalance had considerable bearing on the interpretation of results. A simulation study demonstrates that the propensity adjustment reduced well over 90% of the bias seen in unadjusted models for the specifications examined. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling Socio-Spatial Change: Istanbul,Kadıköy Case

Social Indicators Research - This study aims to understand the relationship between social structure and morphological character based on a case area...     

Reactions to cyberbullying among high school and university students

In this study, behavioral and emotional reactions to cyberbullying were investigated by surveying 567 undergraduate-level university students and 211 high school students. Among the study participants, 170 of the undergraduates (29.98%) and 120 of the high school students (56.87%) reported that they had recently been cyberbullied. A four-factor scale with 37 items was used to investigate the behavioral cyberbullying reactions of victimized students. The four factors were revenge, countermeasure, negotiation and avoidance. An additional two-factor scale with 11 items was used to classify victimized students’ emotional reactions as either internalizing or externalizing. Explained variance values of both scales were above 50%, and the factors were found to have acceptable internal consistency coefficients. Behavioral and emotional reactions varied according to gender and school level. Computer self-efficacy and internet use were associated with different reaction types.     

The International Migration System Between Turkey and Russia: Project‐Tied Migrant Workers in Moscow

The last 50 years of emigration history in Turkey indicate that the migratory flows of Turkish citizens have consecutively become a part of various migratory systems. In this essay, our main aims are twofold. First, we attempt to document the dynamics and mechanism of project‐tied migration from Turkey to the Russian Federation, focusing in particular on the case of project‐tied workers migrating from Turkey to Moscow. Second, this effort intends to elaborate on the research on migratory systems between Turkey and the former communist countries of Eastern Europe and Central and Northern Asian countries, mainly referring to macro‐, micro‐ and meso‐level factors affecting the relevant migration systems. In this paper, in which we tackle the various migration systems with which Turkey is involved, we conclude by arguing that parallel to the new migration patterns that have been experienced throughout the post‐Soviet geographies, the internalization process of Turkish constructors within the changing dynamics of Turkish foreign policy has widened the direction of the migration flows from Turkey by introducing new migrant worker profiles to different regions. In this sense, short‐term labour migrants, shuttle traders and in particular project‐tied migrant workers show not only the important role that migrants may play in the shift towards a market‐based economy in the Russian Federation, but also how they have become crucial actors of the migration system between Turkey and Russia.     

Comparison of the effectiveness of IPSS and VPSS without any help in LUTS patients: a prospective study

Aim: To compare the correlation of visual prostate symptom score (VPSS) and international prostate symptom score (IPSS). To investigate the effect of educational level and age in the responses to VPSS and IPSS.

Method: Three hundred and nine patients who gave consent and applied via LUTS to our institution were included in this study. They were requested to fill IPSS and VPSS. The patients were divided into two groups as middle-aged and elderly with a cutoff point of 65?years. They were divided into six groups based on educational level. SPSS was used for the statistical evaluation.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 61.5?±?8.9?years. The correlation was found between IPSS and VPSS (p?p?=?.332 and .138, respectively). No difference was found between the middle-aged and elderly groups in terms of the rates of inability to answer IPSS and VPSS (p?=?.177 and .681, respectively).

Conclusions: There is a correlation between VPSS and IPSS. VPSS can be used as an auxiliary or alternative tool instead of IPSS in evaluating LUTS; however, has no superiority to IPSS in elderly group. Currently, the best option to exclude bias in illiterate group is VPSS.