Evaluating Student and Teacher Views on the Use of Authentic Learning in Primary School Social Studies Course: A Case Study

Hanifi Şekerci̇

doi:10.17275/per.21.19.8.1

Abstract

It is difficult to inculcate the knowledge, skills, competence, quality and values that students need to gain through traditional approaches of teaching. Therefore, approaches of teaching which make students active in learning, which lead them to solve daily life problems and thus inculcate in them the upper order thinking skills need to be used in teaching the social studies course. In this context, using authentic learning could be functional in the process of teaching social studies. It is because students actively take part in the learning process, they face daily life problems and they can gain upper order thinking skills whilst solving the problems in authentic learning. Besides, learners are also pleased with such learning. Hence, this study aims to identify students’ and teacher’s views on the use of authentic learning in the social studies course. The sample in the study, which was designed in the form of a case study- a design of qualitative research- was formed in criterion sampling. In this context, the working group of the research is 35 4th grade students, 20 of whom are girls, 15 of which are boys, who study at a public school in Diyarbakır, Turkey and the teacher of the class. The research data were collected with focus group interviews and with a questionnaire form composed of open-ended questions. The data were analysed in content analysis technique. The findings obtained demonstrated that students and teacher had positive views on using authentic learning in the social studies course. In addition to that, students also thought that the process of authentic learning contributed to them in developing several skills and qualities.

Highlights

The social Studies course has important functions in individuals’ adaptation into social life, in gaining citizenship skills, in acquiring universal and national values and in gaining the knowledge, skills and competence necessary for contributing to the economic development of their country
Lombardi (2007) states that authentic learning environments are likened to real world environments, that the focus in such learning environments is on the solution of complex problems of real life and problem-based activities and case studies are included in such learning environments
The question of “what feelings and thoughts do you have about using authentic learning activities in social studies course?” was asked so as to determine the students’ and the teacher’s views on teaching social studies course through authentic learning activities

Summary

Introduction

The social Studies course has important functions in individuals’ adaptation into social life, in gaining citizenship skills, in acquiring universal and national values and in gaining the knowledge, skills and competence necessary for contributing to the economic development of their country. It will be difficult for learners to gain such knowledge, skills and competence through traditional methods and techniques of teaching because it does not seem possible for students to gain the above-mentioned knowledge, skills, competence and values in the social studies course through teaching in which the teacher is active and the students are passive recipients (Kabapınar, 2012). Authentic learning is built on bringing real life situations and objects into learning environments. It is necessary to use real life objects in learning environments. The purpose in educational practices considered in the process of authentic learning is not to inculcate in students limited and superficial knowledge about a subject or to inculcate simple skills in them (Koçyiğit and Zembat, 2013: Reeves, Herrington & Oliver, 2002). The main purpose here is to ensure that students acquire in-depth knowledge through practices based on collaboration, that they use their knowledge and that they gain upper order skills (Newman, Walter and Wehlage, 1993)

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