Flipped learning model practices in social studies course in primary school

The aim of the study was to test the effect of using the flipped learning model in social studies course on students' academic achievement and higher-order thinking skills, and to determine student views on this model. Explanatory sequential design, one of the mixed research methods, was used in the research. The study group of the research consisted of 30 students studying at the 7th grade in two secondary schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in the Bor District of Niğde Province in Turkey. As a result of the research, it was concluded that the academic achievement and higher-order thinking skill total scores of the students in the experimental group, in which the social studies course was conducted with the flipped learning model, were statistically significant and at a higher level compared to the students in the control group. The analysis of the data obtained from the semi-structured interviews also revealed the students learned the subjects better with this model and had positive thoughts about the model in the social studies course conducted with the flipped learning model.

Within the scope of the authentic learning approach, the teaching process can be designed by using various methods and techniques. One of these methods is evidence-based learning. By using evidence in authentic learning, activities and tasks can be created according to the components of authentic learning and the teaching process can be designed. In this study, activities and authentic tasks were created and applications were made by using evidence in the authentic learning process in the primary school Social Studies course. In this context, it is aimed to reveal how authentic learning components are reflected in the teaching process carried out with the use of evidence-based activities within the scope of authentic learning approach in primary school Social Studies course. The working group of the study was designed according to the action research design, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was determined using the typical case sampling technique. Accordingly, the working group of the study consists of 35 primary school 4th grade students in a public school in Diyarbakir. Data in the study were collected from observations, worksheets, student, and researcher diaries. Descriptive analysis technique was used in the analysis of the obtained data. According to the results of the research, it was determined that students' high-level thinking and developing different perspectives skills developed in the learning process, they associate subjects with their own lives, they cooperate to solve life problems and benefit from expert opinions. In this respect, it has been observed that the use of evidence-based activities in the authentic learning process in Social Studies course can be quite functional.

With the transition to distance education during the coronavirus pandemic, one of the most talked about teaching approaches has been the flipped learning model (FLM). Conducting the discussions about FLM on a solid basis can only be achieved by finding an answer to what the effect of FLM has in different fields and different education levels. Based on this idea, in this study, it is aimed to evaluate the results of the studies examining the effect of FLM on the mathematics achievement of primary and secondary school students. In the meta-analysis study conducted in this direction, using the findings of 45 studies that meet the specified criteria, the effect level of FLM on students 'mathematics achievement compared to traditional teaching and also the effect level of FLM on students' mathematics achievement over a single group were determined. In the meta-analysis conducted in order to compare FLM with traditional teaching, it was concluded that FLM was moderately more effective (d = 0.51) in increasing students' mathematics achievement compared to traditional education. According to the meta-analysis results made to determine the effect of FLM over a single group, FLM has a high effect on mathematics achievement (d = 2.13). As a result of the analysis made according to the moderators of the study, the effect size of the FLM when compared to traditional teaching differs according to the type of publication and sample size and the effect size of the FLM over a single group differs only according to the sample size.

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.

Social Studies can be defined as a€A“bonding process based on verification with social reality and dynamic information obtained as a result of this processa€. In this context, it is essential to unify the Social Studies course with the real life and to benefit from the society in teaching-learning process in order to enable the learned information to be applied in the real life. In the Social Studies course, students should encounter with the real life itself. Thus, students can produce multidimensional alternative solutions for the cases they encounter and they can explain the best solution with justifications. Considering these arguments, it can be claimed that involving the subjects and studies related to the society and near environment in the Social Studies courses increases the effectiveness of Social Studies teaching. Local community studies, which are associated with the Social Studies program by means of a detailed and good plan, can draw students' attention and thus permanent learning can occur. In this sense, teachers should benefit from the local community studies in the Social Studies course which reflects the real life. The aim of this study is to determine how local community studies will be applied in Social Studies course in the primary education schools. In line with this aim, the following research questions were addressed: 1. How can the activities of a. benefitting from institutions and organizations in local communities b. benefitting from people in local communities c. using Internet and library sources d. benefitting from special days and current events which are carried out in the Social Studies course taught with local community studies, be arranged? 2. Do the local community studies help the students determine the problems in their environments and find out the solutions for these problems? 3. What are the students' opinions about the Social Studies course taught with local community studies ? 4. Does the Social Studies course taught with the local community studies change the students' attitude towards the Social Studies course? The study was conducted with 13 students attending to 5/A in Eskisehir/Alpu Ertugrulgazi Primary School in the spring term of 2008-2009 academic years. Training in the present study was given to all students in the class while three students in the class were selected as the focus of the study. For this study, the local community studies were applied in the Social Studies course for 11 weeks between 23 March 2009 and 03 June 2009 within the context of a€A“The Ones Working for the Societya€ and a€A“One Country, One Flaga€ units. The data of the study were collected with different data collection tools, such as personal information form, attitude scale, video records, semi-structured interviews, document analysis, students diaries and researcher diary. The data collected from semi-structured interviews, student and researcher diaries were analyzed through descriptive analysis while video records were examined with macro and micro analyses. The findings of the study were interpreted on the basis of the research questions, in this line; the conclusion and suggestions were written. The conclusions drawn considering the findings and the suggestions offered in the light of the conclusions were as follows: It is essential to design and develop activities within the context of benefitting from the institutions and organizations in the local community; benefitting from the people in the local community; using Internet and library sources; benefitting from special days and current events, besides the participation to local community studies should be arranged systematically. Moreover, to benefit from the institutions and organizations in the local communities, some activities such as organizing field trips or inviting local managers of the institutions and organizations can be carried out. The teachers can implement the activities such as inviting source person, verbal history, arranging history exhibition and activities with parents in order to enable the students benefit from the people in local community. It is necessary to design the activities for benefitting from Internet and library sources. Public library, school and class libraries should be enriched; moreover, any technical deficiencies in the information technologies classes should be made up. Additionally, the special days such as national holidays and local independence days should be utilized. The students should be encouraged to relate the current events with the Social Studies course. The students should determine a problem in their environment and they should be supported to find out a solution for this problem. The teacher's role in the teaching process is to a€Eœguide', besides, the teacher should have roles to communicate with the source person before the activities, inform the source people about the aim of the study, guide the students and encourage the students. According to the findings from a€A“Social Studies Course Attitude Scalea€, the students' attitude towards the Social Studies course were changed as positively as a result of the applications of the local community studies in the course.

Students’ perceptions of self-efficacy and their levels of engagement can be considered important factors affecting the effectiveness and quality of the teaching process. This study aims to describe the self-efficacy of fourth-grade primary school students regarding the social studies course and their levels of engagement in the course, as well as to explain the relationship between these two variables. The descriptive survey model and the explanatory correlational model were employed together in the study. The study population consisted of fourth-grade students attending schools in Kırşehir province during the 2024–2025 academic year. The sample comprised 488 students from schools with different socioeconomic levels, selected using stratified and typical sampling methods. Data were collected using the Social Studies Self-Efficacy Scale and the Social Studies Engagement Scale. The collected data were analyzed using parametric statistical methods. The findings revealed that students’ self-efficacy and engagement in social studies were at a high level. While no significant difference was found in students’ self-efficacy in terms of gender, female students were found to have significantly higher levels of engagement in the social studies course. Significant differences were found between the two dependent variables (self-efficacy and engagement) and the educational levels of students’ parents, as well as the socioeconomic levels of the schools attended by the students. Moreover, a high, positive, and statistically significant correlation was found between students’ self-efficacy and their engagement in the social studies course. Students’ self-efficacy was found to be a significant predictor of their engagement and explained 49% of the variance in engagement. This result indicates that elementary school students’ perceptions of self-efficacy influence their engagement in the social studies course. Therefore, it is recommended that educational environments be structured in ways that support students’ self-efficacy in order to enhance their active engagement in social studies courses.

The social studies course can be described as an ongoing process that is attempted to prepare the individuals for life through transfer of culture and ensures the socialization of the individuals. It is thought that students’ beliefs and attitudes towards this course are essential for achieving the objectives of the course. The objective of this research is to determine the attitudes and belief levels of 4th grade students towards the social studies course with respect to various variables and to review the relationship between attitudes and belief levels towards the social studies course. During the research, descriptive survey and relational survey models, which are both quantitative research methods, were used in combination. The study population consists of primary school students throughout Turkey in their 4th grade during the 2022-2023 academic year. 1326 primary school students in the 4th grade were selected from 7 geographical regions of Turkey by utilizing the simple random method and constitute the sample group of the study. The research data were collected using the “Social Studies Course Attitude Scale” and the “Social Studies Course Belief Scale”. As a result of the study, it was determined that there was a positive and moderate relationship between the students’ attitudes and beliefs towards the social studies course, and it was noted that students’ attitudes and beliefs towards social studies course were significantly high.

2050’li yıllara gelindiğinde kente yaşayanların oranın %68 olacağı tahmin edilmekte ve kente yaşayan insanlarda kentlilik bilincinin oluşması daha da elzem hale gelmektedir. Kentlilik bilincinin oluşturulması için en önemli araç ise eğitimdir. Bu bağlamda araştırmanın problemi “kentlilik bilincinin oluşturulmasında ilkokul ders kitaplarının rolün nedir?” şeklinde belirlenmiştir. Araştırmanın amacı, kentlilik bilincinin ilkokul kitaplarında hangi boyutlarla yer aldığının belirlenmesi ve ilkokul kitaplarının, çocukların kentlilik bilincine yönelik algılarına ne ölçüde etki ettiğini değerlendirmektir. Çalışmanın kapsamına Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı tarafından hazırlanmış ilkokul, ortaokul ve lise düzeyindeki tüm ders kitapları girmektedir. Ancak, araştırma zaman kısıtı nedeniyle ilkokul düzeyindeki Türkçe, Hayat Bilgisi ve Sosyal Bilgiler derslerinin kitaplarıyla sınırlandırılmıştır. Ayrıca bulguları desteklemek amacıyla ilkokul düzeyinde olan 20 kişi ile görüşme sağlanmıştır. Araştırma nitel araştırma desenlerinden örnek olay araştırması şeklinde tasarlanmıştır. Veriler doküman incelemesi ve görüşme yöntemleriyle toplanmıştır. 7 tema/kategori ve 16 kod/kavram altında organize edilen veriler içerik analizi tekniğiyle çözümlenmiştir. Analizlerde, MAXQDA Analytics Pro 20 (20.2.2 demo sürümü) kullanılmıştır. Sonuç olarak ders kitaplarında çevre bilinci, ortak yaşama bilincinin oluşması ve kültürel ve tarihsel değerlerin farkındalığı konularına daha çok ağrılık verildiği görülmüştür. Katılımcılar ise kamusal alan, çevre bilinci ve kültürel ve tarihsel değerlerin farkındalığı konularına daha çok ağırlık vermiştir.

The role and importance of technology applications in increasing the cognitive and affective learning of students have been accepted. For this reason, it has been considered important to use different materials and various educational technologies in the preparation of active learning environments. In this context, the effect of the use of the slowmation technique in primary school social studies courses on students' attitudes, active learning, and metacognitive awareness was investigated in this study. The sample of the study, in which a quasi-experimental design was used, consisted of 4th-grade primary school students. The social studies attitude scale, active learning process scale, and metacognitive awareness scale for children were used. During the 5-week practices, slowmation covering different subjects was prepared. Parametric analyses were applied to the data obtained during the application process. According to the analyses performed, the slowmation technique was effective in improving the attitudes towards and active learning of the social studies course. Based on the findings, the limitations of the slowmation technique were mentioned, long-term studies were suggested, and it was suggested to investigate the issue of permanence.keywords:metacognitive awareness, primary school, slowmation, social studies attitude

Fundamental knowledge, skills, attitudes and values for community life are taught students through various courses in elementary school. Social studies course play an important role in teaching process of mentioned knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to students in primary education level. Various learning resources are used in social studies course for introducing students past, today and future with people, places and cultures. Films are powerful pedagogical tools for social studies teachers. Films play an important role in introducing historical, cultural, geographical, social, politic issues, perspectives and characteristics belong to people, society, or nations. This study was aimed at examining advantages and disadvantages of using film in social studies education from the perspective of social studies pre-service teachers.The purpose of the study is to examine pre-service teachers’ understandings about using films in social studies course. Within the scope of the main purpose of the present study, the following research questions were addressed:•What do pre-service teachers think about using film in social studies? •What do pre-service teachers think about contributions of films to social studies education?•What do pre-service teachers think about problems can be encountered when using film in social studies? •What are pre-service teachers’ recommendations about using film in social studies?Qualitative research methods were used in the study. Participants of the study were 3rd and 4th grade pre-service teachers enrolled in social studies teacher training program. Focus group interview was used in the study. First group consisted of 8 pre-service teachers from the 3rd grade, and second group had 6 pre-service teachers from the 4th grade. In the analysis of data, content analysis technique was used.Findings were examined under the four main themes which were classified as “using film in social studies”, “contributions of films to social studies”, “problems can be encountered when using film in social studies”, and “recommendations”. Findings of the study show that according to pre-service teachers films appeal to multiple senses of students, help retention of learning, and facilitate history and geography learning. Moreover, films make learning enjoyable. Pre-service teachers explained contribution of films to social studies education under the sub-themes of contribution regarding knowledge, skills, and values acquirement. They mentioned about historical and geographical issues in terms of knowledge contribution of films. Pre-service teachers emphasized that films help students develop creative thinking, critical thinking, and interpreting skills. Additionally, they indicated that films play a significant role to teach values such as love, friendship, independence, cultural values, national values, cooperation and solidarity, peace, democracy and freedom, and sensitivity. Problems, pre-service teachers mentioned regarding using films in social studies, were determined as “films can create bias against certain views and beliefs”, “films are usually shot based on western sources”, “films generally adopt one-sided perspective”, “films about surreal heroes have negative impact on children”, “historical films may give inaccurate information”, and “violence is emphasized in some films”. Finally, pre-service teachers suggested recommendation for teachers, schools, families, and media organizations.According to results of the study pre-service teachers have positive views about using films social studies. They thought that films help retention of learning, and provide visualization in teaching learning process. Pre-service teachers thought that films help students acquire some knowledge, skills, and values. However, films could have negative effects on students. Teachers, schools, families and media organizations should take responsibility to solve problems which are encountered regarding films.Studies can be designed to determine effect of using various types of films on teaching different subjects in social studies. Teachers’ views and competency regarding using films in social studies should be examined. Primary school students’ and parents’ opinions about using films in education should be investigated. Media literacy education and critical thinking education can be organized for teachers and parents to use films effectively in social studies course. An educational film archive can be formed for teachers by ministry of education or researchers.

Today, individuals should adapt themselves to the rapidly changing and developing information age and have learning skills. It is only possible by adopting new approaches and strategies instead of traditional teaching methods and techniques. Different learning and teaching approaches are characterized by various methods and designs, such as differentiated instruction. The primary purpose of differentiated instruction is to employ teaching activities depending on students’ learning styles and interests. This study aimed to determine the effect of learning style-based differentiated instructional activities on 4th-grade students’ academic achievement and learning retention in the social studies course. This study draws attention to the differences between differentiated teaching activities based on learning style and traditional teaching practices and proposes practical solutions for effective social studies teaching. In this study used a quasi-experimental model with pretest-posttest control group designs. The study group consisted of 62 4th-grade primary school students. The experimental group completed learning style-based differentiated instructional activities in the study, while traditional teaching methods were used in the control group. The data were collected with an academic achievement test and interview forms developed by the researchers. The quantitative data were analyzed using arithmetic means, frequency, independent group t-test, and dependent group t-test, and the qualitative data obtained from interviews were examined using descriptive and content analysis approaches. A significant difference was found in the experimental group students’ academic achievement in the social studies course, in which learning style-based differentiated instructional activities were applied. There was a significant difference in the retention scores between the experimental group, in which learning style-based differentiated instructional activities were applied, and the control group, in which the traditional teaching methods were preferred. The difference was in favor of the experimental group. Learning style-based differentiated instructional activities allowed students to participate in the activities actively, facilitated classroom management, and offered an entertaining and well-prepared learning atmosphere where individual differences and learning paces are welcomed. The teacher-centered teaching approach based on traditional methods and the direct transfer of information to students should be replaced with student-centered approaches responsive to learning styles, individual differences, interests, and potentials. Social Studies Course Curriculum and educational materials should be enriched with differentiated instructional activities. Social Studies Course Curriculum and materials (e.g., textbooks, lesson plans, and printed materials) should be enriched with differentiated instructional activities.

The document review method, which is a qualitative research method, was used in this study that aims to examine the social studies curriculum and course books in terms of attainments, teaching-learning process and measurement-evaluation process in the context of global citizenship. Furthermore, opinions of social studies teachers on the curriculum and course books in the context of global citizenship were determined by taking their written statements. Social studies course books and curricula at fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grade levels were examined in the study. Also, opinions of nine social studies teachers were analyzed. As a result of the study, it can be said that in general, the dimensions of global citizenship are included within the scope of attainments, content, teaching-learning process, measurement-assessment elements regarding social studies course. It was determined that awareness of diversity and multiculturalism, political and economic processes and interdependence, human rights, environmental responsibility and sustainable development among the dimensions of global citizenship are addressed at most, while the dimensions of social justice and contemporary peace and conflict are covered quite slightly. Furthermore, according to teachers' opinions, it can be said that social studies curriculum and course books have deficiencies in the context of global citizenship.

This study is the evaluation of the social studies course taught with SSTEM implementations on the attitudes of the 4th grade primary school students towards Social Studies discipline, on the 21st century learning and renewal skills, as well as the evaluation of the social studies lessons conducted with SSTEM based on the views of elementary school students. Embedded design, one of the mixed research methods, was used in the research. In the quantitative dimension of the study, the pretest-posttest experimental design with control group was used, and in the qualitative dimension, the basic qualitative research design was used. The study group of the research consists of 40 primary school 4th grade students. The data in the quantitative part of the study were obtained by using the “Social Studies Attitude Scale” and the “21st Century Learning and Renewal Skills Scale”. In the qualitative aspect of the research, data were collected with a semi-structured interview form, student diaries, engineering design diaries and researcher diaries. For the interviews, data were collected through a semi-structured interview form from 9 students with good-medium-low academic achievement, selected from the experimental group, with maximum variation sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods. Experimental application lasted for 6 weeks, and lessons were carried out with SSTEM implementations in the experimental group of the research. Mann Whitney U in comparisons between groups in the analysis of quantitative data; Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for intragroup comparisons, and descriptive analysis was used in the analysis of qualitative data. As a result of the research, it was concluded that SSTEM education approach implementations affected their attitudes towards social studies lesson positively, and 21st century skills such as creative thinking, cooperation, communication and problem solving changed positively while students were doing SSTEM implementations. In line with the results obtained from the research, it has been suggested that similar studies can be carried out not only with the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines that make up the STEM disciplines, but also in all disciplines and all education levels, in order to use the SSTEM education approach more widely and efficiently.

This study was implemented to identify the contribution of the flipped learning model to the vocalization level in the flute performance of aksak meter Turkish folk songs with different meter numbers and rhythm patterns. Moreover, the study aimed to obtain the participants’ opinions about the flipped learning model and evaluate this learning model in terms of its suitability for the students’ practice habits. In the study, the explanatory design, one of the mixed research methods, including the experimental and descriptive, was utilized, and in an attempt to identify the contribution of the flipped learning model to the performance level of folk songs, first quantitative data and then qualitative data were collected by conducting interviews with the participants. Regarding the experimental process, the study group consisted of 10 flute students. Within the scope of the study, teaching two aksak meter folk songs was conducted with the flipped learning model, and the teaching of two different folk songs was implemented with the traditional teaching method. While the quantitative data obtained from the study were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the qualitative data were analyzed using the content analysis method. As far as the results of this study are concerned, when the performance levels of folk songs taught with the traditional and flipped learning model were compared, it was revealed that there was a significant difference in favor of the folk songs taught with the flipped learning model. Consequently, it was established that the proposed flipped learning model facilitated the sight-reading process in the flute education process and also contributed to rhythmic mastery, musical piece awareness, and musical mastery. Furthermore, it was also revealed that it made a significant contribution to the performance of the aksak meter folk songs and that the performances carried out with the flipped learning model contributed to the reduction of the anxiety levels of the majority of the students.

This study analyses the effects of applying the flipped learning model on 4th grade students’ geometric thinking levels and their feelings about the course as well as their more general thoughts on the model. This experimental study involved 42 students, with 21 assigned to the experimental group and 21 to the control group. Students in the experimental group were taught geometry with the flipped learning model in line with the curriculum while the control group was taught with a more traditional approach, applying the activities included in the relevant textbook. This research was conducted over the course of 5 weeks. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used together in the research. The quantitative data of the study were collected using the Three-Dimensional Reasoning Test and the Attitude Towards Mathematics Activities Scale, while the qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interview questions and math diaries. Significant differences were found between the students’ three-dimensional reasoning test post-scores at the end of the study, with scores being higher among students of the experimental group. Differences between the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group in terms of their attitudes towards mathematics activities were also significant, as were the differences for the control group. Additionally, information about students' opinions on the model was presented.