Abstract
Problem solving skills are mentioned among the skills which need to be acquired in the Social Studies course. In this study, how the social studies teachers perceived problem solving skills was examined by emphasizing the importance of having individuals acquire problem solving skills through social studies teaching. The sample of the study was composed of social studies teachers. In order to evaluate the preservice teachers' perceptions in relation to problem solving skills, the "Problem Solving Inventory" developed by Heppner and Petersen (1982) and adapted by Şahin, Şahin and Heppner (1993) into Turkish was used. In the analysis of the data, firstly if the obtained data distributed normally was tested with Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Since the data obtained from the problem solving inventory showed normal distribution, the Independent Samples T test was used for paired comparisons and One-Way ANOVA was used for multiple comparisons. It was found that the teachers' problem solving skills did not differ significantly according to the variables of gender, age, marital status, length of service and educational status, satisfaction from school of service, frequency of experiencing problems at their schools and the teachers' problem solving skills were at sufficient level.
Highlights
Social sciences forming the basis of the Social Studies course cover such social disciplines as anthropology, communication sciences, economy, education, geography, history, linguistics, political sciences, psychology, sociology and law (Tay and Öcal, 2008)
As a result of the Independent Samples T test applied with the aim of determining the problem solving skills of the social studies teachers according to their gender and marital status, no significant difference was found between gender (p= .378; p> .05) and marital status (p= .850; p> .05)
According to the results of the study, the social studies teachers stated that their problem solving skills were at sufficient levels
Summary
Social sciences forming the basis of the Social Studies course cover such social disciplines as anthropology, communication sciences, economy, education, geography, history, linguistics, political sciences, psychology, sociology and law (Tay and Öcal, 2008). The Ministry of National Education stated in the Social Studies Course Teaching Program (Primary and Secondary 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Grades) that the rapid change experienced in science and technology, the changing needs of the individual and the society, novelties and developments in learning and teaching-learning theories and approaches have directly affected the roles expected from individuals as well This change defines an individual having such qualities as generating the knowledge, using it functionally, being capable of solving problems, thinking critically, being entrepreneurial and decisive, having communication skills, being capable of empathizing with others, making contributions to the society and culture, etc. Education given at schools has a great role in having students acquire problem solving knowledge and skills and developing existing ones With no doubt, this important duty falls to teachers having effective problem solving skills. In order to achieve this aim, the Social Studies teachers' problem solving skills were examined according to the variables of gender, age, marital status, length of service, educational status, satisfaction from school of service and frequency of experiencing problems at school
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