Social Studies Teachers' Difficulties in Assessing Social Skills

Abstract

Social skills can determine the success and failure of a person. However, to detect social skills is not easy. This study aims to describe the teachers' difficulties in Social Studies subject in assessing students' social skills and the factors that cause these difficulties. This research uses a qualitative approach with a phenomenology method. Data were collected using questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussion with 20 Social Studies teachers spread in 20 Junior High Schools in 10 provinces throughout Indonesia. The data have been collected in the form of an interview script with the research subject. The data is then analyzed and brings up several specific themes. The results of this study indicate that there are at least several factors that affect the difficulties of Social Studies teachers in assessing students' social skills. First, teachers' educational qualifications are mostly not from Social Studies education but from various social science backgrounds. Second, the teacher's difficulties are in identifying social skills material in Social Studies. The first factor influences this. Third, the teacher has not carried out the core activities of the learning process on social skills such as planning, learning, and assessment. Fourth, teachers are not familiar with social skills constructs and indicators, time constraints, limited choice of instruments, and teacher and student's ratios contribute to these difficulties. This study recommends that social skills become the core of Social Studies, teachers must have appropriate qualifications, and further research needs to be done to develop social skills assessment instruments.