Teacher Opinions on the Problems Encountered in Teaching History Subjects in Social Studies Courses

Abstract

The first impression of history acquired by students who encounter history subjects for the first time in the "Culture and Heritage" learning area of the social studies course in schools is a critical point for their view of history for the rest of their educational life. The aim of the research, which is designed with this motivation, is to reveal the problems experienced in the teaching of history subjects in primary social studies courses from the perspective of teachers. The study group of the study consists of 27 social studies teachers working in 21 different secondary schools in Adana, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Hatay and Trabzon provinces of Turkey. The study is designed in the case study pattern from qualitative research methods. In the study, the semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher was used as a data collection tool through Google Forms. The data obtained in the study were subjected to descriptive analysis; QDA Miner 5 qualitative data analysis program was used for this. According to the findings of the research, social studies teachers face problems such as the fact that the curriculum is very intense, the course hours are insufficient, the students do not show interest in the course, the history subjects are boring and irrelevant to the present, the students cannot perceive abstract subjects and concepts and the physical facilities of the schools are insufficient. In the solution of such problems, teachers and students, as well as especially the program makers who develop the curriculum, have a great responsibility.