Social Science Courses Research Articles

PENERAPAN MODEL PROJECT BASED LEARNING BERBASIS LESSON STUDY UNTUK MENINGKATKAN HASIL BELAJAR ILMU PENGETAHUAN ALAM DAN SOSIAL KELAS V


 This study aims to enhance scientific knowledge and improve science learning outcomes among students in class V-A at Lawanggintung State Elementary School 2, located in Bogor City, during the odd semester of the 2023/2024 academic year. The research methodology employed in this study is Collaborative Classroom Action Research, based on the lesson study approach and utilizing the project based learning model. The present study was conducted through the establishment of collaborative partnerships between researchers and other stakeholders, with the aim of identifying issues, devising implementation strategies, and engaging in reflective practises pertaining to the learning process. The participants of this study consisted of 21 students enrolled in class V-A at SDN Lawanggintung 2, located in Bogor City. The sample comprised 11 female students and 10 male students. The primary objective of this study is to enhance the academic achievements of students in the fifth grade, namely in the fields of Natural and Social Sciences. This study presents the findings from the assessment of the first and second cycles. The acquisition of study data was facilitated by researchers through the utilization of direct tests, the observation of learning outcomes, and the observation of learning implementation. The presented statistics indicate a notable improvement in student learning outcomes after the implementation of the project based learning model. The evidence for this assertion is substantiated by the notable attainment of comprehensive learning objectives by students in cycle I and II, demonstrating significant improvement. During the first cycle, the learning completeness of pupils was recorded at 67%. In the subsequent cycle, the learning completeness increased to 86%. This accomplishment demonstrates a growth of 19% between Cycle I and Cycle II. The findings of this study indicate that the research conducted in class V-A of SDN Lawanggintung 2 Bogor City yielded positive consequences, namely in terms of enhancing students' learning achievements in Natural and Social Sciences courses through the implementation of the project based learning model.

The Effect of Games on Students' Academic Achievement and Attitudes in Primary School Social Sciences Course

Bu araştırmada, ilkokul 4. sınıf sosyal bilgiler dersinde kullanılan eğitsel oyun ve dijital oyun ile öğretiminin öğrencilerin sosyal bilgiler dersindeki akademik başarı ve sosyal bilgiler dersine yönelik tutumlarına etkisinin olup olmadığı incelenmiştir. Araştırma, Elazığ ilinin Merkez ilçesine bağlı bir ilkokulun 4. sınıf düzeyinde okuyan farklı iki sınıfta bulunan 36 öğrenciden oluşmaktadır. Araştırma nicel olarak yürütülmüş ve yarı deneysel desen kullanılmıştır. Gruplar farklı özellikleri yönünden eşleştirilerek ön test-son test deney ve kontrol gruplu olarak yürütülmüştür. Araştırmada veri toplama aracı olarak Sosyal Bilgiler Dersi Başarı Testi (SBDBT) ve Sosyal Bilgiler Dersine Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği (SBDYTÖ) kullanılmıştır. Deney ve kontrol grubundaki öğrencilerin SBDBT puan verilerine göre, iki grubunda akademik başarıları pozitif yönde istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark çıkarırken iki grubun son test puanları arasında istatistiksel olarak bir farka ulaşılamamıştır. SBDYTÖ ön test-son test puan verilerine göre ise iki grup için de istatistiksel olarak bir farklılık çıkmamıştır. SBDYTÖ son test puan verilerine göre deney ile kontrol grubu öğrencileri arasında deney grubu lehine istatistiksel anlamlılık düzeyinde bir farklılık sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

An Empirical Investigation of Taiwanese Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge in an Initiative to Adopt Digitization during Covid-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic presents a new opportunity to accelerate the integration of digital and information technology with the concept of technology teaching content knowledge (TPACK) in education. The Ministry of Education of Taiwan has introduced the digitization of humanities and social sciences (H&SS) courses since 2017, and 189 projects in three categories have been chosen and subsidized by 2022. This study coded and categorized the curriculum content of these projects in accordance with the TPACK framework and used data mining techniques to investigate the TPACK of teachers involved in the implementation of these subsidized digital H&SS courses. By counting technical knowledge (TK), content-knowledge (CK), and technology-content-pedagogy knowledge (TCPK) in digital H&SS courses, we show that before the pandemic, humanities courses emphasized digital technology content with pedagogy (TCP), pedagogy (P), and technology with content (TC), while during the pandemic they focused more on content (C). Social sciences courses shifted from stressing technological pedagogy (TP) and C before the pandemic to increased emphasis on TC during the pandemic. Overall, teachers prioritized P, TCP, and TC across disciplines. Additional findings include differences in TPACK focus between fields, thorough TPACK descriptions in social sciences courses, and emphasis on technology (T) in scientific methods courses both before and during the pandemic. Analysis of P, TC, and TCP topics revealed gaps in skills and technology-specific pedagogy, thus shedding light on the strategies for developing digital teaching competencies of university teachers and how to develop them. The study also provides recommendations for future implementation of digital H&SS programs.

Agency as an emerging phenomenon in the construction of massive open online courses: a discursive–material approach to the techno-pedagogical edX platform and its forums

ABSTRACT This paper demonstrates how agency emerges as the teaching team members of three social science and humanities massive open online courses (MOOCs) reflexively discuss the affordances and limitations offered by edX. Special attention goes to the entanglement of forums within their courses. We examine the edX platform as a discursive–material knot, a dispositif that can be partially configured by teaching team members. The interviewees interpretively articulate institutional pressures, the technological characteristics of edX, perceived learner behaviours, and pedagogic theories and preferences constitutive of their MOOCs. We identify six forms of agency: catalyst, surveillance-based, expertise-oriented, socializing, guiding, and humanizing. We demonstrate that agency emerges due to the complex and interpretive articulations of material and discussive elements.

Awareness, Adjustment, Assistance, Alignment, and Advocacy: Operationalizing Social Determinants of Health Topics in Undergraduate Medical Education Curricula.

Social and economic factors, such as those related to food, housing, and transportation, are major drivers of health and health inequities. Multiple national professional organizations have articulated roles for physicians in identifying and addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) and the need to include SDOH in all stages of physician education. Despite encouragement from these professional organizations, medical schools still do not routinely offer SDOH education alongside basic and clinical sciences curricula. A recent national expert consensus process identified priority SDOH knowledge domains and professional skills for medical students but lacked an organizing schema and specific pedagogical examples to help translate prioritized skills into routine pedagogical practice. One such schema is the 5As framework developed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which elaborates on 5 strategies to strengthen social care: awareness, adjustment, assistance, alignment, and advocacy. In this article, the authors highlight and provide examples of how mapping SDOH skills to the 5As framework can help educators meaningfully operationalize SDOH topics into specific curricular activities during the preclinical and clinical stages of undergraduate medical education. As a foundational first step in this direction, medical schools should conduct an internal curricular review of social care content (ideally mapped to the 5As framework) and identify opportunities to integrate these topics into existing courses when relevant (e.g., in social medicine, population health, and health systems science courses). Given that health and social care integration is highly context dependent, each medical school will likely need to tailor curricular changes based on their own institutional needs, mission, patient populations, and ties to the community. To increase interinstitutional alignment, medical schools might consider using or adapting peer-reviewed materials and assessments curated and centralized by the National Collaborative for Education to Address the Social Determinants of Health.

The Hashtag Syllabus as Class Assignment: From Information Literacy to Cultural Critique

In recent years, scholar-activists have used hashtag syllabus movements to organize and share curricular resources related to pressing social and cultural issues in a widely accessible format. These collaboratively designed readings lists have provided many classroom-based educators with diverse and far-reaching texts with which to engage students on issues of social injustice and structural inequality. In this paper, we argue that having students develop hashtag syllabi in the context of interdisciplinary social science courses not only provides access to a breadth and depth of content knowledge and a range of perspectives on these topics but creates the conditions in which students can develop and strengthen critical information literacy skills. Using example assignments from introductory and upper-level undergraduate courses, we demonstrate the potential of these assignments to promote deep learning, challenge hegemonic knowledge production, address the personal and affective components of research, and connect our students’ work in the classroom to problems that exist outside of it.

Collaborative peer-feedback practices in hybrid learning environments

The article describes a technology-mediated collaborative peer-feedback experience. 125 students took part into the activity during the delivery of a 3-months teaching in "Methodology of Action Research", within a 3-year Degree Course in Psychological, Social and Occupational Sciences. The activity was based on a 4-phases cycle of collaborative output production, structured peer-feedback, collaborative output improvement, individual reflection. The aim of the exploratory case-study here presented is to observe if and how the peer-feedback activity supported the development of collaborative, meta-cognitive and digital skills, other than knowledge acquisition. To answer our research questions, we used a mixed system, able to provide both objective data with respect to the activity carried out and the skills put in place, and subjective data related to the students' personal experience and the perceived impact on their learning. Results show a good appropriation of metacognitive skills and offer numerous hints on the design aspects which have been found to be effective in supporting students' learning.

Teaching Homelessness: How American Community College Faculty Approach Housing Insecurity as a Curricular Topic

Community college students are more likely than their peers in four-year colleges to experience homelessness or housing instability. At the same time, homelessness is a curricular topic, particularly in social science courses. Given the prevalence of homelessness and housing instability in the community college student population, likely worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent and ongoing economic crisis, this project sought to discover how community college faculty approach homelessness and housing instability as a curricular topic, including their theoretical and praxis perspectives, and the integration of students’ lived experience into their instruction. Fourteen faculty from a variety of disciplines participated in interviews, revealing that homelessness is most often used a way for students to explore foundational theories in sociology. Participants problematized their teaching around homelessness, particularly their service-learning activities, and described the importance of care and safety when discussing housing with students they recognized could have lived experience with homelessness. Future research should explore students’ experiences in classes where homelessness is a curricular topic, and how more critical theoretical approaches may be beneficial.

Exploring the ideational explanation for pro-immigrant sentiment: evidence from a South Korean survey

A consistent finding in the public opinion literature shows that individuals who attain higher levels of education are more likely to express pro-immigrant attitudes. The ideational hypothesis suggests that ideas learned during formal education drive this empirical relationship. In this article, we develop this hypothesis further by asking, "What types of ideas socialize pro-immigrant attitudes?" We argue that exposure to social theories during higher education promotes social inclusivity and tolerance, leading to positive views toward immigrants. This article draws theoretical insights from attitudinal-based theories of immigrant sentiment to construct a mediation model linking ideas from the classroom to attitudes toward immigrants. Using original data from a population-based survey in South Korea, we examine the relationship between respondents’ prior enrollment in different academic courses and their attitudes toward immigrants. We measure exposure to social theories as enrollment in social science and arts & humanities and find that only social science courses are positively associated with pro-immigrant attitudes. We also examine whether enrollment exhibits indirect effects via previously identified attitudinal determinants of immigrant sentiment. Results from our mediation analysis show that enrollment in social science courses is associated with stronger cosmopolitan views and negatively correlates with isolationist attitudes. In contrast, we find that enrollments in courses unrelated to social theories, like math & science and engineering, are not statistically significant predictors of immigrant attitudes. We interpret our results as observational evidence consistent with ideational-based explanations for pro-immigrant attitudes.

Analysis of the Need for the Development of Hots Assessment Instruments Based on Geographical Literacy of Indonesian Maritime and Agricultural Materials in Social Sciences Courses

This study aims to: Assess the need for instruments for Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS) questions based on geographic literacy in the social studies subject on Indonesia's maritime and agricultural potential; Material on Indonesia's maritime and agricultural potential is studied in class VIII at the junior high school education unit. The needs analysis study conducted in this study took place at the Insan Cendekia Boarding School Sukoharjo Middle School (ICBS Middle School). This research was designed as a development research model that refers to the Borg and Gall model which has been modified according to the needs and limitations of the research. The literacy concepts used as a reference for researchers are Edelson's three geographic lit eracy concepts, namely interaction, interconnection, and implications. Taking the Edelson concept adapts to the cognition level of junior high school students which is simpler and in accordance with the learning objectives. The research subjects were class VIII students of SMP Insan Cendekia Al Mujtaba Sukoharjo for the academic year 2022/2023. The research sample was determined using startified random sampling. The data collection process used in the study used item analysis, questionnaires, and interviews. The results showed: 1) Based on a needs analysis with an analysis of 50 Final Semester Assessment (PAS) items in 2019 and 50 Mid Semester Assessment (PTS) items in 2020, 94% of the 2019 PAS items and 84% of the PTS items in 2019 2020 is still a matter of Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS). 2) As many as 88% of teacher respondents who are members of the 2022/2023 Social Studies Subject Teacher Consultation (MGMP) agree that the development of HOTS question instruments is very important and needed as a reference in preparing assessment instruments. 3) Important and necessary training in the preparation of HOTS-based question instruments needed by teachers at SMP ICBS. The conclusions of this study indicate that 1) The development of instruments at the HOTS level is important and needs to be developed in order to stimulate the learning process and students' critical thinking skills; 2) It is important to develop geographic literacy based HOTS questions in the process and evaluation of learning to improve critical thinking skills in spatial concepts on Indonesian maritime and agricultural potential in class VIII students of SMP ICBS. 3) The form of the researcher's recommendation as a form of self-development and improvement of the professional abilities of ICBS Middle School teachers needs and is important to hold HOTS question preparation training.

Environmental education in the light of the Institutional Theory

The qualitative-quantitative case study, descriptive, and exploratory research was carried out in the Applied Social Sciences courses, through document analysis, interviews, focus groups, and surveys. The Institutional Theory was used, allowing the analysis on the contribution of the Burns and Scapes (2000) model. Considering the applicability of their categories, the institutionalisation of the encoding stage in the Political Pedagogical Programmes of the courses is confirmed, whereas the enacting, reproduction, and institutionalisation are not attended. The model is validated because the process of institutionalisation of the Environmental Education was assessed. The institutionalisation of the EE provides change to HEIs, professors, and students.

Analysis of the Need for the Development of Hots Assessment Instruments Based on Geographical Literacy of Indonesian Maritime and Agricultural Materials in Social Sciences Courses

Analysis of the Need for the Development of Hots Assessment Instruments Based on Geographical Literacy of Indonesian Maritime and Agricultural Materials in Social Sciences Courses

Preparing for Medical School: How Sociology Helps Premedical Students Prepare for the MCAT and beyond

Educators have recently highlighted the importance of social science courses for students entering the medical field. This has led to the inclusion of sociological theories and concepts on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), a requirement for any student seeking formal medical training. Using open-ended survey data responses provided by students who recently completed the MCAT, we explore how students perceive that sociology courses prepare them for the MCAT and their lives more generally. We find that students report that their sociology courses introduced them to key concepts and laid a foundation for material assessed on the exam, but those courses could improve by aligning with the MCAT structure by prioritizing application of concepts and critically analyzing case studies. Students also reported that sociology courses helped them develop empathy and inclusivity and use their sociological imaginations, which will ultimately positively impact their careers in the medical field and lives overall.

Changing perspectives among pre-health undergraduates through a brief weight bias pedagogical intervention

Background: Weight stigma and bias are present in education, employment, and health care institutions, and have increased in recent years. College students in pre-health majors have been documented to hold weight biases, and interventions to mitigate these beliefs have had varying results. Objectives: This study’s purpose was to assess the impact of a pedagogical intervention regarding weight stigma outcomes among first-year students. Method: Three instructors of lower-division health and social science courses implemented a 3-module lecture series on weight stigma, the environmental sources of weight variability, and body appreciation. Participants ( N = 81; 48 from intervention (INT) classrooms, 33 from comparison [COM] classrooms) completed an end-of-semester survey regarding their anti-fat biases, fat phobia, and body appreciation, and a subset ( n = 13) participated in a semi-structured interview about their experiences. Results: Results revealed no outcome differences between the treatment versus comparison groups, although self-reported body mass index (BMI) was a significant covariate ( p = .008). A significant correlation emerged between BMI and fear of fat scores for COM ( r = .52, p < .01) but not for INT students ( r = .28, p > .05), suggesting the intervention may have impacted how students form their anti-fat biases in relation to their BMI. Qualitative findings yielded five themes – connected course material with personal experiences; learned about weight stigma; shifted perspective on weight stigma; recognised application of weight stigma; material to future career; and valued learning about weight stigma – that provided insight into how the intervention positively affected students. Conclusion: Informed by the findings from this study, future interventions should take a more immersive pedagogical approach.

Teaching methods: Pedagogical challenges in moving beyond traditionally separate quantitative and qualitative classrooms

In the social sciences, research methods courses may be the most important and yet the most undervalued. Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) benchmark statements that deliver UK national standards all signify that methods teaching is essential. In terms of applicability, learning how to evaluate and produce knowledge has high relevance for employability. In the UK, despite being ‘core’, methods courses, compared with disciplinary courses, tend to have lower institutional investment utilising relatively small and early-career teaching teams and are taught to large groups of students (Ferrie et al., 2022). This paper draws together literature on the pedagogy of methods with reflexive practice to critically consider the barriers to learning methods and considers what methods educators and learners can do to engage optimally with the learner experience. This paper begins by considering how teaching of numeric- and text-based data produces a different learning environment to disciplinary learning. It then considers how quantitative pedagogy is distinct from qualitative pedagogy and in turn perpetuates the idea that they are distinct forms of knowledge production. The ‘pine tree’ and the ‘oak tree’ are two pedagogic devices that help students transform their learning practices. Growing calls to mix methods in course presentations and transcend the qualitative/quantitative divide present new challenges for pedagogy. The paper will outline a third pedagogic device that has helped students grasp something of a holistic understanding of how research methods operate. The ‘dirty greenhouse’ analogy, used with undergraduates and postgraduates (in large joint social sciences course at a large UK university), helps students scaffold their learning and get a quick grasp on what the value of methods courses are and avoids pitching qualitative and quantitative paradigms ‘against’ each other. The paper will argue that students are aided by having visual frameworks that help them, enhancing their critical approach to knowledge production and understanding better what a ‘defence’ in our research writing aims to do.

“It makes you feel like they’ve actually put effort into it.” Students’ perceptions of screen-capture video feedback on assignments on a social science course

ABSTRACT This article is the first to examine the use of screen-capture video feedback on student assignments on a social science degree at a British university. It is based on qualitative, focus group, research with students who received one or more video recordings on their academic work over the period 2019–2021. The article first places video feedback in the wider context of research on the subject. Our literature review suggests that whilst video does not herald a pedagogic revolution, it is a considerable advance on orthodox written feedback. Our findings are that students prefer video recordings because they provide (1) an interpersonal aspect to feedback; (2) more extensive, detailed, nuanced and directed coverage of their work than with written comments; (3) a more credible appreciation of their grade. Our discussion ends with a summary of our findings and a breakdown of the benefits and constraints of video feedback.

The pandemic as an opportunity for learning and improving the students' reflective learning strategies in the field of social work. Reflections based on an Italian case study

ABSTRACT The Covid-19 pandemic has been an important challenge for the training of students of university social service courses, especially with regard to internship activities. The need to define quality training projects, even during a pandemic, has given rise to numerous forms of experimentation and innovation in universities around the world, many of which have proved useful and effective in ensuring high levels of training during the health emergency. Now that the most critical phase of the pandemic seems to be behind us, it is important to reflect on how the new, reflective attitude toward the practical training of future professionals and the activities of the last two years, can become part of the knowledge in the field of practical training of future social workers, even in a non-emergency scenario. This article offers some reflections on the critical issues, resources, and new opportunities that arose concerning practical training, in particular on how the students’ reflective learning strategies in their approach to social work during the Covid-19 pandemic could be improved, starting with the results of research carried out in Italy, during the Degree Course in Social Sciences and Social Services at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. The research, conducted through the combination of a survey and some qualitative research tools, involved university internship tutors, supervising social workers at social service institutions in the area, and students who were confronted with the need for practical training during the pandemic.

Not Logic, but Experience: Teaching Canadian Human Rights Law

ABSTRACT Teaching Canadian human rights law demands more than simply instructing law students on caselaw precedents, jurisprudential principles, and legislative developments, as important as learning about this legal framework is. It also requires the imparting of a human rights imagination to students. This involves a focus on the social environment that ultimately generates and shapes anti-discrimination laws, such as disparate living and working conditions, demonstrations and civil disobedience, new arguments about the meanings of equality and discrimination, and understanding the role of social science research. Human rights legal decisions, when written with empathy and lucidity, can become effective teaching tools not only in law classes but also in social science courses on human rights. Learning to understand and interpret the place of human rights through the leading rulings of courts and tribunals can offer instructive insights into the strengths, weaknesses, and potential of our contemporary approach toward protecting and enlarging human rights in Canada.

Pedagogical technology of interdisciplinary communication explaining the material of the history course on public administration reforms based on the social science course on the system and structure of government

Pedagogical technology of interdisciplinary communication explaining the material of the history course on public administration reforms based on the social science course on the system and structure of government

Detecting At-Risk and Withdrawal Students in STEM and Social Science Courses using Predictive and Association Rules Mining

Detecting At-Risk and Withdrawal Students in STEM and Social Science Courses using Predictive and Association Rules Mining