Volume : 5, Issue : 4, APR 2019

TEACHER’S OPINIONS REGARDING HISTORY CONTENTS IN 5TH GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES

DR. RAJENDRA KUMAR SHAH

Abstract

Social studies is in the position of an important course that includes topics related to the discipline of social sciences such as geography, economics, sociology and history. History topics among these social science disciplines have a very important place in the social studies curriculum. It seems important to determine the opinions of the social studies teachers, the practitioners of this course, and their suggestions for this problem in order to increase the effectiveness of teaching of history topics in the social studies course. Thus, in the present study, it was aimed to analyze opinions of primary school teachers regarding the teaching of history topics in the 5th grade social studies. At the same time, in order to offer suggestions for teaching history topics effectively, this study is carried out. A survey method was used in this study. In the analysis of the data, descriptive analysis technique was used. Findings of this study indicated that the primary school social studies curriculum was not adequate, sufficient, and relevant. The history topics incorporated in the social studies curriculum were not intensive, the teaching hours were not adequate, the number of learning outcomes was high, and the concepts with which the most of students were not familiar. Accordingly, there was no integrity between the history topics. The topics were disjointed and no link could be established between them; besides, the chronological order was not followed and both teachers and students had difficulty in going through these topics. The number of historical places and museums to which they could take their students were limited and that they could not go to the historical places in the neighboring cities due to negative circumstances such as financial impossibilities, failure to acquire permits and climatic conditions. It was also understood that there were not historical personalities or elderly people accessible to them in their area. The methods that teachers use were not interested to the learner and that the classrooms were over crowed. At the same time assessment, procedures were also not defective from various perspectives.

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