An action research on teaching concepts of people, places and environments learning space for 5th grades social studies course

This research aims to determine the students' prior knowledge and perceptions about the subjects and concepts in the field of "People, Places and Environments" in the fifth-grade social studies curriculum, to realize activities and applications on more effective and permanent teaching of these concepts, aims to observe the impact on education. In the research, maps and concepts, landforms and concepts, climate and climate types and characteristics seen in Turkey, factors affecting the distribution of population topics and concepts and the concept of natural disaster were discussed. This research was carried out as action research from qualitative research patterns. The study was attended by 16 fifth graders who studied at Bekilli 30 August secondary school. The names of the students were hidden and they were referred to by code names in the research content. Within the scope of the research, mind map, word association test, concept map, conceptual change text, focus group interview, experiment, observation, field notes and various activities were prepared and used as a means of generating data. The data produced in the 7-week research was subjected to expression-based content analysis and was compared to the criteria developed for the relevant concept and converted to findings and conclusions. The research was carried out according to the weekly action plan prepared on the relevant subject and concept. Preliminary due diligence was carried out in the first-course hour of the week, the subject was processed once with the student group in the second-course hour, the activity related to comprehension was applied in the third-course hour and the final due diligence was carried out afterwards. When missing learning was detected, an additional action plan was prepared and implementation was carried out with additional activities during the fourth course hour. In order to make a descriptive observation of the whole process, Field Notes were kept by the researcher and focus group interviews were conducted after each data analysis and additional activities. As a result of the research, the student group has a partial prior knowledge and perception of the kinds of maps, the climates seen in Turkey, and the distinctive earth face shapes they see in their surroundings. Fifth graders mix the concept of climate with the seasons. Natural disasters as a name, but not able to identify, does not know the ways of protection from disasters. There is little or no prior knowledge of the group of students of basic dimensions related to other subjects and concepts that are subject to research. According to the end-of-process findings, the learning of the student group from the basic elements of the map concept to the plane and bird's-eye view sub-dimensions, all sub-dimensions of the basic effects of climate concept, all the sub-dimensions of the effects of climate, soil characteristics, vegetation sub-dimensions, human factors and mining and could not make progress. The student group confused the concepts of bay, bay, cape, peninsula, island, strait and ocean. Although they were able to make their natural disaster definitions after the action plan, they were not able to accurately express the measures to be taken against the earthquake. The student group has effectively learned and made progress in the basic and sub-dimensions where they are unable to make progress with the activities implemented after the additional action plan, and where they experience the confusion of concepts. The student group found it useful to perform mind maps and practice activities on their behalf. The most effective learning practices of the student group have been experiments and observations specific to social information conducted as an additional activity.