A Philosophy for Children (P4C) research on secondary school students' awareness of animal rights through children's books

Throughout history, there have been debates about whether philosophy is only for adults or if it's possible to engage children in philosophical inquiry. The "Philosophy for Children (P4C)" program developed by Matthew Lipman aimed to encourage children to engage in philosophy. The purpose of this research is to investigate how engaging in philosophical discussions with children through children's books affects secondary school students' awareness of animal rights. In this regard, the research examines how philosophical discussions conducted with selected children's books on animal rights influence students' intellectual capacities and awareness. The research employs a qualitative research method known as a case study. The study group consists of 25 middle school students attending 6th grade in Nevşehir province during the 2023-2024 academic year. For sampling, convenient sampling as a purposive sampling method was preferred. Semi-structured interview and participant observation forms were prepared by the researcher and finalized with expert opinion to collect data. Based on the needs identified through the interviews, P4C lesson plans were developed, and four P4C sessions were conducted over a period of four weeks according to the goals, materials, and instructional scenarios defined in these lesson plans. During these sessions, the researcher obtained student responses and filled out the observation form. Content analysis method was used to analyze the data obtained within the scope of the research. The topics discussed by the students, the concepts they raised, and the themes they questioned were extracted in detail from the transcriptions. The findings of the research indicate that P4C enables students to think more deeply about animal rights, develop their philosophical inquiry skills, and become more sensitive and empathetic towards animals. Additionally, it was concluded that P4C enhances students' classroom interactions, participation, and motivation. The research provides recommendations for animal rights education and P4C practices, and suggests avenues for future research. Keywords: Philosophy for Children (P4C), children's books, animal rights, dialogue, community of inquiry.