Evaluation of primary education 4th grade curricula in terms of 21st century skills according to Demirel's analytical curriculum evaluation model

The main purpose of education is to raise individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to meet the needs of the age. In this process, individuals can receive an education compatible with changing living conditions through the functionality of educational programs. In this respect, it is expected that the training programs will be of a quality that will provide 21st-century skills. Based on this idea, the main aim of the research is to transform the 4 basic lessons (mathematics, Turkish, science, and social studies) in the 4th-grade primary school curriculum, which was put into practice in the 2017-2018 academic year, into the 21st century. It is evaluated according to Demirel's Analytical Program Evaluation Model (DAPDEM) in terms of skills [Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21) - Learning and Innovation Skills (LIS)]. The qualitative part of this study, which was designed as a sequential exploratory mixed method research among mixed design studies, was designed in the nested multiple case study design, and the quantitative part was designed in the descriptive survey model. Maximum diversity sampling and criterion sampling methods, which are among the purposeful sampling methods, were used to collect qualitative data. While collecting quantitative data, all volunteer primary school 4th grade teachers in the central district of Aydın province in the Aegean region, which constitute the study population, were reached through appropriate sampling. The research was conducted with more than one working group. The needs analysis (I) study group of the research consists of 12 primary school 4th-grade teachers working in Aydın/Efeler district in the 2021-2022 Academic Year Spring Semester, and the needs analysis study group (II) consists of 9 primary school teachers working in Aydın/Efeler district in the 2022-2023 Spring Semester. While the study group of the research consists of 4th-grade teachers and 9 primary school administrators, 16 primary school 4th-grade teachers working in Aydın/Efeler district in the 2023-2024 Fall Semester, the study population of the research consists of 162 primary school 4th-grade teachers working in Aydın/Efeler district in the 2022-2023 Spring Semester. constitutes. The data of the research were collected with documents, observations, and interviews (triangulation) for qualitative design, and with a checklist based on Demirel's analytical program evaluation model for quantitative design. With the exploratory design, in which qualitative and quantitative data were used sequentially, the research questions were designed to support each other, and the obtained data were blended and interpreted as a whole. Although the data were collected and analyzed separately, the research questions were designed to support each other, and qualitative and quantitative data were blended and interpreted as a whole. In the analysis of qualitative data, while both descriptive analysis techniques (in the analysis of document analysis and field observations) and content analysis (in the analysis of stakeholder opinions) are preferred; Descriptive statistical analyses were used in the analysis of quantitative data. Program evaluation started by considering the subject area, and individual and community needs. With needs analysis, the feasibility of the research, whether it is worth studying, the usefulness of the preferred 21st-century framework, its prevalence, general validity, the advantages and disadvantages of the preferred model, which courses in the program will be included in the research and which will be included in the research and the preferred 21st-century skills framework. The boundaries, legal justification, and reference points of the research were established by examining and analyzing in detail which dimensions should be included in the research. In the Input-Context dimension, it was determined as a result of document analysis that no explanation was made regarding the philosophy on which the programs are based, the theory on which the program is based, the model on which the program is based, and that no explanation was made regarding P21-LISs. According to the checklist results, the context dimension scores of the primary school teachers were found to be below average, while the interview results revealed that the primary school teachers did not have any ideas about the philosophy on which the program was based and whether there was a general relationship between the philosophy on which the program was based and LIS. When the curriculum is examined, there are 4 basic lessons: Turkish Qualifications Framework, field-specific skills, science engineering and entrepreneurship practices, 27 basic skills, language skills, values, competencies, etc. It has been determined that some skills are more prominent in the lessons since they are designed considering the fields. In the goal-achievement dimension, it was determined that while communication and critical thinking skills came to the fore in the lessons, innovation, and cooperation skills were less included, and no normality was observed in the distribution of skills. It has been determined that the achievements are theoretically appropriate for the students' levels, and although they include learning and innovation skills, the teachers do not adequately address the LISs included in the achievements because they teach their lessons on a subject-based basis. In addition, while content and activities were created in line with the achievements of the mathematics, social studies, and science curricula, it was determined that the content in the Turkish lesson was prepared not according to the achievements, but within the text types and theme topics included in the program. In the content dimension, it has been determined that the content and the achievements overlap (except for the Turkish lesson), the content and the activities are compatible, the content is too long in some lessons, and is generally inadequate and not interesting enough. In the context of the content dimension, it was determined that critical thinking skills came to the fore in Turkish communication, mathematics, science, and social studies lessons in the context of the structure of the lessons, while the skill of innovation was not adequately addressed in the content. In the learning-teaching process dimension, it has been determined that while communication skills in Turkish lessons, problem-solving in mathematics lessons, critical thinking in science lessons, and communication skills in social studies lessons come to the fore, innovation, and cooperation skills are less included. It has been determined that teachers frequently have to resort to auxiliary resources and online platforms because there are not enough activities and examples in the learning-teaching process dimension. In addition, during the field observations, it was determined that the method of explanation, question and answer, discussion, and problem-solving was generally preferred in the process and that alternative methods and techniques were not included sufficiently. In the measurement and evaluation dimension, it has been determined that while critical thinking skills come to the fore in Turkish lessons, problem-solving in mathematics lessons, and critical thinking skills in science and social sciences lessons, creativity, innovation, and cooperation skills are not adequately addressed. In the measurement and evaluation dimension, the general achievements of measurement-evaluation activities and the 21st-century achievements are included in the achievements. It has been determined that it is not capable of measuring skills and is also inadequate in terms of quantity. Although different auxiliary resources were used in field observations to diversify and enrich the measurement and evaluation dimension, it was determined that traditional measurement and evaluation activities never deviated. When the curricula are evaluated as a whole within the scope of the final evaluation, considering that the programs appear to be functional in theory only in the acquisition dimension in terms of LIS skills in the basic lessons and are insufficient in providing skills in other dimensions, it is thought that a decision should be made regarding the fundamental changes in the curricula and they should be revised again