The effect of evidence-based learning in social studies on students critical thinking dispositions and attitudes towards the course

In today's educational paradigm, where skills-based education has replaced traditional knowledge-based education, practical research on the teaching of these skills has gained importance. With this aim, the study investigated the impact of evidence-based learning in social studies on 4th-grade stu-dents' critical thinking dispositions and attitudes towards the subject. The research was conducted du-ring the 2022-2023 academic year at a public school in Esenyurt district, Istanbul. The study group consisted of randomly selected 4th-grade students from two different classes, 4C and 4F, with 20 stu-dents in each class (20 in the experimental group and 20 in the control group). While evidence-based learning activities related to social studies were implemented for the experimental group, the control group received the regular curriculum. The study utilized a pre-test-post-test control group quasi-experimental design, a quantitative research method. Data were collected using the Critical Thinking Dispositions Scale developed by Uluçınar and Akar (2021) for primary school grades 3 and 4, and the Attitude Scale towards 4th-grade Social Studies developed by Ulu-Kalın and Topkaya (2017). These scales were also used for the retention measurements of the experimental group. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS program. Since the data obtained from the research did not meet the prerequisites for parametric tests, the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test and Kruskal-Wallis H test were used for data analysis. The results indicated a significant differen-ce in favor of the post-test scores for critical thinking dispositions and attitudes towards the subject in the experimental group where evidence-based learning was implemented. Furthermore, the study examined the retention scores of critical thinking dispositions and attitudes towards the subject, revea-ling that evidence-based learning positively enhanced students' critical thinking dispositions and attitu-des towards the subject. Recommendations were provided within the context of the findings.