The effect of the team-game-tournament technique in social studies course on students' cooperative learning skills

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of the Team Game Tournament (TGT) technique applied in social studies courses on middle school students' cooperative learning skills. In line with this objective, a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group, one of the quantitative research methods, was employed. The study group consisted of 5th grade students enrolled in a public school located in a province. A total of 58 students participated in the study, including 29 in the experimental group and 29 in the control group. The 5-G class was designated as the experimental group, while the 5-F class served as the control group. The experimental procedure was conducted over a six-week period within the "People, Places, and Environments" learning domain of the social studies curriculum. During this process, the experimental group was taught using the Team Game Tournament technique, whereas the control group received instruction through traditional teaching methods by the social studies teacher. Data collection tools included a personal information form, a checklist, and the Cooperative Learning Skills Scale developed by Burak (2020). Instruction was carried out based on lesson plans prepared by the researcher. The Cooperative Learning Skills Scale was administered twice: as a pretest and as a posttest. All data obtained during the study were digitized and analyzed using the JAMOVI statistical software package. In addition, the sub-dimensions of the Cooperative Learning Skills Scale, which include positive interdependence, collaborative working skills, and reflection on the group, were also examined. To analyze the data, independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), mixed-design ANOVA, and paired samples t-test were used for comparing the pretest and posttest scores of the experimental and control groups. The results of the analysis revealed that the experimental procedure had a statistically significant effect. Consequently, it was concluded that the social studies course conducted using the Team Game Tournament technique improved the cooperative learning skill levels of 5th grade students. Based on the findings, it is recommended that social studies teachers use the Team Game Tournament technique to enhance students' cooperative learning skills. Furthermore, researchers are encouraged to investigate the effects of this technique on different dependent variables and to conduct studies using various research designs focusing on cooperative learning and social studies education. Keywords: Social studies, Team Game Tournament technique, cooperative learning skills