Evaluation of social sciences instruction class in terms of thinking skills

ivABSTRACTEVALUATION OF SOCIAL SCIENCES INSTRUCTION CLASSIN TERMS OF THINKING SKILLSNevsal BAYKARADepartment of Elementary EducationAfyon Kocatepe University, The Institute of Social SciencesJune 2006Advisor:Yrd.Doç.Dr. Şenay YAPICIThe aim of this research is to evaluate the Social Sciences class in primaryschools in terms of thinking skills. This research focuses on providing the fact thatwhether the aims of Social Sciences Teaching Program are suitable for establishingthe thinking skills and whether students? thoughts on establishing the thinking skillsin Social Sciences lesson differ in terms of variables like students? gender, theenvironment in which the school is located, and educational and occupational statusof the parents.The scope of this study is the seventh grade students going to the schoolsbound to Ministry of National Education, and located in the small towns which arebound to the centre of Alanya district in Antalya in the 2005-2006 educationalterm. Three hundred and eighty three seventh-grade students in six primary schoolslocated in the small towns bound to the centre of Alanya district were taken as thesubjects of the research.vIn order to evaluate the Social Sciences Class, a Likert type survey consistingof thirty six items was applied to the students. The results depending on the findingsof this research can be summarized as:It was seen that thinking skills activities are usually applied in SocialSciences class.It was found that the variable of student gender does not have an effectiverole in students? views related to involvement of thinking skills in Social Sciencesclass.Considerable differences were found in nineteen items in evaluating theSocial Sciences class in terms of thinking skills when the location of the school isconsidered. Among them, considerable differences were encountered which are infavor of schools in the city centre. Students at schools in city centre explained thatthese activities are applied more. The fact that the schools in the cities have betteropportunities and more modern educational materials may be considered as thereason of this.Variable of father?s occupation was not found as an effective variableaccording to the students? views related to the involvement of thinking skills inSocial Sciences class.Variable of mother?s occupation was not found as an effective variableaccording to the students? views related to the involvement of thinking skills inSocial Sciences class.It was found in six items that there are considerable differences between theeducation level of mother and the evaluation of Social Sciences class in terms ofthinking skills. It can be concluded from these items in which considerabledifferences were found that, in general, more considerable and higher level thinkingskills activities are applied as the education level of mother increases.It was found in six items that there are considerable differences between theeducation level of father and the evaluation of Social Sciences class in terms ofthinking skills. It can be concluded from these items in which considerable differencewas found that, in general, more considerable and higher level thinking skillsactivities are applied as the education level of father increases.