Social dominance orientations of social studies teacher candidates

The aim of this research is to determine the social dominance orientations of Social Studies teacher candidates and to determine the differences in social dominance orientations according to gender and grade level variables. The research group consist of 228 Social Studies teacher candidates studying at the Education Faculties of different universities in the Spring semester of the 2023 - 2024 Academic Year. The research is planned according to the explanatory sequential design, which is one of the mixed research models. In the research, the Social Dominance Orientation Scale (SDO) which is developed by Ho et al. (2015) and adapted into Turkish by Kaynak, Kaynak Malatyalı, and Hasta (2021), was used as a quantitative data collection tool. For qualitative data, a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher was used. While the quantitative data of the research were analyzed with the SPSS 26 statistical package program, the qualitative data were resolved with the content analysis method. As a result of the research, it was determined that the social dominance orientations of Social Studies teacher candidates were relatively low and showed differences according to gender and grade level variables. The recommendations of the research are structured on the acquisition of democratic values, especially empathy and tolerance, in order to prevent group hierarchy and reduce individuals' social dominance tendencies.