The effect of using web 2. 0 tools in social studies course on students' academic achievement levels and digital literacy skills

Social studies course is a course that aims to teach basic knowledge, skills and behaviors about the nature, society and civilization in which the individual lives, and in this direction, it aims to increase the academic, social and intellectual capital of the individual. At this point, it is important to raise the individual as a well-equipped individual with skills suitable for the modern age and to increase his/her academic success. In this regard, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of using Web 2.0 tools in social studies teaching on students' digital literacy skills and academic achievement. The research was conducted with a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group. In addition, at the end of the research process, students' feelings and thoughts about the use of Web 2.0 tools in the lesson were tried to be revealed with a semi-structured interview form. The study included 32 students studying in secondary schools in Siverek district of Şanlıurfa province. Within the scope of the research, 16 students were included in the study as the experimental group and 16 students as the control group. Students in the experimental group taught the social studies course using Web 2.0-based applications. The students in the control group were taught according to the existing curriculum. Data collection tools were the "Digital Literacy Scale" developed by Pala (2020) for the middle school 10-12 age group, the "Achievement Test" prepared by the researcher and the "semi-structured interview form". In data analysis, independent sample t test and paired (related) groups t test analyzes were used. At the end of the study, it was found that there was a significant increase in both course achievement and digital literacy levels of the students in the experimental group compared to the students in the control group. In addition, according to the results of the qualitative data, it was determined that Web 2.0 applications made the lessons more fun, facilitated learning, had positive effects on their academic achievement and improved their safe internet use habits. As a result, it can be said that utilizing Web 2.0 applications in middle school social studies courses positively affects both course success and students' digital literacy skill levels. Key words: Social studies course, web 2.0 tools, academic success, digital literacy