Examination of the philosophical concepts in the learning outcomes of the social studies curricula in 1998, 2005, and 2017 in the context of educational philosophie

This study examined the philosophical concepts in the learning outcomes of the social studies curricula in 1998, 2005, and 2017 in the context of educational philosophies. The study used the qualitative research method and employed document review to systematically scan, collect, and analyze the data, utilizing the Concept Form developed by the researcher for document analysis. Analysis revealed that the philosophical concepts identified in the objectives at all grade levels were unevenly distributed by unit. The goals in the 1998 curriculum were observed to be predominantly philosophical concepts related to the educational philosophies of essentialism and perennialism. The number of philosophical concepts in the learning outcomes of the 2005 social studies curriculum were seen to increase with grade level (4th grade: 18 philosophical concepts; 5th grade: 18; 6th grade: 26; 7th grade: 33). The philosophical concepts in the 4th grade learning outcomes of the 2005 social studies curriculum were mainly related to existentialism and perennialism. The philosophical concepts identified in the 5th-and 6th-grade learning outcomes were related to progressivism and reconstructionism, while those in the 7th-grade learning outcomes were related to progressivism. The number of philosophical concepts in the learning outcomes [of the 2017 social studies curriculum] was found to increase with grade level (4th grade: 14 philosophical concepts; 5th grade: 19 philosophical concepts; 6th grade: 22 philosophical concepts; 7th grade: 22 philosophical concepts). The philosophical concepts in the 4th-grade learning outcomes of the 2017 social studies curriculum were mainly related to the progressivism educational philosophy while those in the 5th, 6th, and 7th-grade learning outcomes were found mainly to be related to the progressivism and reconstructionism educational philosophies. The philosophical concept of "culture" was seen to be the most common philosophical concept in the learning outcomes of the 1998, 2005, and 2017 social studies curricula. Of the three curricula examined, it was seen that the learning outcomes of the 2005 curriculum contained more philosophical concepts than the 1998 and 2017 curricula. The study revealed that the philosophical concepts identified in the learning outcomes of the social studies curricula were unevenly distributed on the basis of learning areas.