Gender in 4th grade social studies textbooks (1968-2021)

The examination of textbooks, which are considered a crucial component of education, allows for the identification of the evolution of societal understandings and perspectives on specific matters. This research focuses on the portrayal of gender in Social Studies textbooks for fourth-grade students. The objective is to uncover the depiction of gender roles in textbooks since the inclusion of the Social Studies curriculum in Turkey in 1968, and to observe any changes that have occurred over the years. The analysis of these textbooks aims to determine how the roles of males and females, both as children and adults, are presented, as well as the societal expectations placed upon them. Additionally, it seeks to explore how children are expected to conform to these expectations and develop into men and women. Although the grade levels of the Social Studies course have varied since its introduction in 1968, it has consistently been included in the fourth and fifth grades. The fourth-grade serves as the initial introduction to Social Studies, a course that imparts knowledge on social sciences, social relations, and the skills necessary for living in society. The research group of this study consists of four Social Studies textbooks belonging to the 4th grade from the years 1974, 1991, 2005, and 2021. The content of the selected textbooks was analyzed through critical discourse analysis, revealing similarities and differences in gender discourse between the years 1968 and 2021. The data collected through document analysis technique was coded using content analysis technique and analyzed through critical discourse analysis. The Vienna critical discourse analysis technique was employed to uncover how gender roles are constructed, reflected, portrayed, and reproduced in Social Studies textbooks. Based on the findings of the research, significant changes in the representation of gender in 4th grade Social Studies textbooks from 1974 to 2021 were observed. However, despite these changes, it was concluded that the roles of women and men continue to be shaped according to traditional gender stereotypes.