A review of the trajectory of teaching the history of science in social studies and other textbooks

The history of science is a long journey that reveals the complex fabric of human curiosity and discovery. Spanning thousands of years, this journey is a search for meaning. From the awe-inspiring observations of ancient civilizations to the groundbreaking discoveries of the modern era, the history of science is a long-running story of humanity's endless curiosity. The discipline of history of science is an important discipline that helps us understand humanity's history full of knowledge and discoveries. It can be said that the most important factors shaping this history are the great thinkers, researchers, discoveries, inventions and various civilizations that have shaped the world of science. This study aims to determine the current situation (teaching trajectory) of the history of science in textbooks, which is one of the cornerstones of the education system. The research was designed according to qualitative research methodology. Document analysis method was used in the study. The data obtained were analyzed using content analysis technique. In the study, how the historical process of science is represented in primary and secondary school main textbooks was analyzed under certain themes. A total of 30 textbooks, including Social Studies, Life Sciences, Turkish, Mathematics, Mathematics, Science, Atatürkism and History of Turkish Revolution, which are included in the curriculum from Grade 1 to Grade 8, were examined for the trajectory of history of science teaching. During the review process, the characters related to the teaching of history of science were classified and explained as discoveries, inventions, events, civilizations, countries, cities, ancient cities, concepts, museums, historical places, institutions and artifacts. As a result of this evaluation, it was determined that the topics related to the history of science were included in the textbooks examined from Grade 1 to Grade 8 with a certain increase in the number of topics according to the grade level. When all grade levels were analyzed, it was concluded that the most topics related to the history of science were included in the Social Studies course, followed by the Science course, and when analyzed in terms of grade level, it was concluded that they were included in the 6th and 7th grades. The courses with the least amount of subject content were Mathematics and Turkish Atatürkism and History of Turkish Revolution.