Evaluation of environmental issues in terms of content and teacher opinions in the context of 2018 and 2024 social students course teaching programs

Environmental education plays a crucial role in raising societal awareness in the face of increasing environmental issues. In this context, how the Social Studies Curriculum addresses environmental topics is vital for developing students' environmental consciousness. This study aims to analyze the environmental topics in the 2018 and 2024 Social Studies Curriculum and to examine the views of social studies teachers on these topics. The research evaluates the learning areas, contents, and outcomes related to environmental education in the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th grades of the curriculum, while also incorporating teachers' opinions. A qualitative research method was employed. The first objective was to analyze the environmental topics within the 2018 and 2024 curricula through document analysis, a descriptive analysis method. The second objective focused on gathering teachers' views on the environmental topics in the curricula via focus group discussions. The study group comprised 10 social studies teachers (7 male, 3 female) working in various schools in Malatya, under the Ministry of National Education. Analysis of the 2018 curriculum revealed that the most significant direct and indirect outcomes related to environmental topics were found in the "People, Places, and Environments" unit, which contained a total of 14 outcomes. In the 2024 curriculum, it was determined that there were both direct and indirect outcomes related to environmental education, with the "Our World" learning area contributing the most across all grade levels, offering 12 outcomes. Discussions with teachers indicated that theoretical instruction predominates in environmental education, with insufficient opportunities for practical learning. Teachers emphasized the need for more emphasis on environmental topics and an increase in extracurricular activities. KEYWORDS: Social Studies Curriculum; Environmental Education; Social Studies Teachers' Opinion