An examination of life studies textbooks from the viewpoint of child mental health professionals: Which one do they prefer and why?

The aim of this study is to make a research with regard to the perspectives of child psychologists and Child's Mental Health experts on the quality of the textbooks and lesson materials prepared according to the changing Life Science Curriculum of 1998, 2005 or 2018 respectively. Therefore, the experts are intended to examine the textbooks and lesson materials designed according to the Life Science Curriculum depending upon certain criterion, evaluate those materials mentioned above and be in close contact them. In the light of this general purpose, following questions are put forward: 1) According to the viewpoints of the child psychologists and experts, how qualified are the textbooks and lesson materials prepared according to the changing Life Science Curriculum of 1998, 2005 or 2018 respectively in terms of the presentation of written information /texts, activities and visuals, readability and the function of the visuals? 2) According to the viewpoints of the child psychologists and experts, how qualified are the textbooks and lesson materials prepared according to the changing Life Science Curriculum of 1998, 2005 or 2018 respectively regarding such points as the awareness of being an individual, suitability to the child, the preparation of the students for the real life, the socialization and learning process while having fun? This study is a qualitative research. The study group consists of a total of 30 child psychologists and experts, 15 of whom are employed in Şişli and Kağıthane public schools, 6 of whom are academicians specialized in guidance and psychological counseling, 5 of whom clinical psychologists, 2 of whom are child psychiatrist and 2 of whom are child development specialist. The research is applied in the spring semester of 2018-2019 and the fall semester of the 2019-2020 academic year. Before making use of the data collection tools, the experts are informed about the textbooks and the curriculum. During the research process, as data collection tools, one to one semi-structured interview, questionnaire comprised of open-ended questions, analysis form and document review are utilized. The data is analyzed by the content analysis technique. According to the experts, the textbooks which are designed in accordance with the Life Science Curriculum of 2005 are found to be more qualified in terms of the presentation of written information/texts, activities, the student awareness of being an individual, the socialization and learning process while having fun. The textbooks prepared according to the the program of 2018 are found to be more qualified in terms of visuals, visual reading and the functions of the visuals. As for the preparation of the students for real life and suitability to the child, the textbooks designed according to the the program of 2005 and 2018 are both found similarly qualified. The negative views are more common regarding the presentation style of the Life Science textbooks based on 1998 curriculum. What is more, child psychologists and experts state that they should be a part of the process of textbook writing/preparing and approval. The findings are discussed within the scope of related literature and the implementers are given suggestions.