Analysis of the objectives/achievements of life sciences curricula from the Republic to the present (1926-2018)

Primary school constitutes one of the most crucial periods of our educational journey. This phase marks the process where students are introduced to various social environments and encounter teachers for the first time. Particularly when considering periods where preschool education was not widespread, these years stand out as the initial phase in which students begin to make sense of life. One of the fundamental subjects of this period is the life sciences course. The life sciences course significantly contributes to students' social, emotional, and cognitive development. This research examines the changes in the distribution of the objectives/achievements in the Life Sciences curriculum in terms of cognitive domain levels, fundamental elements of the curriculum, and core values. By analyzing the changes made in primary school curricula from the Republic's establishment to the present (1926, 1936, 1948, 1968, 1998, 2005, 2018), the study investigates how the distribution of objectives/achievements according to cognitive domain levels, fundamental elements of the curriculum, and core values has evolved over the years. The aim of this research is to determine how the distribution of the objectives/achievements in the Life Sciences course has changed over the years in terms of cognitive domain levels, fundamental elements of the curriculum, and core values, and to identify the impact of this change on the quality of the curriculum. This study employs document analysis, a qualitative research method. In this technique, also referred to as documentary scanning, data is obtained by examining existing information and documents. According to the findings of the study, except for the 1948 program, the objectives/achievements at the knowledge level were higher than other levels until 2005. However, in the 2005 and 2018 programs, this situation changed, and it was determined that achievements at the comprehension, application, analysis, and synthesis levels increased. It is also observed that the fundamental elements of the program are more proportionally distributed in the recent programs compared to the initial ones, with an increase in the objectives/achievements related to skills. Regarding core values, it was found that all values were included in the 2005 program. When preparing new programs, it is necessary to avoid writing objectives/achievements at the analysis and synthesis levels, as they are not suitable for the students' developmental process. Additionally, core values should be proportionally distributed as in the 2005 program. Key Words: Curriculum, Life Sciences, Bloom's Taxonomy, Core Values