The effects of the activity based learning on middle school students local literacies and their attitudes towards cultural heritage

The aim of this study is to determine the impact of activity-based learning on middle school students' local literacy skills and their attitudes towards cultural heritage. The research was designed in a quantitative research design with a quasi-experimental design. The quantitative dimension of the research consists of a total of 40 middle school students, with 20 experimental and 20 control students, attending a public middle school in Artuklu district of Mardin. The study group participants consist of 10 middle school students in the experimental group. In the research, quantitative data were collected using an attitude scale towards cultural heritage and a local literacy test, while qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews. In the analysis of the quantitative data, independent sample t-test, paired sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used, while content analysis techniques were used in the analysis of qualitative data. The quantitative findings of the study revealed a significant difference in favor of the experimental group in terms of attitude scores towards cultural heritage and local literacy knowledge test scores. In the qualitative findings phase of the study, the opinions of the students in the experimental group regarding the activity-based learning process were obtained, and students generally used positive statements about the teaching process. Along with this, students' achievements related to Mardin, their efforts to promote Mardin, and their views on lessons and applications were also discussed.The students' achievements related to Mardin were categorized as material and spiritual elements, including geographical elements, architectural elements, gastronomic elements, economic elements, elements of cultivated human resources, and historical elements. The theme of promoting Mardin was categorized as material and spiritual elements, including historical-touristic values, gastronomic value, economic value, cultivated human resources, cultural value, and the local history of the region. Under the theme of lesson and application recommendations, suggestions were made on time (duration), method-technique, extracurricular activities, trips, and applied forms.In light of the research findings, several recommendations were made, categorized under two main headings: recommendations for practitioners and recommendations for researchers. Recommendations for practitioners include emphasizing the implementation of activity-based learning methods and techniques more frequently in Social Studies and Our City lessons, and providing opportunities for students to participate in extracurricular activities that enable them to experience local history and culture firsthand. Research recommendations include conducting more studies on local literacy, which is a new type of literacy, given the limited research in both domestic and international literature on this topic. It issuggested that more studies focus on local literacy and that the results obtained from the study be utilized to contribute positively to the educational process. The concept of local literacy, which means being aware of the basic characteristics of the region where individuals live, can be listed as developing various skills in individuals.