Science education at primary and secondary school levels in the Second onstitutional period

Having started to be imported during the "Tanzimat" Period, Western ideas and practices started to make themselves increasingly evident in the Second Constitutional Period, which became, in a sense, the laboratory of the Republican Era in various fields, especially in education. Even though most reforms of the Second Constitutional Period did not live up to the initial expectations they created due to numerous wars, financial difficulties and governmental problems, the educated cadres of the Republican Era are the achievement of that period. The policies of science education of the Second Constitutional Period had a great effect on the adoption of a positivist approach and appreciation of positive sciences during the early years of the Republican Era. It is, therefore, important to examine the science curriculum and practices of the Second Constitutional Period. However, no studies addressing this issue have been found in the literature. This study investigates the curriculums for primary and secondary school levels and analyzes the courses offered in the scope of science education and their contents in the Second Constitutional Period. The understanding of a curriculum of the period was only the submission of topic lists to schools. For better understanding of the educational practices of the Second Constitutional Period, this study investigated science books which were available and science education articles published in education journals at that time. In this qualitative study carried out by the method of document examination, nine education programs, eight textbooks and all accessible issues of six journals were examined. "Envar-ı Ulum Mecmuası", "Fen Mecmuası", "Milli Ta'lim ve "Terbiye Cemiyeti Mecmuası", "Muallim Mecmuası", "Tedrisat Mecmuası" and "Terbiye Mecmuası" are the periodicals examined. These documents were subjected to content analysis in order to present a holistic picture reflecting the understanding of science education of the Second Constitutional Period. Science education in real terms began in primary schools for the first time in this period. It was observed that science education at secondary and high school levels was quite comprehensive. The names of the science courses of the Second Constitutional Period were quite different from those of today. There were also differences in the classifications of the courses. For example, the subject of mechanics was offered as a separate course within the scope of the mathematical sciences. Unlike today, there was an intensive cultivation, agriculture and animal husbandry education at primary and secondary school levels. At high school level, two of the mandatory courses were geology and cosmography which are not very much available today. There was also a mandatory course on health at high school level. Despite the limited technology, the science textbooks of the period were visually rich and filled with numerous pictures and figures. The education journals published at that time also made a great contribution to the science education of the period. "Teaching methods" which were missing in the education programs of the Second Constitutional Period were compensated for by these journals. In their sections of example lessons, these journals addressed the methods and techniques to be used in lessons. In conclusion, it can be stated that, during the Second Constitutional Period, science education was considered very important, contemporary developments were followed and application of science was emphasized. It was also observed that such topics as "active learning", "constructivism" and "student-centered education" which are presented today as "new practices in education" were discussed thoroughly 100 years ago. Key Words: second constitutional period, curriculum, Turkish educational history,science history