Investigation of the change of patriot value perceptions of primary school 4th grade students as a result of book reading activities

In this research, the change in the patriotism value perceptions of primary school 4th grade students as a result of book reading activities was examined. In the research, the basic qualitative research design, one of the qualitative research designs, was used. The study group of the research consists of 4th grade students studying at a public school in Erzurum city center in the 2021-2022 academic year. A total of 23 students, 13 boys and 10 girls, participated in the study. The data in the research were obtained with a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher, taking into account the expert opinions. The data obtained as a result of the interview were analyzed by content analysis method. Data analysis was carried out in computer environment. When the findings obtained from the research are examined, it is seen that the expressions of the students about patriotism and love of country after the book reading activities varied compared to before the activity. In addition, while the students participating in the research expressed the names of the National Struggle Heroes less before the book reading activities, it was seen that the names of the National Struggle Heroes were expressed more by the students after the activity. It is seen that students' perceptions of the concept of homeland differ with the book reading activities, and there is an increase in the approach to the sense of benevolence. It is seen that there is no big difference in the thoughts of the students to protect the homeland before and after the activity. It is seen that the students mostly stated that it is necessary to protect the homeland against the enemy. It is seen that the students describe behaviors that do not comply with patriotism, and they use expressions such as being in bad behavior and not feeling love for their homeland. As a result of the activities, it is seen that the students can express their love of homeland better. In addition, it is seen that the concepts of struggle and war are added to the students' perceptions of patriotism with the effect of the books they read. Considering these results, it is seen that students can empathize with the heroes in the biography-based books, and this shows that this situation makes a positive contribution to the students' value acquisition