Evaluation of primary school fourth grade social studies curriculum in line with Hammond Cube Model

This study aims to evaluate the 2018 4th grade social studies curriculum within the framework of the Hammond Cube Model. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected in the study, which was conducted in a low socio-economic primary school in Gaziantep using a convergent parallel mixed design. Quantitative data were collected through a demographic information form, achievement test and attitude scale, while qualitative data were collected through observation forms, video recordings and semi-structured interviews. IBM SPSS 22 and NVivo9 programs were used to analyze the data. According to the behavioral dimension results, students' achievement and attitudes towards social studies course were high. While there was no significant difference in terms of gender, the achievement scores of students with higher parental education and income levels were higher. The classroom teacher's practices have a significant effect on students' achievement and attitudes. While the program emphasizes cognitive domains, affective and kinesthetic domains remain in the background. In the teaching dimension, teachers were positive about the content while students were negative. It was determined that the lecture method is widely used, additional resources are needed and there are difficulties in the implementation of extracurricular activities. In the institutional dimension, factors such as teachers' insufficient prior knowledge of the program, students' lack of readiness and motivation, socio-economic characteristics of the region and low importance given to education constitute obstacles in the implementation of the program. Based on the findings, recommendations are presented to improve the program and its implementation.