Special education teachers' views and experiences regarding the teaching of social studies

The purpose of this research is to determine the opinions and experiences of special education teachers regarding teaching social studies. The research was conducted with a phenomenological design, which is one of the qualitative research designs. The research was conducted with the participation of 11 special education teachers working in the Izmit district of Kocaeli province in the 2023-2024 academic year. The data of the study were collected through the participant information form, semi-structured interviews and the researcher's diary. The inductive analysis method was used in the analysis of the data using the MAXQDA 2020 software package. When the research findings were examined, it was observed that participants generally set appropriate goals for their students in the teaching of social studies and involved them in the teaching process with appropriate materials. It has been observed that students' performance levels determine participants' choice of methods and techniques as well as their material preferences. Participants need support in various areas, primarily in terms of materials. Participants stated that the content of the social studies course program was not suitable for special education students and that the education they received during their undergraduate studies was inadequate. While most of the participants who requested studies to improve themselves expressed positive opinions about their own competencies, they also stated that they had a lack of field knowledge regarding the social studies course.