Evaluation of geographical maps i̇n social studies textbooks

Today, various materials are used in order to enrich the educational life and to ensure the information to be transferred to the students as required. Particular attention is paid to the use of visual materials at secondary school level. One of these materials is maps. Maps are essential materials for many lessons. However, the first lesson that comes to mind when talking about maps is usually Social Studies. The map is the first material used to teach the subjects in the field of geography in the Social Studies course. Therefore, it is required for students to learn these materials in the best way and know how to interpret them. However, the maps included in the Social Studies textbooks being prepared in full for this aim will be a supportive element in learning the usage of this material. Hence, the research was carried out to determine the proficiency levels of the geographical maps in the 5th, 6th and 7th grade Social Studies textbooks. Qualitative research method was used in accordance with the determined purpose, and as the technic, document analysis was used. The Map Evaluation Form consisting of 3 sections and 24 questions, developed by the researcher and tested by experts was used as data collection tool. The sample of the research consisted of 13 Social Studies textbooks selected in accordance with the purposive sampling. 134 geographical maps in the textbooks were examined one by one through the Map Evaluation Form. Document analysis was used in the analysis of the data in the study. Firstly, the documents were grouped as 5th, 6th and 7th grades and each of them was analyzed within itself. Finally, a general evaluation was made about the geographical maps at these grade levels, and these evaluation results were expressed and interpreted with graphics and percentages. At the end of the research, it was concluded that 98.5% of the geographical maps in the textbooks are general maps and 1.5% are special maps, the maps are at a good level in terms of learning outcomes, location and form, but they are not at a good level in terms of student development level, when they are examined in terms of intended purpose; they are mostly used for measurement-evaluation purposes; when they are examined in terms of map element, they are at a moderate level with regards to elements such as title, scale, legend and data source, but they are quite deficient with regards to direction arrow, coordinate and date elements; and when they are examined in terms of the features to be included in the maps, they are quite deficient with regards to completeness, clarity, aesthetics, accuracy, relevance and easy readability. Keywords: Geography, textbooks, maps, Social studies.