Examining social studies textbooks and social studies teachers perspectives regarding concept teaching methods

The social studies course encompasses a wide range of concepts from the field of social sciences, making it a rich and comprehensive subject. Concepts serve as the foundation for effective learning, and acquiring a meaningful and accurate understanding of these concepts is made possible through effective concept teaching. This study aims to investigate the presence and extent of concept teaching methods within social studies textbooks, as well as the utilization of these methods by social studies teachers. The research comprises two main parts. Firstly, an analysis of social studies textbooks was conducted to examine the inclusion of concept teaching methods. In the second part, the opinions of social studies teachers regarding concept teaching methods were gathered. The study was conducted during the 2021-2022 academic year, utilizing social studies textbooks for grades 5, 6, and 7 as the data source. The study group consisted of 15 social studies teachers working in public secondary schools located in the Çayeli District of Rize province. To align with the qualitative research approach, the study employed various data collection methods. This included document analysis, a semi-structured interview form, and a frequency questionnaire technique derived from quantitative research methods. The data obtained were analyzed using content analysis for the textbooks and for the interviews with social studies teachers. Based on the findings of the study, it was determined that social studies textbooks inadequately incorporate concept teaching methods. Notably, certain methods such as fishbone diagrams, concept wheels, conceptual change texts, concept cartoons, word association tests, metaphors, predict-observe-explain techniques, deduction, induction, V diagrams, mind maps, rhyme, and acrostic examples derived from literary work were absent from the textbooks. The opinions of the teachers revealed that they recognized the necessity of incorporating concept teaching methods in their lessons. They expressed their dissatisfaction with the limited presence of such methods in the textbook and emphasized the need for an increased number of concept teaching activities. The teachers highlighted the positive impacts of utilizing concept teaching methods, including improved retention, concretization of subject matter, increased student engagement, meaningful learning experiences, and enjoyable lessons. Additionally, they stressed the importance of in-service training and seminars to effectively implement concept teaching methods. The findings were analyzed in conjunction with the existing literature, and recommendations were provided based on the data obtained.