Determining the opinions of teachers regarding to teaching history subjects in the context of social sciences course

Social science course is one of the core courses which aim to shape the students as a part of the society they involve. By combining various disciplines such as history, geography, law, social sciences and civics this course aims to equip the students with required knowledge, skills, instruments and apparatus which the students need to be an effective part of their society. This study aims to determine the opinions of teachers regarding to teaching history subjects in the context of social sciences course. First and second chapters are separated for an extensive literature review for related topics. After giving a general information about the concept of the study, related literature about the description, importance and development of the social science course has been reviewed. Theoretical approaches of teaching history, methods, techniques and material usage in teaching history, aassessment and evaluation, ad the role of teaching history for values education of the students are some of the topics which were covered in these chapters. The methodology and findings are located in the third and fourth chapters. In order to operationalize the study a mixed model of quantitative and qualitative methods is used in this study. First, a questionnaire has been developed to collect data about the opinions of the teachers. The sample of the study is selected from the teacher who are serving in İzmir province by using cluster sampling and random sampling techniques. A total of 303 teachers were surveyed, and their answers were collected by using a 5 level Likert scale. In addition, in depth interviews with 16 teachers were carried out to collect detailed information about their opinions. All the data collected by qualitative and quantitative methods were analyzed by appropriate statistical methods. Based on the findings of the study several suggestions and policy implications recommendations were put forward to improve the concept of the course. According to the findings of the research, the teachers evaluated their university education and in service training courses as being inadequate for their teaching needs. Additionally, they argued that the coterie meetings are insufficient. According to the teachers, one of the fundamental elements of values education is teaching history. The technological capacity and the physical conditions of the schools are not enough. Although the content of the course program is intense, course hours are not enough to cover that program. For that reason while updating the program itself its concept should be narrowed. Keywords: Occupational competence, opinions of teachers, teaching social sciences, teaching history.