Teachers' views on generation Z students in social studies lesson

Age groups that were born approximately at the same time, experienced similar economic, political and social events, and showed similar attitudes and behaviors as a result of the experiences gained are defined as "generations". The concept of generation has been studied by many researchers and defined in different ways. A generation is a group of individuals who share a different set of values because they share certain events and experiences during the same time period. Generations from past to present; They are classified as the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z. Generation Z individuals were born into a technological world. Due to these features, they have been called the generation that can access information the fastest. Some researchers have stated that Generation Z individuals include individuals born between 1996 and 2010. In some sources, it is stated that Generation Z started in 1996 and continues until today. Some researchers accept that children born after 2010 have different characteristics than Generation Z. The two mentioned groupings are found in the literature. It can be said that the fact that Generation Z has a relatively recent history causes studies on this generation to be new and not large enough in quantity. In the study, teachers' opinions about Generation Z students were taken, specifically in the social studies course. For this purpose, face-to-face interviews were held with the participants. The phenomenological pattern, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. The interview technique, which is frequently used in qualitative studies, was used as a data collection tool in the study. The study group of the research consists of 17 social studies teachers working in Mardin province. In determining the participants, criteria such as age and working in the city center were sought. 30 years of age was chosen as the closest age group to Generation Z. The criterion of working in the city center is that it reflects more the generational characteristics of Generation Z living in cities. For this reason, teachers working in the city center were preferred. Before the research, participants were informed by sending interview forms. During the research, semi-structured items in the previously developed interview form were directed to the participants and the opinions obtained were examined. According to participant opinions, the technology use of Generation Z individuals affects their readiness levels. It has been stated that students coming to class prepared will have positive effects on the social studies course and will increase their interest in the course. At the same time, they are of the opinion that with students who come prepared, the course will become productive and enjoyable and will even increase academic success. This result can reveal the generalization that if the lesson is prepared, there will be positive reflections on the lesson, regardless of generation difference. According to participant opinions, one of the problematic areas regarding Generation Z students is their poor or inadequate study habits. Time spent on social media has been pointed out as one of the important factors causing this situation. Participants stated that Generation Z students use their own learning styles during the course preparation process. Within the scope of the study, participants stated that Generation Z students did not show sufficient interest and care in the social studies course due to LGS. The biggest reason for this is that the questions from the social studies course have a low coefficient in LGS. Within the scope of the study, it was stated that the interest of Generation Z students in the social studies course was shaped according to the subjects of the course, it was not holistic, they were more active in the subjects that interested them and their attitudes towards the course were more positive. According to the participants, the topics that interest Generation Z students most among the current topics in the social studies course are those related to the economy. According to the participants, media affects Generation Z students both positively and negatively. Participants are of the opinion that the point that needs to be taken into consideration is the purpose of using the media. According to participant opinions, the reading habits of Generation Z students are inadequate.