About the applicability of values education in the lesson of social studies

The lessonof Social Studies, which aims to raise conscious citizens and responsible individuals, considerably contributes to 'values education'. For this reason, it is necessary to highlight elaborately the values education in the lessonof Social Studies. Along with an effective Social Studies curriculum, Social Studies teachers also have an important place in teaching values to students. Teachers, who are at the forefront in this issue, should primarily attach importance to value education and be aware of what can be done during these applications. Teachers who do not know the importance of values and do not have views and thoughts on the applicability of values education are not expected to be effective. This study is important within the scope of determining the views of teachers on the applicability of values education in the lessonof Social Studies. This study was conducted to determine the views on the applicability of values education in lessonof Social Studies. Qualitative research method was used in the study. The sample group of the study consisted of 20 Social Studies teachers working in secondary schools in the city center of Elazığ in the 2020-2021 academic year. In the study, semi-structured interview technique was utilized. The views of the teachers on the applicability of values education in the lessonof Social Studies were classified by the researcher through coding. The data obtained as a result of the research were analyzed with the help of content analysis method. The data were evaluated within the scope of NVivo12 qualitative data analysis program. As a result of the study, the applicability of values education was interpreted by the teachers within the scope of the questions and their views and suggestions were mentioned. When examining the views of Social Studies teachers on value education and the applicability of value education, they stated that they are aware of the importance of value and value education, the applicability of values education is important, values can be acquired in the society and family and they can be made more effective through education. They mentioned about the role of Social Studies in values education and that it has an important place in raising a conscious citizen, being aware of and protecting national and universal values, and protecting traditional and cultural values. In this context, the study includedviews about the applicability of values education throughout the lessons, and it was observed that they made some suggestions such as arranging lessonhours, shortening subjects and raising teachers' awareness of value more in order to increase its applicability. In addition, they also suggested that various courses and activities can be organized for value and values teaching applications for prospective teachers who do undergraduate education at universities. In addition, most of the teachers stated that the duration of the lessons is insufficient in terms of gaining the values sufficiently in the Social Studieslesson. They emphasized that values teaching became difficult due to negative reasons such as students' low level of readiness, attitudes towards the lesson, students and parents' exam-focused behaviors, crowded classes and intense lessontopics. Finally, the majority of the teachers mentioned the benefits of Social Studies educationin terms ofthe necessity of social life and adapting to social life with current examples. It was observed that during the value education and teaching, teachers also mentioned the activities they did and the possible matters.