Evaluation of multicultural education in social studies courses in the context of social studies curriculum, textbooks, and teacher perspectives

Since the earliest civilizations in the world, different cultures, geographical, linguistic, religious, and ethnic diversities have been one of the fundamental dynamics of human history. The aim of this research is to examine how multicultural education is addressed in the 2024 updated Social Studies Curriculum within the scope of the Türkiye Century Maarif Model and the 5th grade textbook, and to reveal evaluations related to this theme in line with teacher opinions. The research was conducted with ten Social Studies teachers working in public schools in the province of Samsun; data were collected through a standardized open-ended interview form, the 2024 Social Studies Curriculum, and 5th grade textbooks. The study group was determined by criterion sampling; the obtained data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and content analysis methods. When the research results are evaluated together, it is seen that multiculturalism is generally represented in the context of daily life in textbooks, through values such as cultural interaction, hospitality, and respect for differences, while at the same time, teachers frequently emphasize concepts such as "daily life," "coexistence," and "tolerance" in their definitions of multiculturalism. Therefore, it is observed that the perception of the concept of multiculturalism is parallel when comparing teacher opinions and textbook content. Teachers state that the multicultural content included in both the books and the curriculum mostly remains superficial and that structural representations such as cultural equality, combating discrimination, and minority rights are given limited space. When the curriculum is examined, these opinions are confirmed; it is seen that the theme of multiculturalism is directly included in only two and indirectly in one of the six learning areas at the 5th grade level. This reveals that multicultural education is confined to limited areas in the curriculum rather than being presented in a systematic and holistic structure. At the same time, teachers' awareness of this limitation in practice and their indication that they can only address multicultural education within the framework of specific achievements is an indicator of a limited but overlapping relationship between the curriculum and its implementation. The textbooks, on the other hand, largely reflect this narrow framework in the curriculum, shaped through representative values, but fall short in terms of digital and interactive content that would encourage student participation. As a result, although multiculturalism is present in all three elements through certain themes, it is addressed at a rather limited level in terms of scope, depth, and systematic structure; the need for a more inclusive, structural, and participatory approach has clearly emerged.