The effect of using out-of-school learning environments on life skills in social studies education

Today, the acquisition of basic life skills by students has become one of the important goals of contemporary education. Social studies is a course for individuals to gain the necessary knowledge, skills and values to take an active role in social life. This study was conducted to examine the effect of using out-of-school learning environments in social studies lessons on the development of life skills of 6th grade secondary school students. In the study conducted with mixed research method, life skills scale for secondary school students was used in the quantitative data collection process, and interviews with students and teachers were conducted in the qualitative data collection process. The study was conducted with sixth grade students in the experimental and control groups, and an 8-week implementation plan was prepared for the experimental group. Various out-of-school learning activities were carried out during the implementation process. The quantitative data obtained from the research were analysed with SPSS; the effect of the application was evaluated by comparing the pre-test and post-test results. Qualitative data were divided into themes by inductive analysis. As a result of the research, the use of out-of-school learning environments in social studies courses has positive results in developing students' life skills. The findings show that the use of out-of-school learning environments in social studies teaching can contribute to students' development of life-related knowledge and skills.