The development of causality concept of primary school students in the instruction of social studies

The purpose of the study is to identify the causality concepts of 4th., 5th., 6th. and 7th. grade primary school students? competence and knowledge levels and if there were any significant differences according to the classroom, sex, school (sociaeconomic surroundings) and preschools of the students. In this study descriptive research method was used and the data were collected by both quantitatively and qualitatively. In the study restricted universe was used and the sample of which was composed of 465 students for quantitative method and 160 students for qualitative method. The means of collecting data was developed by the researcher and reliability coefficients were calculated around ,81 and ,89. Following results were obtained in this research. 1. The average of students total accomplishment scores in causality concept with respect to the level of the classroom; in 4th. grade students X =21,86, in 5th grade X =25,88, in 6th. grade X =25,83 and in 7th.grade X =28,67. the difference between the total scores of students and classroom level in causality (F(3-461)=15,707, p<.01). There is a significant difference between 4th. grade students and 5th., 6th and 7th grade students. It is in second group students? favour. 2. There is a significant difference between total accomplishment and skills for causality (identifying the reason, identifying the result, describing, establishing relationship, ordering and classifying) according to the social-economic levels of the students. It is in students? favours that belong to high social-economic level. vi 3. There are no significant differences between total accomplishment and skills for causality (except identifying the result,) according to the sexes of the students but in identifying the result the difference is in girls? favour. 4. There is a significant difference between total accomplishment and skills for causality (identifying the reason, identifying the result, describing, establishing relationship, ordering and classifying) according to the preschool. The difference is in students? favour who attended to preschools. 5. There is a significant difference between common causality accomplishment test scores and identifying the reason, identifying the result, describing, establishing relationship, ordering and classifying scores according to the levels of the students in their classroom. The significant difference related with result is in 5th. and 7th. grade students? favour. 6. There is a significant difference between identifying the reason, identifying the result, describing, establishing relationship, ordering and classifying skills and total accomplishment scores according to the classroom level. There is a significant difference in identifying reason between 4th. grade students and 6th and 7th grade students. There is a significant difference in identifying result between 4th. grade students and 5th and 7th grade students. There is a significant difference in describing between 4th. grade students and 5th. , 6th. and 7th. grade students. There is a significant difference in establishing relationship between 4th. grade students and 6th. and 7th. grade students. There is a significant difference in ordering between 4th. grade students and 5th., 6th. and 7th grade students. There is a significant difference in classifying between 4th. grade students and 7th grade students. All the differences are in second group students? favour. 7. There is a positive relationship between general causality test scores and identifying the reason, identifying the result, describing, establishing relationship, ordering and classifying skills of the students. 8. It was found that the students could express continuity concept better than the concept of change.