Character education skills in social studies teaching: An action research in the case of BİLSEM

This study is an action research investigating activity-based character education practices integrated into social studies instruction to support the character development of gifted elementary school students. The research was conducted in Malatya with 10 volunteer teachers and 32 gifted fourth-grade students selected from Science and Art Centers (BİLSEM), public schools, and private schools. As part of the study, enriched activities aimed at strengthening fundamental character skills such as resilience, courage, and perseverance were incorporated into social studies lessons. These activities were designed to examine both students' character development and the role of teachers' professional competencies in this process. The study adopted an application-focused action research model. Various qualitative data collection methods, including teacher interviews, focus group discussions, classroom observations, and participant feedback, were employed to systematically evaluate the process. The collected data were analyzed using content and thematic analysis methods to gain an in-depth understanding of teachers' and students' experiences. Findings revealed that teachers developed unique instructional and assessment strategies for character education, while students showed significant improvement in skills such as self-awareness, self-regulation, higher-order thinking, and intrinsic motivation. Additionally, a 8% increase in family support was observed during the implementation process, highlighting the critical role families play in children's character development. Enriched activity-based character education practices were found to have positive effects on both teachers' professional competencies and students' learning experiences. The study's findings provide a strong academic foundation for systematically and sustainably structuring character education skills into future social studies curricula