Teacher attitudes and opinions towards the use of local history in social studies teaching: Rize province example

The main purpose of this study is to determine teacher attitudes and opinions regarding the use of local history in social studies teaching. The research was conducted in the 2023-2024 academic year. The study group consists of social studies teachers working in Rize and its districts. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the study designed according to the mixed design approach. The quantitative data of the study for social studies teachers were obtained with the "Teacher Attitudes Scale on the Use of Local History Subjects in Social Studies Teaching" and the "Teacher Interview Form" for the qualitative dimension. In the analysis of the quantitative data obtained at the end of the research, analyzes such as Arithmetic mean, Standard deviation and Skewness/Kurtosis Values, t-test, Levene test, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test and Post Hoc; In the qualitative analysis, Content and Descriptive analysis were applied. According to the quantitative findings of the research, teacher attitudes towards the use of local history subjects in Social Studies teaching differ according to gender, education level and years of Qualitative findings indicate that the methods preferred by Social Studies teachers in teaching local history in in-school and out-of-school practices include preparing documentaries, publishing newspapers, presentations, billboard preparation, oral history studies, creating a family tree, writing stories and poems, promoting local goods, exhibitions. There are editing and educational games. In particular, the contributions of local history to individuals and society are emphasized. seniority variables, but no significant difference was found between the variables of age and education level. Regarding the difficulties and suggestions, it was stated that teachers mostly expressed their opinions in the "Challenges" category. Among the important places that can be taught in the history of Rize, "Military Places" were most emphasized. As a result, it is recommended to benefit from local resources in teaching local history and to encourage the use of these resources in classroom activities and research.