Development of scientific research, publication and assessment ethics levels of social studies teacher candidates

Social Studies is a course that helps individuals understand their relationships with society by examining cultural, social, and historical contexts. This field aims to develop critical thinking skills and foster a sense of social responsibility in individuals by organizing social developments and changes. It also helps students adopt ethical values and academic honesty concepts by drawing on sciences such as history, geography, psychology, and sociology. Therefore, social studies is not just about knowledge transfer, but also a continuous process for individuals to develop an ethical conscience and become responsible citizens who contribute to society. Teacher candidates should develop their scientific thinking skills by learning research methods used in social sciences and act in accordance with ethical rules. Furthermore, understanding academic publication processes, avoiding plagiarism, and properly citing sources allows them to integrate these values into their own assessment systems. In terms of assessment ethics, teacher candidates should adopt a fair and impartial approach when assessing their students, which supports students' learning processes and strengthens their professional identities. In this context, Social Studies provides an important platform for teacher candidates to develop their levels of scientific research, publication, and assessment ethics, and contributes to the cultivation of conscious and responsible individuals. This study aims to improve pre-service social studies teachers' levels of scientific research, publication and evaluation ethics. Research is based on a mixed methods approach that combines quantitative and qualitative research methods. In the quantitative dimension of the research, a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group was applied; in the qualitative dimension, a case study design was implemented. In the quantitative dimension, 44 prospective social studies education teachers in the 2nd year of the Social Studies Education undergraduate program at Trabzon University Faculty of Education were selected to form the experimental (24 candidates) and control (20 candidates) groups. In the quantitative dimension of the research, the Academic Achievement Test, the Behavioral Scale, the Affective Tendency Scale, and the Analytical Scoring Key for Scientific Research, Publication, and Evaluation Ethics were used. In the qualitative dimension, an interview form and a self-assessment form developed by the researcher were used. SPSS 21.0 was used for the analysis of quantitative data; two-way analysis of variance and Kruskal-Wallis H test were applied for mixed measures. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. According to the findings of the research, there was a significant difference in the pretest and posttest academic achievement, behavior, affective tendency, and scoring key scores of prospective social studies teachers in favor of the posttests. This indicates that the prospective teachers have achieved significant development in their knowledge and skills as a result of the implemented training. In the qualitative dimension, the findings from focus group interviews and self-assessment forms indicate that prospective social studies teachers have acquired significant changes in their scientific research, publication, and evaluation ethics skills. KEYWORDS: Social Studies, Scientific Research, Publication, Evaluation, Ethics, Student Teacher