An action research to develop a virtual city museum with social studies teacher candidates: The example of Denizli city museum

This research aims to reveal prospective teachers' opinions and experiences about the virtual city museum designed and developed by social studies teacher candidates. The action research method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. The research was conducted with 52 social studies teacher candidates from a university in southwestern Turkey. The study collected data through interview (semi-structured) questions and an urban identity scale prepared by the researcher. The data obtained was analyzed by content analysis and t-test. According to the findings, prospective teachers stated that physical museum visits include different dimensions, such as learning, emotional connection, educational experience, and aesthetic appreciation. Virtual museum tours have caused mixed feelings; Participants had positive and negative experiences. The themes they associate with museum experiences include history and artifacts, aesthetics, atmosphere, the virtual world, and cultural reflections. These themes reflect the aim of museums to preserve historical and cultural heritage and to connect people with the past. At another point, prospective teachers associate virtual museums with technological convenience, accessibility, cultural content, and innovative discovery ability. They emphasized the economic and practical benefits of these experiences. Teacher candidates had the opportunity to better understand their city's historical and cultural riches during the design process of the Denizli Virtual City Museum. Denizli's contemporary developments and cultural elements were comprehensively examined during the design process. Pre-service teachers believe museums can enrich a wide range of learning through their integration into social studies education. They pointed out that museums go beyond the fields of culture and heritage and offer profound learning opportunities in areas such as geography, science, technology, and economy. In designing virtual city museums, teacher candidates encountered difficulties such as collaborative problem-solving, museum curation, and overcoming technical obstacles. This process enabled participants to gain technical skills and establish deeper ties to their cities. Finally, according to the quantitative findings, teacher candidates' urban identity recognition scores differed significantly in the pre-and post-test measurements in favor of the post-test measurements. The findings highlight the transformative and developmental potential of Virtual City Museum development and design experiences in shaping and strengthening prospective teachers' urban identity perceptions. These results highlight the importance of interactive and educational approaches in future museum development and education initiatives, encouraging a deeper connection with urban environments and a sense of pride in local heritage. Keywords: Social Studies, Virtual Museum, City Museum of Denizli, City Identity