Social studies teachers' views on the value of giving importance to family unity

Social studies is a course that enables individuals to adapt to society and integrate into life by imparting essential values. Family is a resource that can be utilized in values education within social studies course, emphasizing the importance of family unity in the curriculum. The aim of this study is to reveal the views of social studies teachers on the value of giving importance to family unity in the social studies course. The research was conducted using an explanatory sequential design, which is a mixed research method. The participants consisted of social studies teachers working in middle schools in Eskisehir city center in the 2022-2023 academic year. In the quantitative phase of the study, quantitative data were collected by applying a questionnaire to 153 social studies teachers. In the qualitative phase of the study, qualitative data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with 12 social studies teachers who participated in the survey. In the study, descriptive statistics was used to analyze quantitative data and inductive analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The research findings revealed that social studies teachers believe that including the value of family unity in social studies course will facilitate students' association of values with daily life and support strengthening their bonds with their families. In addition, it was concluded that social studies teachers were of the opinion that family participation in activities would contribute to the effectiveness of value education. Based on the research results, it is recommended to provide in-service training to social studies teachers on various practices related to values education and to conduct research based on practice regarding the value of family unity in social studies classes.