Determining the views of social studies teachers about intangible cultural heritage teaching

Intangible cultural heritage is regarded as a body of values filtered through years of experience and transmitted from generation to generation. Cultural values have deep connections with the society in which they exist. The duty of creating the cultural heritage awareness has been assumed by the Social Studies. Therefore, a part of the general goals of the Social Studies Curriculum concerns creating cultural heritage awareness in students. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to reveal the views of teachers about teaching of intangible cultural heritage in Social Studies. The working group of the study was formed of 20 Social Studies teachers working in the city center of Kırşehir. The data of the study was obtained through semi-structured interview technique, and analyzed by using descriptive analysis. When the results of the study were evaluated in general, it was seen that Social Studies teachers were able to explain the concept of intangible cultural heritage and the elements of intangible cultural heritage. The teachers also mentioned about the necessity to specify our duty to protect our past in relation to the protection of intangible cultural heritage and about the role of our cultural elements in unifying the society. It was seen that the teachers considered the intangible cultural heritage education to be important for secondary school students. They also mentioned that practical studies should be carried out in intangible cultural heritage education in order to provide long-lasting and meaningful learning.