Developing active citizenship competencies of Turkish and foreign students: A multi-stage mixed methods study

Active citizenship is considered a key concept in building an integrative, inclusive, participatory and democratic society of the future. As active citizens, individuals in contemporary societies are expected to make their voices heard more prominently, develop a sense of belonging to the community, embrace democratic values and develop an understanding of people from different cultures and perspectives. Additionally, they are expected to participate in civil society and social and political life in alignment with human rights and democratic principles. However, recent research in Türkiye has revealed that individuals predominantly exhibit passive citizenship characteristics with very low participation rates in local volunteer organisations, civil society associations, or political parties. On the other hand, the adaptation challenges faced by more than 6 million foreign nationals living in Türkiye have weakened the acceptance of diversity and the sense of coexistence. Therefore, it is essential for individuals living in Türkiye to be active citizens to ensure their social, economic, and cultural development and address existing problems. In this context, this study aims to develop active citizenship competencies of Turkish and foreign students in the social studies course. This research uses a multi-stage design, one of the mixed research methods, and consists of five main stages within the scope of the stated purpose. The first stage examined the active citizenship education given to Turkish and foreign students within the scope of the social studies course. In this context, 51 classroom teachers and 76 social studies teachers were consulted on different dimensions of the active citizenship education. The data were obtained through semi-structured interview forms and a questionnaire developed by the researcher. Descriptive statistical techniques and thematic and content analysis were used to analyse the data. The first stage revealed that there were various problems in the active citizenship education of Turkish and foreign students. The active citizenship competencies of these students were mostly defined as inadequate by the teachers. The second stage determined Turkish and foreign students' active citizenship tendency levels and analysed these levels through various variables. In this context, data were gathered from 668 Turkish and foreign students studying in various public primary and secondary schools in the central districts of Samsun province using the Active Citizenship Tendency Scale (ACTS) developed by the researcher. The data were analysed through descriptive statistical techniques, t-tests, and one-way analysis of variance. The findings of the second stage revealed that Turkish and foreign students' active citizenship tendencies were moderate. Significant positive differences were found across several variables, favouring female students (gender), Turkish students (nationality), primary school 4th-grade students (grade level), students with parents educated in Türkiye (the place of parental education), and students without a smartphone (smartphone ownership). The third stage developed an Active Citizenship Teaching Package (ACTP). ACTP aimed to solve the problems in active citizenship education of Turkish and foreign students and improve students' active citizenship competencies found in the first and second stages. The ACTP was developed following the model created by the researcher, adopting a progressive educational philosophy and using the 5E model in line with the constructivist approach. The prepared ACTP refers to a design that systematically organises the learning-teaching process supported by plans, tools, materials, and other resources to develop students' knowledge, skills, and values in active citizenship. The fourth stage examined the effectiveness of the ACTP. A quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group was used in this context. The experimental implementation process was carried out with 19 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group studying at the 6th-grade level in a public secondary school in the Atakum district of Samsun province with a high population of Turkish and foreign students. The data were obtained using the ACTS and the Active Citizenship Academic Achievement Test developed by the researcher. A two-way analysis of variance was used to analyse the data. Findings indicated that the ACTP effectively improved students' academic achievement and active citizenship tendency levels. The fifth stage evaluated the ACTP implementation process. In this context, the data were gathered from the opinions of all students in the experimental group, the social studies teacher who participated in the experimental group as an observer, and the opinions and observations of the researcher. Semi-structured interview forms developed by the researcher, researcher diaries, field notes, and video and photo records were used for data collection. Thematic and content analysis were employed for data analysis. The fifth stage revealed that the ACTP contributed to Turkish and foreign students' acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and values an active citizen should possess. Additionally, it increased students' interest, desire, attitude, motivation, attention, and active participation in the learning and teaching process. Finally, it also contributed to developing students' positive attitudes towards politics, women, and foreign individuals.