Please Cite As: Dolmaz, M. (2018). Student Opinions on the Use of Models in the Teaching of Social Studies, International Field Education Material Symposium, Istanbul, TURKEY, 3-5 May 2018, ss. 133-135.
Student Opinions on the Use of Models in the Teaching of Social Studies
PhD. Mustafa DOLMAZ
Abstract
Education and training activities are now student-centered in today’s world. One of the most important issues in the curriculum that centers on the student is the use of materials. the use of material enhances the interest of the learner in the classroom, and makes the abstract concepts concrete. The use of material is of special importance for the Social Studies course. Social issues are abstract, although they are related to real life. The more concrete these concepts and subject are realized, the more likely the target achievements of the course will occur. The material to be used in the course can be prepared by the student or the teacher, or it can be bought. The preparation of materials by students, in particular, will give the student a chance to take responsibility for the learning process. Although there is a visible increase in the frequency of use of materials in the classroom compared to the old one, it is not possible to talk about adequate use yet. The design and use of affordable, easy-to-build and instructional materials that can be used in the teaching environment will add quality to the educational environment. For this purpose, a model was designed to handle the Conquest of Istanbul, which is located in the 7th Class Turkish History Journey Unit. Opinions of 7th grade students’ about the model were taken.
The Purpose of the Research
In this study, it was asked to determine the opinions of students on the subject of modeling. In accordance with this purpose;
For this purpose, the following questions will be answered:
- 1: What are the opinions of students on the use of materials in the social studies class?
- 2: What are the opinions of the students on the social studies course made with the model?
- 3: What characteristics did the students like in the material used in the course? Or didn’t?
- 4: Do students want to model the following lessons?
The Model of Research
In the research, document review method was used. Document review: The process of reviewing all kinds of writtenor visual documents related to research.
The Sample of the Research
The sample of the research consists of ten students from four different classes who are studying in the seventh grade of a public school in the city center of Sivas.
Data Collection Tools
An interview form consisting of open-ended questions has been prepared in order to get students’ opinions about the material. According to expert opinions, the final form was given to the form.
The following questions are on the form.
- 1: Do you want to use material in social studies course?
- 2: What are the opinions of the students on the social studies lesson using models?
- 3: Do you like the material used in the course? Why?
- 4: Do you want to process the following lessons with material?
Analysis of Data
The data obtained from the research were solved by the descriptive analysis method which is one of the recommended methods for qualitative researches. The data obtained in the descriptive analysis are transferred as quotes, without any change, as obtained from the interviewers.
Findings and Comment
The first finding was that the students had a positive attitude towards material use in the social studies class and that all students wanted to use the material in the course. Students want to learn lessons from materials instead of textbooks. The second finding was that the students liked the modeling lesson. Students want to use models more often in the course. The fact that a historical phenomenon can be demonstrated on a model is the most important reason why students love the lesson and it is understood from the opinions of these students.
According to the third finding, most of the students liked the fact that the modeling cost was low, in the models were used visual appeal materials, they were remarkable, the images were very similar to reality. The unfavorable direction is that the model is designed so that it can not be seen from a distance. According to the fourth finding, the students in the following lessons want to benefit from the models in social studies lessons.
Results and Suggestions
Students are warmly interested in the use of materials in the teaching of social studies course subjects. Especially, the fact that the students for the lessons which are
processed by using the models have adopted a positive attitude has been revealed once again with the results of the research. Another result from research is that students liked to be impressive visual material, even though the models consist of simple and affordable materials. However, for distant pasts, the design was not suitable and this material could not be used effectively in a large group of students. Students also want to process the next lessons from time to time with models. In the light of these results, the following suggestions can be made:
- It is suggested that models should be used by social studies teachers.
- Teachers should use low cost models that students can easily access.
- Advantages and disadvantages should be considered when using models.
Keywords: Model Usage, Social Studies, Conquest of Istanbul