A REVIEW OF SOCIAL STUDIES COURSEBOOK IN TERMS OF THINKING TRAINING: “SCIENCE IN TIME” UNIT

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the 7th grade social studies coursebook unit titled “Science in Time” in terms of thinking training. The data was collected through the technique of document analysis, which is a qualitative research method. The document in question is Social Studies coursebook and student workbook prepared by the Ministry of Education in the academic year of 2016-2017 and used for the 7th grade in primary schools. In order to investigate the qualities of thinking training thoroughly and in detail, a single unit was selected by means of random sampling. , The titles, written materials, visual elements, assessment and evaluation questions (in the unit and at the end of the unit) in the “Science in Time” unit was reviewed in terms three essential thinking skills mentioned in the Ministry of Education program, namely critical thinking, creative thinking, and caring thinking. The data was analyzed by means of content analysis. According to the review results for written materials, the fact that students were asked to guess the concepts given in the concept-box without any definition and the fact that students could see additional resources about in-text subjects were considered positive qualities in terms of making connections among evidences. As for the visual materials, the book lacked any thinking-provoking questions about the pictures. When the book was reviewed in terms of assessment and evaluation, the results revealed positive qualities considering that the “Let’s Think” questions in the chapters and at the end of each chapter as well as the student workbook activities encouraged thinking training skills. However, the evaluation questions at the end of the unit were knowledge level questions, so they were considered inadequate for the use of thinking skills.

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