Teachers' viewpoints on the content of social studies textbooks prepared in accordance with 2018 curriculum revision

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' opinions on the contents of the fifth, sixth, and seventh-grade social studies textbooks. Designed as a qualitative case study, this research employs 25 social studies teachers working in the province of Tokat and having at least 5 years of professional experience. A semi-structured interview form consisting of six questions aiming to reveal various aspects of the textbooks such as accuracy, harmony, density, suitability for the level of the student, language, and expression of the content. The content analysis method was used in the analysis of the data. At the end of the research, the participants directed some criticisms to the social studies textbooks in terms of information inaccuracies, inconsistency between themes, content density, unsuitability for the level of the students, and deficiencies in language and expression. When the textbooks prepared by the Ministry of National Education are compared with those of the private publishers, it is seen that the teachers emphasize more disadvantages of the textbooks prepared by the Ministry of National Education.