The effect of using biography in social studies teaching on academic success

Authors : Servet Hali, Gül Güney

Pages : 260-278

Doi:10.17497/tuhed.1456171

View : 130 | Download : 112

Publication Date : 2024-10-25

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :One significant challenge in Social Studies classes is students’ struggle to grasp abstract concepts appropriate to their age. To address this issue, abstract topics outlined in the curriculum must be translated into more tangible forms tailored to student\'s comprehension levels, which necessitates the utilization of diverse teaching materials. Any material aligned with course objectives facilitates student comprehension. Biographies are one of the materials employed in classes. This study aims to investigate the impact of incorporating biography into Social Studies class instruction on students\' academic achievement. The research problem focuses on examining whether there is a significant difference in academic achievements between students in the experimental group, which is taught with biographies (the experimental group), and those instructed through a program-based approach in the control group. To address this research question, a pre-test-post-test control group experimental design was adopted, which involved forming two groups through impartial assignment. One of these groups is the experimental group, and the other is the control group. In the implementation of this research, a pre-test was administered to the experimental and control group students. Subsequently, during Social Studies instruction, the experimental group received lessons explained using the biography method, while the control group followed the standard program-based approach. Measurements were taken before and after the experiment in both groups. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS package program. The findings revealed that using the biography method in Social Studies instruction had a positive effect on students’ academic achievement.
Keywords : sosyal bilgiler, tarih eğitimi, biyografi kullanımı, akademik başarı