An Action Research on Teaching Values in the Fourth Grade Primary School through Philosophy-Based Children Books

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to teach values to the fourth grade primary school students with teaching activities prepared based on the eight books selected from the book series of Çıtır Çıtır Felsefe (Les Goûters Philo). The research was conducted in the participatory action research design, which is one of the qualitative research approaches. The participants included 22 fourth grade students attending at a state primary school in Konya during the spring of 2017. A total of 10 action plans were prepared and implemented weekly. In the first action plan, students’ perceptions about the concept of value were examined. In the next eight action plans, teaching activities related to the eight books of the Çıtır Çıtır Felsefe book series were implemented. In the last action plan, a drama activity and a movie watching activity were performed. Data were collected through participant observations, video recordings, reflective diaries (researcher diary, teacher diary and student diaries), semi-structured interviews with the classroom teacher and students, and in-class dialogues. The content analysis technique was used to analyze the study data. The study concludes that the eight books chosen from the Çıtır Çıtır Felsefe book series contributed to the reinforcement of values in students and that the action research process was effective in reflecting the practical experiences.

Keywords

• fourth grade primary school students
• value education
• action research