Social Studies and Classroom Teachers’ Citizenship Tendencies and Views on Classroom Practices

Abstract

The general purpose of this study is to examine the views of social studies and classroom teachers on citizenship tendencies and classroom practices. In line with this purpose, teachers' citizenship tendencies, whether citizenship tendencies vary according to gender, branch, and seniority, how they interpret the concept of "ideal citizenship," and classroom practices related to citizenship teaching were investigated. The study was conducted according to mixed method. The results revealed that the citizenship tendencies of the teachers were at a high level. The total mean scores of teachers did not differ according to gender; however, there were significant differences in terms of branch and seniority Findings show that the teachers expressed ideal citizenship as "knowing their rights and responsibilities" and "obeying the laws.” While defining the qualities an ideal citizen should have, it was concluded that teachers frequently emphasised the themes of "responsible" and "patriotism." It was concluded that teachers adopted the principle of "learning by doing-experiencing" and the method of "lecturing" while explaining the subject of citizenship. It was also found that "visual media" and "insufficient curriculum" were teachers' most common problems while raising citizens. Teachers made various suggestions about raising ideal citizens.

Keywords

• citizenship
• citizenship education
• citizenship tendencies