Investigation of Social Studies Teachers’ Attitudes towards Democracy and Multicultural Education

Year 2023, Volume: 2023 Issue: 20, 96 - 125, 29.03.2023

Durdane Öztürk , Seda Ergül

https://doi.org/10.46778/goputeb.1205263

Cited By: 1

Abstract

People from many different cultures have been living together in the world. Accordingly, multiculturalism has brought some problems. Education has a distinctive place in the resolution of these problems. Within this context, it is important to explore social studies teachers’ attitudes towards democracy and multicultural education, which is a significant element of education. The purpose of this study was to reveal social studies teachers’ attitudes towards democracy and multicultural education. In this survey and causal-comparative study, participants were composed of 332 social studies teachers. The data were collected using the “Democracy and Multicultural Education Attitude Scale”, which was developed by Toraman et al. (2015). The analyses involved Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests, frequency (f), percentage (%), and mean scores (X̅). The results revealed that social studies teachers’ attitudes towards democracy and multicultural education were positive. Teachers’ attitudes were positive in the dimension of prejudiced attitude towards multicultural education while they obtained more positive scores in the dimensions of attitude towards multicultural education, attitude towards democracy education, attitude towards democracy, and attitude towards cultural differences. Social studies teachers’ overall attitudes did not differ significantly by their years of experience, educational level, branch, gender, and geographical region of their schools. There were significant differences in teachers’ scores obtained from dimensions of attitude towards democracy education, attitude towards democracy, and attitude towards cultural differences in terms of educational level in favor of teachers with bachelor’s degrees. On the other hand, teachers with 1-5 years of experience had significantly higher scores from the dimension of prejudiced attitude towards multicultural education.

Keywords

Social Studies, Multiculturalism, Multicultural Education, Democracy, Cultural Differences

Sosyal Bilgiler Öğretmenlerinin Demokrasi ve Çok Kültürlü Eğitime Yönelik Tutumlarının İncelenmesi

Abstract

Dünyada birçok farklı kültürden insan bir arada yaşamaktadır. Buna bağlı olarak çok kültürlülük bazı olumsuzlukları da beraberinde getirmiştir. Olumsuzlukların çözümlenmesinde eğitimin ayrı yeri bulunmaktadır. Bu bağlamda eğitimin önemli bir öğesi olan sosyal bilgiler öğretmenlerinin demokrasi ve çok kültürlü eğitime ilişkin tutumlarının belirlenmesi önemlidir. Sosyal bilgiler öğretmenlerinin demokrasi ve çok kültürlü eğitime yönelik tutum düzeylerini ortaya koymak bu araştırmanın amacını oluşturmaktadır. Tarama ve nedensel karşılaştırma modelinin kullanıldığı araştırmaya 332 sosyal bilgiler öğretmeni katılmıştır. Verilerin toplanmasında Toraman ve diğerleri (2015) tarafından geliştirilen “Demokrasi ve Çok Kültürlü Eğitim Tutum Ölçeği” kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde ise Mann Whitney U ve Kruskall Wallis H testleri ile frekans (f), yüzde (%), ağırlıklı ortalama (X̅) kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda sosyal bilgiler öğretmenlerinin demokrasi ve çok kültürlü eğitime yönelik tutumlarının olumlu olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Sosyal bilgiler öğretmenlerin çok kültürlü eğitime yönelik ön yargılı tutum alt boyutunda tutumları olumlu iken; çok kültürlü eğitime yönelik, demokrasi eğitimine yönelik, demokrasiye yönelik ve kültürel farklılıklara yönelik tutum alt boyutlarında daha olumlu düzeyde olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Sosyal bilgiler öğretmenlerin tutumları ölçek genelinde kıdem, eğitim düzeyi, branş, cinsiyet, görev yaptıkları bölge açısından anlamlı farklılık göstermemektedir. Eğitim düzeyi değişkeni, demokrasi eğitimine yönelik, demokrasiye yönelik ve kültürel farklılıklara yönelik tutum alt boyutlarında lisans mezunu öğretmenler lehine; kıdem değişkeni ise çok kültürlü eğitime yönelik ön yargılı tutum boyutunda 1-5 yıl arası mesleki kıdeme sahip öğretmenler lehine anlamlı farklılık göstermektedir.

Keywords

Sosyal Bilgiler, Çok Kültürlülük, Çok Kültürlü Eğitim, Demokrasi, Kültürel Farklılık

References

• Alanay, H. (2015). Undergraduate educational students' views on multiculturalism and multicultural education (Unpublished master’s thesis). Yıldız Teknik University.
• Arslan, A., & Çalmaşur, H. (2017). Analysis of multiculturalism and democratic attitude of elementary and secondary grade teachers in the sense of various variables. Journal of Kazım Karabekir Education Faculty, 34, 90-109.
• Arslan, M., & Kozikoğlu, İ. (2017). Teachers’ attitudes toward multicultural education: Sample of Van. Dicle University Journal of Ziya Gökalp Facultyof Education, 31, 729-737.
• Arslan, S. (2016). Multicultural education and Turkey: Current situation, prospects, possibilities. Electronic Journal of Sciences, 15 (57), 412-428. https://doi.org/10.17755/esosder.97373
• Aslan, S. (2017). An examination of the opinion of the social studies teachers on multicultural education. Ahi Evran University Journal of Kırsehir Education Faculty, 18 (2), 231-253.
• Ateş, S. (2017). Perception and awareness of middle school students and social sciences teachers on multiculturalism and multicultural education (Kocaeli province as case study) (Unpublished master’s thesis). Abant İzzet Baysal University.
• Bahadır, Ö. (2016). The evaluation of social science teachers’ multiculturalism and their multi-cultural education perception. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Sakarya University.
• Banks, J. A., Cookson, P., Gay, G., Hawley, W. D., Irvine, J. J., Nieto, S., & Stephan, W. G. (2001). Diversity within unity: Essential principles for teaching and learning in a multicultural society. Phi Delta Kappan, 83 (3), 196-203. https://doi.org/10.1177/003172170108300309
• Barry, N. H., & Lechner, J. V. (1995). Preservice teachers' attitudes about and awareness of multicultural teaching and learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 11 (2), 149-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-051X(94)00018-2
• Başar, H. (2019). The tendencies of social studies teachers towards multicultural education (Unpublished master’s thesis). Pamukkale University.
• Başarır, F., Sarı, M., & Çetin, A. (2014). Examination of teachers’ perceptions of multicultural education. Pegem Journal of Education & Instruction, 2, 2014, 91-11.
• Başbay, A., & Bektaş, Y. (2010). Instructional environment and teacher competences in the context of multiculturalism. Education and Science, 34 (152), 30-42.
• Bennett, T. (2010). Cultural studies: A reluctant discipline. Cultural Studies, 12 (4), 528-545. https://doi.org/10.1080/09502386.1998.10383119
• Bigatti, S. M., Gibau, G. S., Boys, S., Grove, K., Ashburn-Nardo, L., Khaja, K., & Springer, J. T. (2012). Faculty perceptions of multicultural teaching in a large urban university. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 12 (2), 78-93.
• Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2014). Sosyal bilimler için veri analizi el kitabı [Manual of data analysis for social sciences]. Pegem Publishing.
• Büyüköztürk, Ş., Kılınç, Çakmak, E., Akgün, Ö. E., Karadeniz, Ş., & Demirel, F. (2014). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri [Scientific research methods]. Pegem Publishing.
• Çalışkan, H., & Gençer, R. (2016). Investigation of social studies teacher candidates' attitude levels towards multicultural education [Paper presentation]. V. Educational Research Congress in Sakarya, Sakarya, Türkiye.
• Camicia, S. P. (2007). Prejudice reduction through multicultural education: Connecting multiple literatures. Social Studies Research and Practice, 2 (2), 219-227.
• Can, A. (2020). SPSS ile bilimsel araştırma sürecinde nicel veri analizi [Quantitative data analysis in scientific research process with SPSS]. Pegem Publishing.
• Çelik, T. (2011). Affects of media literacy lesson over the social sciences teacher candidates’ developing multicultural attitudes (Unpublished master’s thesis). Pamukkale University.
• Ciğerci, F. M. (2020). Multiculturalism and multicultural education in the eyes of teachers and directors at primary schools. Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University Journal of Social Sciences, 5 (1), 125-139. https://doi.org/10.33905/bseusbed.732656
• Cırık, İ. (2008). Multicultural education and its reflections. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 34 (34), 27-40.
• Çoban, A. E., Karaman, N. G., & Doğan, T. (2010). Investigation of preservice teachers’ perspectives on cultural diversity in terms of various demographic variables. Abant İzzet Baysal University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 10 (1), 125-131.
• Dağdemir, V. (2021). Comparison of the attitudes of social studies teachers and English language teachers towards to the multicultural education (Unpublished master’s thesis). Van Yüzüncü Yıl University.
• Damgacı, F. K., & Aydın, H. (2013). Attitudes of the academicians towards multicultural education. Electronic Journal of Social Sciences, 12 (45), 325-341.
• Demir, S., & Başarır, F. (2013). An analysis of preservice teachers’ self-efficacy perceptions in accordance with multicultural education. International Journal of Social Science, 6 (1), 609-641. https://doi.org/10.9761/JASSS_489
• Demircioğlu, E., & Özdemir, M. (2014). Analysis of pedagogical formation students’ attitudes toward multicultural education. Ege Education Journal, 15 (1), 211-232.
• Dolapcı, E., & Kavgacı, H. (2020). The examination of the relationships among teachers’ multicultural self-efficacy, school climate and teachers’ attitudes towards refugee students. Marmara University Atatürk Education Faculty Journal of Educational Sciences, 52 (52), 687-706. https://doi.org/10.15285/maruaebd.669692
• Ekiz, D. (2020). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri [Scientific research method]. Anı Publishing.
• Emir, S., & Kaya, Z. (2004). Democracy education and teachers’ opinion about the student councils project. Abant İzzet Baysal University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 4 (8), 69-89.
• Esen, H. (2009). An analysis of public primary school teachers' dealing with difference in the absence of a multicultural education policy in Turkey (Unpublished master’s thesis). Boğaziçi University.
• Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53 (2), 106-116. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487102053002003
• Kaba, S. (2019). Personality characteristics of social studies teachers and multicultural investigation of the relationship between attitudes towards education (Unpublished master’s thesis). Marmara University.
• Kafesoğlu, İ. (2002). Türk milli kültürü [Turkish national culture]. Ötüken Publishing.
• Karadağ, Y., & Özden, D. Ö. (2020). Social studies of the future for multicultural education environments preparing their teachers: teacher candidates with multicultural competencies. Ondokuz Mayıs University Journal of Education Faculty, 39 (2), 179-201.
• Karasar, N. (2020). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemi: Kavramlar, ilkeler, teknikler [Scientific research method: Concepts, principles, techniques]. Nobel Publishing.
• Kaya, Y., & Söylemez, M. (2014). Determining teachers perseption’s about multiculturalizm and multicultural education: (Diyarbakır’s example). Dicle University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 6 (11), 128-148.
• Keçeci, Y. (2019). Social studies teacher candidates regarding the problem and multicultural education perspectives (Unpublished master’s thesis). Marmara University.
• Maboçoğlu, M. (1999). How should democracy be taught? Education and Science, 23 (111), 56-59.
• Mahiroğulları, A. (2005). Küreselleşmenin kültürel değerler üzerine etkisi [On cultural values of globalization effect]. In Journal of Social Policy Conferences, 50, 1275-1288.
• Morkoç, S. (2019). The evaluation of social science teachers’ multiculturalism and their multicultural education perception (Erzurum city sample) (Unpublished master’s thesis). Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University.
• Öksüz, Y., Güven Demir, E., & İci, A., (2016). Examining metaphors of teachers and teacher candidates towards concept of multicultural education. Electronic Journal of Social Sciences, 15 (59), 1263-1278. https://doi.org/10.17755/esosder.263230
• Özdemir, M., & Dil, K. (2013). Teachers’ attitudes toward multicultural education: case of Çankırı province. Ankara University Journal of Faculty of Educational Sciences, 46 (2), 215-232.
• Özen, F. (2015). Evaluation of the attitudes of teacher candidates towards democracy and multicultural education. International Journal of Humanities and Education, 1 (2), 182-220.
• Özensel, E. (2012). Multiculturalism as the application multiculturalism Canada. Journal of Academic Inquiries, 7 (1), 55-70.
• Pallant, J. (2020). SPSS Kullanma klavuzu SPSS ile adım adım veri analizi [SPSS user manual step-by-step data analysis with SPSS]. (S. Balcı ve B. Ahi, Trans.). Anı Publishing. (Original work published 2015).
• Parekh, B. (1999). Political theory and the multicultural society. Radical Philosophy, (95), 27-32.
• Polat, İ., & Kılıç, E. (2013). Multicultural education in Turkey and teachers’ competencies in multicultural education. Yüzüncü Yıl University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 10 (1), 352-372.
• Polat, S. (2012). Attitudes of school principals towards multiculturalism. Hacettepe University Faculty of Education Journal, 42 (42), 334-343.
• Toraman, Ç., Acar, F., & Aydın, H. (2015). Primary school teachers’ attitudes and knowledge levels on democracy and multicultural education: A scale development study. Revista De Cercetare Si İnterventie Sociala, 49, 41-58.
• Tortop, H. S. (2014). Attitudes of candidate teachers towards multicultural and gifted education. Journal of Gifted Education Research, 2 (2), 16-26.
• Tünkler, V. (2020). Social studies teachers’ perspectives on global, multicultural education and global citizenship education. National Education Journal, 49 (226), 255-290.
• Türkan, A., Aydın, H., & Üner, S. S. (2016). The relationship between teacher candidates' attitudes towards multicultural education and their epistemological beliefs. Elementary Education Online, 15 (1), 148-159. http://dx.doi.org/10.17051/io.2016.16818
• Ulukaya Öteleş, Ü. (2020). 2018 social studies curriculum reflections of multicultural education. Mersin University Faculty of Education Journal, 16 (3), 500-516. https://doi.org/10.17860/mersinefd.701866
• Ünlü, İ., & Örten, H. (2013). Investigation the perception of teacher candidates about multiculturism and multicultural education. Dicle University Journal of Ziya Gökalp Education, 21 (2013), 287-302.
• Vatandaş, C. (2001). Multicultural national/ethnic identities (Canada example). Afyon Kocatepe University Journal of Social Sciences, 3 (2), 101-116.
• Yazıcı, S., Başol, G., & Toprak, G. (2009). Teachers’ attitudes toward multicultural education: a study of relaibility and validity. Hacettepe University Faculty of Education Journal, 37 (37), 229-242.
• Yıldırım, İ. (2019). Socıal studies teachers’ multicultural education perspectives (Unpublished master’s thesis). Marmara University.
• Yılmaz Güçlü, F. (2020). Teachers perceptions of multicultural education. Journal of National Education, 49 (226), 291-321.