Abstract |
With the help of the Word Association Test (WAT),
the present study aimed to reveal elementary school fourth grade students’
cognitive structures regarding the values to be taught in relation to the
learning areas within the scope of the course of Social Studies. The participants
in the study were elementary school fourth grade students. In the research
process, seven values such as respect, tolerance, love, responsibility,
solidarity, benevolence and patriotism, which were all determined as the values
to be taught to the students within the scope of the curriculum of the
elementary school fourth grade course of Social Studies, were presented to the
students at the end of the teaching process. The students were asked to write
down the words that they associated at once with the seven key concepts in 1-minute.
The data collected were recorded in a table of frequencies including the key
concepts and words, and in the light of the data in this frequency table, mind
maps showing the students’ cognitive structures were formed. The results
obtained via the examination of the connections and associations between the
words and the key concepts in these mental maps demonstrated that the students
produced the most words regarding the values of respect and tolerance and the
least words regarding the value of solidarity. In addition, the students with a
cut-off point of 50 or higher were found to associate the values of love,
respect and tolerance with each other and the value of responsibility with the
words of job-duty. When the statements written down by the students in relation
to the values were examined, it was seen that almost all of the students made
sentences which included non-scientific and superficial information.
Primary Language | English |
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Journal Section | Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | April 20, 2019 |
Submission Date | January 10, 2019 |
Acceptance Date | May 24, 2019 |
Published in Issue | Year 2019 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 |