What did the new social studies program change in upper primary level social studies education in Turkish schools? An assessment from teachers' perspectives

摘要

The Turkish education system has undergone radical changes since 2004 in all educational curricula, including social studies at the primary and secondary levels. Today, almost six years after its inception, an assessment is needed as to whether the reforms of 2004 affected beneficial changes in the social studies program. If not, it is important to consider underlying reasons for any implementation problems from the teachers' perspectives to provide insights for policy-makers on how improvements in implementation might be made. Research results reveal that despite optimistic expectations for these reforms, many teachers are concerned that the program has not been fully implemented, and almost half of them do not feel that necessary assessment and evaluation methods are used in a satisfactory or timely manner.