Opinions of Social Study Teachers on the Development of Students' Analytical Thinking Skills

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to reveal the views of social studies teachers on identifying students' analytical skills and progress. It was deemed appropriate to use a descriptive model in the research and a material was obtained by using a semi-structured interview form model consisting of five questions. The population of the study consisted of twenty social studies teachers working in Diyarbakır in 2023. The observation that teachers' organisation of the learning environment, classroom activities or lectures within the social studies curriculum greatly affects students' thinking skills reveals the importance of the research. A shortcoming that needs to be taken into consideration is that social studies teachers acquire other thinking skills while teaching analytical thinking skills. Social studies teachers pointed out that analytical thinking skills could not be developed sufficiently due to insufficient social studies course hours and restrictive attitudes of school principals. Social studies teachers stated that the anxiety of the high school exam and the negative impact of family attitudes negatively affect the development of analytical thinking because inappropriate practices in social studies, such as self-directed learning, continue in practice. As a result of the study, social studies teachers suggested that in order to create a unified vision of analytical thinking skills, they should hold more efficient department meetings, try to use student-centred teaching methods and techniques, and promote the use of digital materials in educational environments.