Abstract
A REVIEW OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS’ VIEWS ABOUT TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION
Social studies in Turkey are taught as a compulsory subject in primary and secondary school levels. However, the individual's need for social studies is so important that it cannot be limited only to certain educational periods, because the individual's need for social studies is a lifelong process starting with the need to know himself and make sense of his environment. One of the educational fields that need social studies the most is special education. For this reason, the aim of this research is to determine the views of the special education teachers on social studies. In this study, the phenomenology design was used in accordance with the qualitative research method. An interview form was used as the data collection tool. The data of the research were obtained from the interviews made with 120 special education teachers at the special education vocational education schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in Nevşehir and in Ankara in the 2019-2020 academic year. The data obtained were analyzed by the descriptive analysis, one of the qualitative data analysis techniques. As a result of the research, it has been found out that a significant part of the special education teachers’ perceptions towards social studies consists of History Teaching, Geography Teaching, Sociology, Life Studies and Citizenship Studies and that they provide students with independent living skills, communication skills and perform activities to adapt to social life in their classes. It has been determined that the three most important values that are considered to be taught in special education are love, responsibility and helpfulness, and breakfast activities, nature trips, visiting museums, cinema and theater activities, dance shows, sports activities, art activities and celebration programs are held for the socialization of special education students. In addition, special education teachers have stated that benefiting from important days and weeks in special education is effective and necessary for students in order to learn by doing and living, gain social adaptation skills, socialize, and be aware of the national and moral values.
Keywords
Special Education, Teaching Social Studies, Teachers’ Views
