Author:
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine Social Studies and classroom teachers' views about multicultural instruction in Social Studies course. This study, which utilized survey model, used interviews as the data collection tool, and the data were analyzed using content analysis methods. In their definitions of multiculturalism, the teachers were found to focus on dimensions such as language, religion, race, sect, ethnicity, age, gender, and social class but not to mention the dimensions about exceptional students and disability. As to realization of the objectives of the Social Studies course, the teachers think that multiculturalism is limited and superficial in the guidebooks, the attainments are not distributed well, they remain at knowledge level, they differentiate according to the units, they are not related to real life, and effective instructions cannot be conducted due to the features of the attainments. Besides, the teachers stated that they could not conduct the activities in the program due to such reasons as the limited number of course hours, the need for catching up with the curriculum, homework, theoretical and outdated nature of the activities, limitations of the programs in relation to multiculturalism, lack of parent involvement, and inadequacies related to the materials and teachers themselves. They stated that the program involved multiple-choice questions, interviews, observations and form-based activities that assess multiculturalism, but they were insufficient. Instead of allocating a separate unit or subject to multiculturalism in the Social Studies program, fundamental structure of the program should be based on multiculturalism, and there should be unity in the program components
Keywords
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine Social Studies and classroom teachers' views about multicultural instruction in Social Studies course. This study, which utilized survey model, used interviews as the data collection tool, and the data were analyzed using content analysis methods. In their definitions of multiculturalism, the teachers were found to focus on dimensions such as language, religion, race, sect, ethnicity, age, gender, and social class but not to mention the dimensions about exceptional students and disability. As to realization of the objectives of the Social Studies course, the teachers think that multiculturalism is limited and superficial in the guidebooks, the attainments are not distributed well, they remain at knowledge level, they differentiate according to the units, they are not related to real life, and effective instructions cannot be conducted due to the features of the attainments. Besides, the teachers stated that they could not conduct the activities in the program due to such reasons as the limited number of course hours, the need for catching up with the curriculum, homework, theoretical and outdated nature of the activities, limitations of the programs in relation to multiculturalism, lack of parent involvement, and inadequacies related to the materials and teachers themselves. They stated that the program involved multiple-choice questions, interviews, observations and form-based activities that assess multiculturalism, but they were insufficient. Instead of allocating a separate unit or subject to multiculturalism in the Social Studies program, fundamental structure of the program should be based on multiculturalism, and there should be unity in the program components