THE PANORAMA OF SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION IN TURKEY

The aim of this study is to identify the current status of Turkish Social Studies education in the context of primary, undergraduate and graduate levels. In order to reach this aim, three research questions which focus on all dimensions throughout the grades are addressed. The primary sources for this study consists of Turkish primary school Social Studies curriculum guidance books for 4-5th and 6-7th grades, “Teacher Training and Colleges of Education (1982-2007)” which was prepared by Turkish Council of Higher Education, and the 2010 Student Selection Examination Guidance. Finally, university/institute web pages were used to explore graduate Social Studies education. The results show that Turkish Social Studies Education in all grades are consistent with each other but need more regulation in order to minimize differences in their aims.