Özet:

The principle of European citizenship aims to create a citizenship beyond the national state. The policy of European citizenship which became legalized with the Maastricht Treaty's entry into force on 1 November 1993 is regarded as the most important step on the road to creating a European identity. Spain assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union in 2010 and brought forward in its six-month program the purpose of reviving the principle of European citizenship that came into force in 1993. Turkey's EU membership that is one of the most important matters Turkey has been dealing with since the 2000s started to affect the individuals' lives on a large scale, although it is still in the process of negotiations. In this context, the purpose of this study is to put forth how European citizenship is perceived. The concept of European Union citizenship which can be developed through the Social Studies course is thought to be beneficial in the process of Turkey’s accession to the European Union. Accordingly, the following question constitutes the problem of this study: "How do the elementary school students perceive the concept of European citizenship?" The method of the study is the triangulation method in which quantitative and quality research techniques are combined. In this method, questionnaire is used as a quantitative research method and interview is used as a qualitative research method. The research group that participated in the study was selected through random sampling among the 6th, 7th and 8th grade students attending elementary schools in Istanbul. The number of students surveyed is 219 while the number of students interviewed is 50. The acquired data is analyzed through descriptive analysis. As a result, a conceptual framework is established to present perceptions of elementary school students about European Union citizenship. Key words: European Union Citizenship, perception of citizenship, social studies course.

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