Abstract:

Mobile applications make important contributions to teaching processes. One of the lessons that mobile applications can be used as functional is social studies. In social studies course, activities based on mobile applications can contribute to students' success, critical thinking skills and motivations. Accordingly, the aim of the research is to determine the effects of activities based on mobile applications on academic achievement, critical thinking skills and motivation in social studies course. The research is designed according to the embedded experimental design, one of the mixed research methods. The research was carried out in the second term of 2018-2019 academic year with 7th grade students studying in a public school in a provincial center and the social studies teacher who attended the course of these students. The data were collected from Social Studies Achievement Test, Cornell Critical Thinking Skills Test Level X, Social Studies Motivation Scale, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and activities performed by students on mobile applications. Quantitative data were analyzed by ANCOVA and mixed ANOVA; qualitative data were analyzed by inductive analysis and document analysis. As a result of the research, it is concluded that activities based on mobile applications contribute to students' academic success, critical thinking skills and motivations. Qualitative research findings also indicated that the experimental procedure contributed to the students’ academic success, critical thinking skills and motivations. Based on the research findings, mobile applications can be used in order to contribute to the academic success, critical thinking skills and motivation of students in social studies education.

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