Abstract:

The aim of this research is to reveal comparatively the perceptions of Science and Art Center (BİLSEM) middle school students, who have been proven to be gifted, and middle school students with normal development about the social studies subject. The sample of the study consisted of a total of 163 students, of whom 91 students attended BİLSEM (130 IQ and above) in the province of Antalya in the first semester of the 2019-2020 academic year and 72 students studied at the 6th and 7th grades of a middle school affiliated to the Ministry of National Education.. The data of this study, which used the qualitative research method, were collected with the help of semi-structured open-ended questions prepared by the researchers. The data obtained from the research were subjected to content analysis. According to the results obtained from the research, it can be said that the perceptions of BİLSEM students and middle school students who displayed normal development about Social Studies differ; and that the students’ perceptions are determined by their experiences related to the Social Studies course and their expectations from this course.