Abstract:

In this research, the opinions of the 6th grade students about the excursions organized in relation to the achievements of the social studies course were taken and thus the contribution of the excursions in the social studies teaching was tried to be revealed. The research is a qualitative study and the data were collected using interview and document analysis techniques. The study group of the research consisted of 28 students attending the 6th grade of a secondary school in the central district of Kütahya. In the research, while the subjects in the social studies lesson "Production, Distribution and Consumption" were taught with the students in the study group, trips were organized to real world contexts by making associations with the achievements in the unit. Students were asked to reflect their observations during the trips in their diaries. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with all students at the end of the unit. The data were analyzed by content analysis. At the end of the process, it was seen that the trips organized in relation to the learning outcomes of the course allowed students to establish a connection between school and real life. Thanks to the field trips, the students had the opportunity to see the real-world counterparts of their school learning. The trips brought students together with experts and enabled students to obtain information from primary sources. Students gained knowledge, skills and experiences that they could not obtain in the classroom environment in real-world contexts during the trips. At the end of the study, it was recommended that the educators organize trips by making associations with the course outcomes, taking into account convenience, affordability and student benefit.

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