Determining the Role of Social Studies Textbooks in Supporting the Learning about the Philosophy of the Social Sciences

Abstract Book of the 11th International Conference on Advanced Research in Education, Teaching and Learning

Year: 2026

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Determining the Role of Social Studies Textbooks in Supporting the Learning about the Philosophy of the Social Sciences

Gülten Yıldırım, Deniz Coşkun

ABSTRACT:

Science is one of the most reliable means of acquiring knowledge, enabling humans to understand the universe, themselves, and causal relationships. While natural sciences focus on explaining the physical world, social sciences seek to understand human beings and the cultures they create. These two domains therefore differ in their perspectives on knowledge, its production, and its use. In recent years, scepticism toward scientific knowledge has increased, with the scientific status of the social sciences being questioned more than ever. One reason for this is the limited public understanding of how knowledge in the social sciences is produced, interpreted, and used. Against this backdrop, this study examines how social studies textbooks reflect the philosophy of the social sciences. Specifically, it investigates how textbooks represent key philosophical questions, approaches to knowledge production, and ways of engaging with social scientific knowledge.
The study adopts a document analysis design. The data consist of 5th- and 6th-grade social studies textbooks prepared in accordance with the 2024 Social Studies Curriculum in Turkey. This curriculum is structured around the competencies defined in the K–12 Comprehensive Competencies Framework, with Social Science Domain Skills forming its foundation. Textbooks, prepared by commissions appointed by the Ministry of National Education, are standardized nationwide, with one textbook used per grade level. Accordingly, two textbooks- one for each grade- have been analyzed. Content analysis was employed to examine how these textbooks address the philosophy of the social sciences, including the questions it raises, the ways knowledge is produced, and how such knowledge is approached. The findings aim to inform efforts to strengthen the role of textbooks in supporting students’ understanding of the philosophy of the social sciences.

Keywords: Content analysis; philosophy of science; social science epistemology; textbook; Türkiye