Eliminating Misconceptions in Social Studies Course with Dual-Situated Learning Model: Action Research

Abstract

The Dual-Situated Learning Model (DSLM) is an alternative learning model that can be used to minimize misunderstandings. DSLM emphasizes that the activities should start with both the qualifications of the concept and the ontological view of the students toward the concept. The research aims to reveal the cognitive state of the concepts before the lesson, and the cognitive development of the students after the lesson covering the concepts in the 5th grade "People, Places and Environments" learning area in the 2021-2022 academic year in the Social Studies curriculum and to examine the process of the conceptual change. Within the scope of the research, the action research design, one of the qualitative research methods, was adopted. The participants of the research consist of 31 students in the 5th grade of Havuz Secondary School (pseudonym) in the Sarız district of Kayseri province in the 2021-2022 academic year. Field notes, word association tests for assessment, and tools to teach concepts such as concept maps, conceptual change texts, semantic analysis tables, concept networks, and diagnostic branched trees were used for data collection. Researcher notes, unstructured observations, and worksheets were used to support and understand the process in general. The study's findings revealed that the activities within the frame of DSLM in the action research were successful in eradicating students' false beliefs about the concepts of climate, weather, continental climate, Mediterranean climate, and the climate of the Black Sea. At the end of the research, we offered various suggestions for practice and research based on the results.