Pre-service Social Studies Teachers' Opinions on Using Comic Books in Social Studies Teaching

Abstract

In the age of technology which is ever changing and developing, not only the technologies but also the generations have different characteristics. Therefore, the methods and the materials used in teaching are changing as well. Today, comic books are one of the materials that are used for bringing students' attention into the class and motivating their active participation in the class. This study examines the opinions of the 4th-grade pre-service social studies teachers, who are educated in preparing comic books, on designing and using comic books in social studies teaching. This research is a descriptive study. The study was carried out in the 2018-2019 school year with the pre-service social studies teachers, who continue their education at a university in western Turkey. The practice of the preparation of comic book panels was carried out for six weeks. Before and after the comic book preparation practices, participants took surveys with open-ended questions that were provided by the researchers. The data acquired from the open-ended survey forms are used for content analysis. According to the findings obtained throughout the research, it has been concluded that the fourth-grade pre-service social studies teachers, who are trained in preparing comic book panels, have positive views on preparing and using comic books in social studies teaching. Several propositions are made in light of these findings.