Universal Journal of Educational Research, cilt.6, sa.3, ss.440-454, 2018 (Scopus)
This study seeks to identify elementary
school students’ views and perceptions of the Life Studies
course through verbal and visual instruments. It employs a
descriptive phenomenological research design. The study
surveyed second- and third-grade students attending one
private elementary school and two state elementary
schools. The data was collected using a form including
open-ended questions prepared by the researchers. The
same form asked students to draw a picture of what kind of
setting/class they envisioned for the Life Studies course.
As part of the study, which incorporated feedback from 146
students, pictures were examined, and semi-structured
interviews were conducted with 14 students selected
through criterion sampling. The data collected from both
the open-ended questions and the pictures and interviews
was analyzed using content analysis. According to the
research results, the students considered Life Studies a fun
course that teaches and facilitates life skills and provides
new information; however, they also reported that Life
Studies was a boring course because it requires too much
writing and they do not like some activities.
Keywords Elementary School, Life Studies, Student
Perceptions, Phenomenology, Student Paintings