Comparison of seventh-grade Turkish and Iranian social studies textbooks in terms of value education

Abstract

One of the objectives of comparative education research is to compare within a certain period of time educational systems that have developed in similar or different environments and processes. The aim of this qualitative study is to compare the value education in Turkish and Iranian seventh-grade social studies textbooks. Data were collected using document analysis. Results show that both books underscore the values of scientificity, sensitivity and responsibility. Unlike the Turkish social studies textbook, the Iranian social studies textbook addresses the religious aspects of those values as well. The Iranian social studies textbook also highlights the values 30% more than its Turkish counterpart. This article examining textbooks is limited to determining the placement of values; it is not intended to measure the effectiveness of textbooks in the formation of attitudes.

Poems in Türkiye and Iran Social Studies Textbooks and Values Found in These Poems

“…Finally, in 7th-grade, Türkiye used 3 poems, whereas Iran used 1. In the current study, although there are some differences in the results obtained for poems, Kaya (2019) conducted a study that contains similarities by considering all the content in 7th-grade social studies textbooks in Türkiye and Iran. In his study, Kaya (2019) found that in the Türkiye textbook, values such as scientificity, freedom, responsibility, and sensitivity were prioritized respectively, while in the Iran textbook, values such as sensitivity, responsibility, scientificity, and aesthetics were prioritized respectively.…”

“…In the current study, although there are some differences in the results obtained for poems, Kaya (2019) conducted a study that contains similarities by considering all the content in 7th-grade social studies textbooks in Türkiye and Iran. In his study, Kaya (2019) found that in the Türkiye textbook, values such as scientificity, freedom, responsibility, and sensitivity were prioritized respectively, while in the Iran textbook, values such as sensitivity, responsibility, scientificity, and aesthetics were prioritized respectively. While this study only focuses on poems, and the aforementioned study (Kaya, 2019) examines the entire content of the textbooks, it can be observed that freedom and responsibility are common values for Türkiye, and responsibility and aesthetics are common values for Iran, even though it does not allow for a direct comparison.…”