TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD CONSTRUCTIVIST TEACHING OF SOCIAL STUDIES IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS (WITH THE EMPHASIS ON LEARNING FORMS)

Polona Jancic, Vlasta Hus

Abstract: Social studies is a subject that students in Slovenia encounter in grades 4 and 5 of elementary school. The empirical study was conducted among lower primary school teachers teaching social studies in grades 4 or 5 in the academic year 2015/2016. The research explores the use of and attitudes towards constructivist pedagogic forms and methods within this context. The constructivist approach emphasizes a student’s active role in the education process, as well as their capability to develop their own knowledge by themselves, based on experience and previous knowledge. The results showed that teachers in class frequently carry out frontal teaching, which is followed by group teaching. However, they rarely carry out the individual form of learning. Teachers believe that the level of discipline in frontal classes is higher than in a classroom where students are more active. Teachers are also aware that students learn the most in independent work and not from receiving frontal teaching.

Keywords: Constructivism, learning forms, primary school, society, teachers.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2017.0615002