Teachers' Opinions On Teaching Current Events in the 5th Grade Social Students

The purpose of the study is to examine the views of Social Studies teachers teaching 5th grade on the teaching of current events. The research model is a case study based on qualitative methods. The study group consists of 16 Social Studies teachers working in public schools in the Battalgazi district of Malatya province during the 2023-2024 academic year, selected using criterion sampling. Data collected using a semi-structured interview form were analyzed using content analysis. The results of the study showed that the participating teachers considered it necessary and important to address current events in class. It was observed that the topics most frequently addressed by teachers in class were, in order, earthquakes, wars, and politics; that students most often brought current events to the agenda under the influence of their families; and that they also brought social media content and gender-specific events to the classroom. It was determined that the most frequently used technique in teaching current events was question-and-answer, and the most frequently used material was the smart board. It was found that differences of opinion among students were the most significant obstacle in teaching current events. Differences that emerged in teaching current events after the February 6 earthquake were identified as natural disasters becoming the primary agenda, being able to concretize the topics covered, approaching natural disasters emotionally, making comparisons, and multidimensional evaluation.