Effects of Putting Abstract Themes in a Daily Life Context on Children's Understanding of Social Science Concepts

Abstract

In this study, the effects of two teaching methods were compared. One of the teaching methods was termed theme-centered teaching. In theme-centered teaching, a thematic subject was introduced in a daily life context. The other method was conventional teaching, in which concepts to be learned were explained by a teacher. The effects of these methods on students' memory retention and comprehension were investigated through experimental intervention. In the experimental intervention, eighth grade students participated in a social science class in which one of the two teaching methods was employed. The results indicated that there was no difference between students participating in either class, when tested immediately after the intervention. However, when tested three months later, students participating in theme-centered classes performed significantly better in explaining the conceptual relationships. From these results, it was suggested that theme-centered teaching was more effective in maintaining students' understanding.