ESNEK SORUŞTURMA TEMELLİ FEN ETKİNLİKLERİNİN KAYNAŞTIRMA ORTAMLARINDA SOSYAL-DUYGUSAL ÖĞRENME BECERİLERİ ÜZERİNDEKİ YANSIMALARI

Abstract

The aim of this research is to reveal the reflections of the Flexible Inquiry-Based Science Teaching model implemented in science classes on the social-emotional learning (SEL) skills of students benefiting from inclusion practices. Using a qualitative case study design, the study was conducted over a 14-week period during the 2023–2024 academic year with four sixth-grade students diagnosed with specific learning disabilities and mild intellectual disabilities at a public secondary school in Ankara. Lesson video recordings and observer teacher notes were used as the primary data sources. Data analysis was carried out in two dimensions: the researcher coded students’ SEL skill levels using a self-developed SEL skills rubric based on video recordings and identified the types of teacher interventions occurring during the exhibition of these skills. The findings showed that the implemented practices supported students’ self-awareness, self-management, relationship-building, and social awareness skills. Activities that triggered individual curiosity and included structured roles increased students’ social courage and academic participation. Teacher interventions functioned as a “cognitive scaffold,” strengthening students’ academic status and self-efficacy through flexible transitions from authoritative to dialogic approaches. Furthermore, students’ behaviors during the flexible inquiry stages were observed to align behaviorally with the characteristics of a “competent person” (inquisitive, wise, strong-willed, and productive). In conclusion, the findings indicate that this model transforms students continuing their education in inclusive settings from passive observers into active participants in the learning process and provides a functional pedagogical framework for inclusive science education.