African Educational Research Journal - Vol. 9 - 3 - Full Length Research Paper - Examination of perceptions of 6th grade students regarding the concepts of law and justice

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by McQueen

Study examines 6th grade students’ perceptions of the concepts of law and justice within the Law and Justice course curriculum. Using phenomenology as a qualitative method, the research analyzes data from 150 students in the 2019-2020 academic year at Atatürk Secondary School and Gazi Mustafa Kemal Secondary school in Çay district, Afyonkarahisar. A researcher-prepared “Law and Justice Word Association Test” supported descriptive analysis, concept networks, and frequency tables. Results show students’ perceptions are closely aligned and sufficient conceptual knowledge supports awareness of law and justice concepts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Social order, rule of law, and justice

Education as the core institution

Concepts and their role in learning

Method and data collection (from abstract)

African Educational Research Journal Vol. 9(3), pp. 665-678, July 2021 DOI: 10. 30918/AERJ.93.21.100 ISSN: 2354-2160 Full Length Research Paper Examination of perceptions of 6th grade students regarding the concepts of law and justice Hakkı Yazici1, Oğuz Doğan2, Mehmet Kürşat Koca1 and Mehmet Tamer Kaya1* 1 Education Faculty, The University of Afyon Kocatepe, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. 2Ministry of Education, Atatürk Middle School, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. Accepted 16 June, 2021 | ABSTRACT
Within the scope of the Law and Justice course curriculum, it is aimed to provide students with knowledge and skills such as the development of law and justice awareness, and the development of legal literacy. This study aims to reveal students' perceptions about the concepts of law and justice in the Law and Justice course curriculum, which is taught in the 6th grade of secondary school. Phenomenology, one of the qualitative research methods, was used as a method in the study. The working group of the research consists of 150 students studying in the 6th grade at Atatürk Secondary School and Gazi Mustafa Kemal Secondary school located in the center of Çay district, Afyonkarahisar in the 2019-2020 academic year. The "Law and Justice Word Association Test" prepared by the researcher was used as the data collection tool. Descriptive analysis, one of the qualitative data analysis methods, was used in the analysis of the data, and frequency tables were created to determine students' perceptions about each concept and to reveal the relationships between concepts. Concept networks have been prepared using frequency tables. The data were analyzed and interpreted according to the relationships that emerged in the concept networks. Within the framework of the results obtained from the research, the perceptions of the students towards the concepts of law and justice are close to each other. It has been revealed that the students have enough conceptual knowledge to raise awareness about the concepts of law and justice. With the
help of word association tests, it is seen that students can have an idea about their concept perception. Keywords: Concept, perception, law, justice, social studies. | | --- | | *Corresponding [author. E-mail: mtkaya@aku.edu.tr. Tel:](author. E-mail: mtkaya@aku.edu.tr. Tel:) +90 537-4648804. | INTRODUCTION In addition to the physical needs of the human being as asocial being, the needs triggered by living in society have emerged. Because the relations in social life require order along with some rules in order to maintain this order. One of the rules required for social order is the rules of law. These rules guide people, impose certain prohibitions on them or allow them for certain actions for social order. They also meet the needs of society for security and justice while maintaining order (Ildır, 2006) . The state of the law is a phenomenon based on the sense of justice, where the rule of law is at the forefront. Society's acceptance of the duty of legal rules to create and maintain the social order can only be achieved by ensuring justice. The sustainability of the justice and legal system, which are complementary and integral, is only possible by raising the awareness of the law among people and society’s owning this system . The most effective system and institution in providing this and giving these concepts to individuals is education (Gülener, 2013) . In the Law and Justice course program, which aims to raise awareness of the law to individuals, first , the competencies related to law and justice and then the gains based on these competencies were determined for this purpose. In addition, Law and Justice course aim to ensure that students have some sensitivities and attitudes. It is expected to develop sensitivity among students in addressing problems, gaining awareness of Afr Educ Res J 666 the law, knowing their rights and recognizing the responsibilities accompanying them, showing coura

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the study?

To reveal 6th grade students’ perceptions of the concepts of law and justice within the Law and Justice course curriculum.

Which research method and data collection tool are used?

Phenomenology is used as the qualitative research method, and the “Law and Justice Word Association Test” is used to collect data.

How were students’ perceptions analyzed and interpreted?

Descriptive analysis with frequency tables was conducted to determine perceptions and relationships, then concept networks were prepared and interpreted based on these relationships.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by McQueen