Understanding the fundamental concepts of democracy accurately is crucial for students to acquire democratic citizenship competencies in social studies courses. The aim of this study is to identify students’ misconceptions about key concepts related to democracy and to examine how these concepts are taught in social studies lessons. The research was conducted using a case study design and involved 7th-grade students and a social studies teacher from a secondary school located in the city center of Eskişehir. Data were collected through a word association test, unstructured observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, and were analyzed using descriptive analysis. According to the findings, some students conceptualized the notions of rights, equality, and elections correctly, whereas they had misconceptions regarding the concepts of freedom and sovereignty. Furthermore, students were found to have inadequate conceptualizations of democracy, justice, law, and participation. It was also revealed that while the teacher preferred traditional methods in concept instruction, democratic values and behaviors were integrated into the daily classroom practices. The findings indicate that the teacher’s perceptions and in-class practices, along with the curriculum and textbooks, play a significant role in shaping students’ understanding and misconceptions regarding democracy and related concepts. Based on the results, it is recommended that various instructional methods and techniques be employed in the teaching of democracy-related concepts, and that both the curriculum and textbooks be revised accordingly.
Ertuğrul et al. (Wed,) studied this question.