Can 'Philosophy Education for Children (P4c)' Practices Be Done in Primary Schools? A Qualitative Research on Teachers in Primary Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine the views of teachers working in primary schools on philosophy education for children (P4C). For this purpose, the study was based on the phenomenology pattern, which is included in qualitative studies. It has benefited from the "purposive sampling" technique, which was determined in accordance with the purpose and method of the research. Since certain criteria are taken into account during the creation of the sample group in the research, the criterion sampling strategy will be used as the sampling strategy. Semi-structured interview, which is one of the qualitative data collection tools, was used to collect the data of the research. The questions (6) in the interview form were prepared by the researcher and given to field experts (2), branch teachers (2) and classroom teachers (2), and were brought into a state where they could be applied in line with the feedback received. The obtained data were analyzed with content analysis and findings and results were reached. According to the results of the research, primary school teachers stated that primary school students can do philosophy. It is thought that education with philosophy will enable children to develop their critical thinking skills, mental questioning skills and respect for different ideas. However, another result is the result about whether the students have the skills to philosophize.