What is Decision Making? What Do Secondary School Students' Mental Images Say?

Abstract

This research was carried out to determine the mental images of secondary school students regarding decision making, which is one of the skills included in the social studies curriculum. In this study, which was carried out in accordance with the qualitative research method, the metaphors developed by the students for the concept of decision making were examined. The study group of the research consists of 288 students studying in the 7th and 8th grades in two public schools of Kırşehir in the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year, who were selected according to the convenient sampling method. Content analysis was used in the analysis and interpretation of the data obtained from the participants in the study. As a result of the research, it was seen that secondary school students generally perceive decision making as "forced decision making", "realistic and alternative decision making", "emotional and anxious decision making", "avoidant decision making", "instant decision making", "connected decision making" and "risky decision making".