The Effectiveness of Imaginative Learning Strategy on the Academic Achievement of Second Intermediate Grade Students and Their Attitude towards Social Studies Subject
A master’s thesis was discussed on Sunday, March 24, 2024, in the “Alma’arif” Hall at the College of Education for Human Sciences, University of Karbala. The thesis, presented by Marwa Habib Areebi, is titled “The Effectiveness of Imaginative Learning Strategy on the Academic Achievement of Second Intermediate Grade Students and Their Attitude towards Social Studies Subject,” within the Department of History, specializing in Teaching Methods of History.
The thesis was supervised by Dr. Saad Jawad Kazim. The research problem was formulated as follows: What is the effectiveness of the imaginative learning strategy in the academic achievement of second intermediate-grade students and their attitude towards the social studies subject?
Significance of the Study: “The importance of education lies in its fundamental and crucial role in building society, as it influences the social, political, and economic structures of that society. This research may contribute to developing the attitudes of second-intermediate-grade students toward the social studies subject. This research responds to modern local and global trends calling for the necessity of focusing on modern teaching methods and strategies by assessing the effectiveness of one of these modern strategies.”
The study aims to identify:
1. The effectiveness of the imaginative learning strategy in the academic achievement of second intermediate grade students in social studies.
2. The effectiveness of the imaginative learning strategy in shaping the attitudes of second intermediate-grade students toward the social studies subject.
The study reached several conclusions, the most important of which are that teaching using the imaginative learning strategy resulted in students acquiring various skills, most notably the skill of formulating and presenting questions, and the skill of convincing the other party with the answer. Using the imaginative learning strategy in teaching led to an increase in students’ confidence in themselves, away from shyness and fear when correcting mistakes.
The researcher provided several recommendations, including the necessity of diversity in using modern teaching strategies to teach social studies to intermediate-grade students by history teachers. Also, the inclusion of social studies curricula with some texts and activities based on imagination, as imagination helps to alleviate the boredom and routine that usually accompany social studies lessons.
After thorough academic discussion by the scientific committee chaired by Dr. Sadiq Obeis Mankour, the thesis was approved, and the student obtained a Master’s degree in History Teaching Methods.
The dean of the college, Dr. Sabah Wajid Ali, attended part of the discussion, along with the assistants to the dean for academic and administrative affairs, Dr. Muayyad Imran Jiyad, and Dr. Salah Majid Al-Saadi.
