First - Research Problem:

Through the researcher's objective examination of the reality of history teaching, she found that students face many problems. History contains many concepts and facts that are difficult to understand when presented in an abstract way. The reality of teaching history relies heavily on the traditional method, which is based on the active role of the teacher, while the students are passive recipients of what the teacher says. The traditional method, which many history teachers still use, relies on rote learning, passive reception, and tedious narration in presenting the material. This has led to a lack of response and participation from all students. Students simply write down what the teacher says, which has led to their dissatisfaction, feelings of frustration, and a loss of the benefit they gain from studying this subject. Therefore, many students find geography to be a complex problem, feeling it is unsuitable and overly complicated, leading to a negative perception. This necessitates investigating the reasons behind these negative attitudes. Furthermore, the researcher's review of history grades in previous school records revealed a clear decline in history scores. This was reinforced by a survey of history teachers and supervisors, who confirmed a decline in students' attitudes towards the subject due to the use of traditional teaching methods. This negatively impacts students' attitudes towards history.

Thus, the research problem was represented by the following question:

1- What is the effect of using organizational planning strategies on students' attitudes towards history?

Second - Important of the research:

Education is the foundation for the reform and progress of humanity. It is a force capable of developing individuals and refining their talents, minds, and ideas. It is a means of solving problems, advancing individuals, and elevating nations. It focuses on the comprehensive and integrated development of the individual in all aspects spiritual, intellectual, physical, psychological, social, and aesthetic ensuring that no aspect overshadows another. It is a balanced development in terms of comprehensiveness and integration, a continuous and ongoing process not limited to a specific timeframe. It encompasses the entirety of an individual's life, from cradle to grave, and involves multiple institutions, most importantly the school, the family, and society. It is as continuous as life itself. (Al-Hilah, 2003: 41)

The curriculum is one of the three basic pillars of the educational process, along with (the student and the teacher), which must keep pace with the new changes in society. In order for the curriculum to fulfill its function, it must pay attention to the student’s growth in all mental, physical and emotional aspects, and the curricula must take into account the relationship of this growth to the natural and human environment and its indicators, and take into account the individual differences between learners. (Al-Hajj, 2003: 11).

The effective teaching method used by the teacher in the classroom is an important pillar for its success in achieving educational goals, due to the positive effects of effective teaching methods on the nature of students’ thinking, increasing their academic achievement and continuous interaction among them. This method leads to the growth of the student’s personality in its various aspects and increases the teacher’s abilities to uncover facts and information in the entire curriculum. (Al-Muqram, 2001: 116)

This was emphasized by many conferences at the local level. The College of Education, Al-Mustansiriya University, organized the First National Conference on Educational Sciences in 2001, while the College of Teachers, University of Diyala, organized the Third Scientific Conference in 2001. The College of Education, University of Diyala, also organized the Fourth Scientific Conference in 2002, while the College of Education for Girls/University of Tikrit organized a scientific seminar on the development of secondary education in 2002. All these conferences focused on developing and advancing the educational process in the country, developing the capabilities and skills of teachers and instructors, their teaching methods and strategies, and raising the scientific, educational, and cultural level of students. Since humanity is constantly changing and developing in various aspects of life, and this change has been reflected in the curricula, books, and methods of social studies, which by their nature deal with the study of humanity and the environment in which it lives, it is incumbent upon researchers and educators working in this type of study to update and develop their knowledge to keep pace with these changes, whether in the scientific content and its enrichment or in teaching methods (Abu Sarhan, 2000: 225)

The Ministry of Education in the Republic of Iraq has directed all teaching bodies to follow up on modern trends and aspects of renewal in teaching methods, to experiment with them and benefit from what is good from them. (Ministry of Education, 1987: 8) Abbas and Al-Absi (2007) state that the process of renewal and modernization in teaching methods is no longer a matter of debate, but has become an urgent and undeniably important issue among specialists, and a vital and pressing requirement for achieving a balance between rapidly changing life and the role that educational systems should play. (Abbas and Al-Absi, 2007: 21)

It is necessary to develop history teaching methods to stimulate the learner so that they can acquire geographical concepts in a way that suits their cognitive structure, utilizing their abilities and potential, thus gaining self-confidence, and in a way that helps them apply the knowledge they have acquired in new situations. (Obaid, 2000: 4) In recent years, scholars have focused on what are called educational theories, and this interest has resulted in the creation of what are called somewhat advanced educational models or patterns. The construction of any educational model must be based on psychological principles closely related to learning. An educational model is an application of a learning theory, and it differs from it in terms of the goals and content, as the educational model seeks beyond the descriptive and explanatory nature of learning theory by defining an organized set of procedures that can be applied in the classroom. (Mar’i and Muhammad, 2005: 139)

Recently, many modern teaching strategies and methods have emerged that focus on the student and consider him the center of the educational process, rather than the content of the material or the teacher himself. Thus, the educational process has become more emphatic on the student learning himself through active participation rather than dependence on the teacher. It also emphasizes helping the teacher to manage the educational situation successfully and helps students to think from multiple perspectives and directions when they encounter a problem in order to reach different answers by stimulating them with questions and giving them the opportunity to express their opinion in an atmosphere of freedom and working to flow ideas without interruption. One of these strategies is the planning organizers strategy, which works to collect the creative outputs that appeared during the creative session. (Al-Shuwaili et al., 2016: 97)

Planning tools help students identify the thinking skills they need to use to solve problems. They not only develop thinking skills but also cultivate and refine the correct approaches to answering questions, even without the students having any prior knowledge of the thought processes used to arrive at those solutions (Holzman, 2004: p. 2). Furthermore, they reveal the organization of the learner's existing cognitive structure and then correct it to align with the new concepts being learned. This results in a new cognitive structure after the new learning process, through its reorganization, construction, and preparation to receive new knowledge and connect it to prior concepts (Attia, 2008: p. 241). They also help learners quickly and effectively review previously learned scientific knowledge and focus on learning the most important aspects of that knowledge. Moreover, they are an essential tool for planning and teaching, as they constitute a specific educational activity that allows for measuring student learning and assessing their existing knowledge (Shubbar et al., 2005: p. 249).

It also has a close relationship with the cognitive, emotional, and skill-based aspects of the learner, as it enhances these three aspects in the individual, which helps in acquiring concepts to an appropriate degree, and thus increases the possibility of influencing his inclinations, attitudes, and values ​​towards this field, which is directly reflected in his degree of interest in studying, and perhaps specializing in this field. Inclination, attitude, taste, and appreciation are all aspects that need knowledge. (Al-Matari, 2009: 5)

In this area, educational literature indicates that graphic organizers present information in an organized and coherent manner, thus helping teachers increase students' interest in learning history. They are considered important elements in textbooks, being the first thing the learner sees. They also help teachers clarify ideas that students find difficult to express or understand abstractly. Furthermore, they help students visualize the educational content in a way that aligns with the intended objective, adding a dynamic element to the textbook and providing them with experiences that help them form concepts and mental images. (Fathallah, 2007: 91) The graphic organizer strategy aims to empower learners through visual representation, control, and mastery in understanding new concepts and the relationships between them. This is achieved through the size, arrangement, and colors of the circles, as well as the explanatory text, which includes the diagram's title, the names of the concepts, and the explanatory sentence. (Al-Shuwaili et al., 2016: 100)

Raising students' attitudes toward the subject matter is a crucial educational objective in a student's life, and the educational system strives to improve this attitude. The standard for a student's progress in their studies and their transition from one stage to another is not limited to this. Rather, they apply what they have learned and absorbed in terms of information and experiences to face the challenges and problems in daily life. (Al-Shahrani, 2010: 38). Qatami (2000) indicated that students' attitudes towards school, the subject of learning, and the teacher are among the fundamental factors that influence their success or failure. Their positive attitudes towards the lesson subject and the teacher increase students' desire to learn and their engagement in the classroom. A positive attitude towards the subject of learning facilitates the teaching and training process, while a negative attitude hinders students' development. Late childhood is considered an important stage in building sound attitudes in students in order to prepare them for the future. (Qatami, 2000: 344-345)

In light of the foregoing, the importance of this research can be summarized as follows:

1. The importance of organizational planning strategies in history teaching, as they help students consolidate historical information and increase their positive attitude towards history.

2. The importance of history in the preparatory stage, as it influences the student's personality at this stage and helps them understand historical phenomena and analyze their impact on their attitudes towards history.

3. The importance of the preparatory stage among the stages of education, as it is a crucial stage in the educational ladder, serving as a link through which the learner transitions from concrete to abstract experiences, and where fundamental skills and concepts are formed.

4. The importance of the study variable, attitudes, as a primary objective of teaching education in general and history in particular.

Third - Research Objective

The current research aims to determine the effect of the planning organizers strategy on the attitudes of fourth-grade literary students towards history.

Fourth - Research Hypothesis

There is no statistically significant difference at the (0.05) level between the mean attitudes of the experimental group (which studied using the planning organizers strategy) and the control group (which studied using the traditional method) towards history in the post-test.

Fifth - Research Limitations

Human Scope: The current research is limited to fourth-grade literary students in public morning schools affiliated with the General Directorate of Education in Diyala Governorate.

Geographical Scope: Public schools affiliated with the General Directorate of Education in Diyala Governorate.

Temporal Scope: The first semester of the 2023-2024 academic year.

Sixth - Defining Terms

First - Strategy:

Asaad (2019) defines it as: "A set of decisions made by the teacher, and these decisions are reflected in patterns of actions performed by the teacher and students in the educational situation." (Asaad, 2019: 57)

The researcher defines it operationally as: "A set of procedures performed by the teacher while teaching its students in a sequential and organized manner to achieve the planned educational objectives."

Second - Planning Organizations:

Ambo Saidi and Al-Balushi (2011) define it as: "A main idea or concept that contains a set of information about it, such as its characteristics, features, or examples. It can be used when the teacher or learner wishes to compare concepts or ideas. Venn diagrams are one type of this category." (Ambo Saidi and Al-Balushi, 2011: 443)

The researcher defines it operationally as: a set of planned and organized steps adopted by the history teacher (the researcher) with the experimental group students. These steps aim to simplify the visual presentation of information and its sequential structure for the fourth-grade humanities students' history lesson content. This is done to organize their main and subsidiary historical ideas and concepts with the experimental group students in order to compare and identify similarities and differences between historical concepts.

Thirdly - Attitude - Mar'i and Muhammad (2005) defined it as: "A response inherent to a specific subject, accompanied by feelings and emotions." (Mar'i and Muhammad, 2005: 228) The researcher defines it operationally as: a psychological readiness that expresses the emotional state of the fourth-grade humanities students' feelings, whether acceptance or rejection, towards studying history. It is assessed by the score they obtain on the items of the Geographic Attitude Scale, which the researcher developed for this purpose.

Theoretical Framework

Characteristics of Cognitive Schematics:

Schematory schematics are characterized by several features, the most important of which are:

1- They are organizational diagrams that summarize the information and ideas contained in the text in a visual format that facilitates memorization and retrieval.

2- They involve both the teacher and the learner, each with their distinct role.

3- They come in various types, including cycle diagrams, comparison diagrams, and cause-and-effect diagrams, etc.

4- They aim to activate prior knowledge related to the current topic among learners. (Abdul-Bari, 2010: 282)

Importance of Schematics:

a- For the learner:

1- They facilitate understanding and learning of the course content.

2- They serve as a cognitive tool to enhance learning.

3- They help students learn analysis.

4- They organize information content.

5- They enable students to become strategic learners. (Al-Shammari, 2012: 212)

A. For the Teacher

The importance of lesson plans lies in the following:

1. They help in planning and executing the lesson accurately.

2. They attract the learners' attention, guide them, and organize their existing ideas.

3. They help the teacher choose appropriate activities and learning aids.

4. They help maintain order within the classroom. (Abdul-Bari, 2010: 280)

Objectives of Lesson Planners:

Lesson planners have a set of objectives they aim to achieve, including:

1. Integrating and connecting the learner's prior knowledge with the new information presented in the lesson topic.

2. Focusing on the essential elements of the lesson topic.

3. Helping to develop certain intelligences in students, such as linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, social intelligence, and visual/spatial intelligence.

4. Using them to identify and address students' misconceptions.

5. Developing some scientific processes, such as observation, classification, reasoning, deduction, and induction. 6- Encouraging the growth and development of concepts in the learner. (Ambu Saidi and Awad, 2004: 121-156)

Steps for Implementing Graphic Organizers in the Classroom:

There are several methods a teacher can use to implement and present graphic organizers to students in the classroom, including:

1- The teacher designs standard graphic organizers, which are presented to students after the completion of each topic.

2- The teacher collaborates with students to design a graphic organizer for each lesson after the lesson is finished. Here, we see the beginning of student involvement in designing graphic organizers, albeit in collaboration with the teacher.

3- The student selects and designs the appropriate graphic organizer for the lesson topic. This last method should be emphasized, especially after students have become accustomed to using this type of teaching tool. In this method, students design the organizer they have chosen after the teacher finishes explaining the lesson or concurrently with the explanation. (Ambu Saidi & Awad, 2004: 121)

Areas of Use for Planning Organizers

The following are some uses of planning organizers:

First - Planning:

Planning any task requires defining the practical procedures and requirements to be provided in each process. Individuals usually resort to using list systems that rely on writing procedures and steps vertically. In this context, planning organizers offer a simplified method for organizing the required information clearly and accurately. They are distinguished by enabling the user to view the planning process holistically, making it easier for the individual to identify any shortcomings. When learners use them for planning projects, research, or essays, for example, or even when teachers use them in lesson preparation, it contributes to clarifying the connections between all the steps followed and the relationships between all parts and the main objective. (Al-Arimi, 2008: 57)

Second - Evaluation:

Evaluation processes are crucial in any field, as they provide a picture of the extent to which the objectives set in a particular area have been achieved. In learning and teaching, planning organizers can be used for both pre- and post-assessment. Teachers especially need pre-assessment when new knowledge is directly based on prior knowledge. In such cases, introducing new knowledge without verifying the learner's level of prior knowledge is sometimes a waste of time, which is a common occurrence in our schools. In such situations, teachers can use planning organizers to identify gaps in the learner's knowledge, address them first, and then build upon them. For example, a teacher cannot explain a lesson about World War I if the learner lacks the basic understanding of the difference between the Entente and Central Powers. By using a simple organizer, the teacher can determine the learner's need for this initial assessment, as well as their age for post-assessment. The teacher can then gain a clear picture of the learner's comprehension of the presented knowledge and identify any misunderstandings, allowing them to correct the learner's understanding before moving on to another topic. (Ambu Saidi & Al-Balushi, 2011: 124)

Thirdly - Teaching and Learning:

Using graphic organizers in teaching and learning helps develop learners' skills, including the ability to identify the main idea, distinguish between main and secondary ideas within a topic, and determine the relationships between connections and ideas. These organizers help learners structure their thoughts on a subject, enabling them to present the material orally or in writing, which facilitates memorization due to the clarity of the relationships and connections between its parts. (Al-Harbi, 2010: 13)

Furthermore, by using graphic organizers in the learning process, learners can develop several skills, including the ability to distinguish between cause and effect, primary and secondary sources, verify sources, and identify relationships between connections and ideas in any history topic. (Al-Lawatiyya, 2010: 59)

Types of Graphic Organizations:

Graphic organizations have emerged in various forms and can be classified into four main types:

First - Sequential Graphic Organizations:

This type of organization is used when events are logically arranged from general to specific or from whole to part. It is suitable for events with a beginning and an end, as well as for cause-and-effect events. The following diagram illustrates sequential organizations. (Cian. Hamiton, 2005: 17)

There are several types of sequential schematic organizers:

A. Cause-Effect Schematic Organizer: Determining Cause-Effect Relationship

This organizer is used to determine relationships between causes and effects, or when attempting to uncover other causes. Its importance to the learner lies in their ability to find the relationship between cause and effect, or in the problem-solving process. The expected outcome for the learner after completing various activities is their ability to identify relationships between causes and effects. The following information within the diagram illustrates the cause-and-effect organizer.

B. Sequential Schematic Organizer:

This organizer can be used when we want to review a sequence of historical events, such as the life of a historical figure, like the leader of the French Revolution. Such diagrams allow the learner to add new information to them at later periods. (Qarni, 2011: 445)

Second - Conceptual Graphic Organizers:

Types belonging to this category are used when there is a main idea or concept containing a set of information about it, such as its characteristics, features, or examples. They can also be used when the teacher or learner wants to compare concepts or ideas. Venn Shapes are one example of this category.

Third - Hierarchical Graphic Organizers:

These graphic organizers are used when historical events are arranged hierarchically, meaning there is a main event in the story, followed by less general events, and so on down to the base of the pyramid.

Fourth - Mind Organizers:

Such diagrams can be used when there are major historical events containing a set of sub-events, allowing the teacher or learner to balance these events.

Fifth - Circle Organizers:

This diagram can be used when there are interconnected historical events with no clear beginning or end, where each event influences the one that follows it or the one before it. In other words, it can be used for interconnected historical events, and these diagrams can be simply rings or circles. (Ambo Saidi & Al-Balushi, 2011: 442)

Guidelines for Teaching Using Cognitive Organizational Graphics:

Bromley et al. (1995) identified seven key points for effectively using graphic organizers in teaching:

1. Consider graphic organizers as a means to learning, not an end in themselves.

2. The process of designing, discussing, sharing, and evaluating the graphic organizer is more important than the graphic organizer itself.

3. The process of designing and involving learners in organizing graphic organizers is more important than the graphic organizer itself.

4. The teacher should gradually introduce the design of graphic organizers to learners so they can design their own, which is more effective in the learning process.

5. There is no single best way to present information using graphic organizers (Al-Shammari, 2012: 207).

Attitudes towards History

Components of Attitudes:

Psychological attitudes consist of three components:

First - The Cognitive Component:

An individual's attitude towards subjects or people depends on what they know about them. Therefore, the cognitive component includes the objective information and facts available to the individual about the subject of the attitude. If an attitude is essentially a process of preferring one subject over another, this process requires certain mental operations such as discrimination, understanding, reasoning, and judgment. Thus, an individual's attitudes towards some social problems, such as environmental pollution or illiteracy, involve a mental aspect that varies in its level depending on the complexity of the problem.

Second - The Affective Component:

This component relates to the feelings of love and hate that an individual experiences toward the object of the attitude. If they like an object, they will be drawn to it, and if they dislike an object, they will turn away from it. In other words, the affective component of an attitude is the degree to which a person accepts or dislikes a particular object.

Third - The Behavioral Component (Inclination to Act):

Attitudes act as guides for human behavior. When an individual has positive attitudes toward a number of objects, they are motivated to act positively. Conversely, if they hold a negative attitude toward an object, they will respond negatively to that object. (Muhammad and Issa, 2011: 126)

Characteristics of Attitudes

Attitudes have several characteristics, the most important of which are:

1- Attitudes are observable, measurable, estimable, and predictable.

2- Attitudes are numerous and vary depending on the stimuli to which they are associated.

3- Attitudes are acquired and learned, not inherited.

4- An attitude is influenced by and influences an individual's experience; it is both a product of and a factor influencing experience. (Al-Dahri & Al-Kubaisi, 1998: 122-123)

5- Attitudes have emotional characteristics.

6- Attitudes are formed and linked by social stimuli and situations, and are shared by a number of individuals or groups.

7- Attitudes do not arise in a vacuum but always involve a relationship between an individual and an object.

8- The attitudes shared by members of a group almost unify their behavior.

9- Subjective attitudes require more content than objective ones.

10- Attitudes consist of two main dimensions: the cognitive dimension and the affective dimension. (Qatami and Naifa, 2000: 146-147)

Stages of Attitude Formation:

1- The Selection and Preference Stage, which includes:

a- Verbal expression of choice and preference.

b- Performing behavior that demonstrates preference for one thing over another.

2- The Reflection and Selection Stage, which includes:

a- Verbal expression of inclination, desire, and readiness toward a specific object.

b- Experiencing the object.

3- The Support and Participation Stage, which includes:

a- Verbal agreement, support, and participation in the object of the attitude.

b- Practical participation that demonstrates agreement.

4- The Sacrifice Stage, which includes:

a- Demonstrating a willingness to sacrifice in word and deed.

b- Actual sacrifice of one thing for the sake of another.

5- The Guidance and Practical Advocacy Stage, which includes:

a- Verbal support and advocacy for the object of the attitude.

b- Practicing advocacy for the object and promoting its virtues. (Abu Huwaij and Abu Mughli, 2012: 159-160)

Factors influencing attitude formation:

Several factors influence the formation and continuation of attitudes. Among these factors are:

1- Critical acceptance of s ocial norms through suggestion:

Suggestion is one of the most common factors in attitude formation. Individuals often accept an attitude without any direct connection to the objects or subjects associated with that attitude. An attitude, or opinion, is not acquired but rather determined by general social norms that children absorb from their parents without critical thought or reflection. These norms then become a stereotypical part of their traditions and customs, making them difficult to break. Suggestion plays a significant role in the formation of this type of attitude. It is one of the means by which individuals acquire the prevailing norms in society, whether religious, social, moral, or aesthetic. If the prevailing trend in a country is democracy, its individuals will embrace this principle.

2- Family Factors:

The family is one of the strongest direct factors that shape an individual's attitudes. From the beginning, a child's attitude towards food is formed through the satisfaction of basic drives like hunger by the mother through personal interaction with her. Parents are also the direct source of attitudes, as they transmit them to their children through learning by imitation, observation, and identification with their own attitudes and aspirations. A child's attitudes are thus formed because they absorb these influences unconsciously, and their effects remain in the individual's personality for a long time.

3- School Factors:

The school plays a significant role in shaping and developing students' attitudes. If a teacher hits a student, the student may develop a negative attitude towards the teacher and the subject matter. Davis explained that an individual's attitudes are formed according to the information they receive from school and various educational institutions.

4- Direct Contact w ith the Object of the Attitude:

That is, contact with the object of the attitude through direct experience leads to the formation of an attitude towards it. 5. Experiences:

Attitudes are not formed unless the individual has the mental and psychological readiness to accept them. Attitudes are linked to an individual's experiences, as they are acquired through experience, either directly or indirectly. The influence of experience on attitude acquisition can be illustrated as follows:

A. Integration of Experience:

Attitudes are formed when similar individual experiences are integrated into a unified whole. Our judgments and responses to similar situations are informed by past experiences.

B. Repetition of Experience:

An attitude must be repeated to form.

C. Differentiation of Experience:

The uniqueness and distinctiveness of an experience, when repeated, highlights and reinforces it, allowing it to connect with similar experiences and thus form an attitude. (Raji, 2007: 60-62)

Functions of Attitudes:

Attitudes perform a number of functions on a personal and social level, enabling individuals to deal with various life situations productively and effectively. The most important of these functions are:

First - An Economic Organizational Function:

An individual responds to categories of people, ideas, events, things, or situations according to their preconceived notions. This is achieved by adopting simple, organized rules that define their behavior toward these categories without needing to know all the information about the subjects or behavioral principles that would enable them to respond to diverse environmental stimuli consistently and coherently, preventing them from getting lost in a maze of fragmented experiences.

Second - A Utilitarian Function:

This function refers to helping the individual achieve specific goals, enabling them to adapt to the group they live with. This is because they develop positive attitudes similar to those of important people in their environment, which helps them adapt to and succeed in different life situations. This is done by demonstrating attitudes that show acceptance of and loyalty to the group's norms. Furthermore, it leads individuals to utilize their knowledge and skills in various life situations. Thirdly - Expressive Function:

Attitudes provide the individual with opportunities for self-expression, establishing a specific identity within social life, and enabling them to respond to environmental stimuli actively and effectively. This gives their life significant meaning and prevents isolation and apathy. A learner who lacks positive attitudes towards certain aspects of their environment will be unable to acquire anything of value in their life.

First - An Economic Organizational Function:

An individual responds to categories of people, ideas, events, things, or situations according to their preconceived notions. This is achieved by adopting simple, organized rules that define their behavior toward these categories without needing to know all the information about the subjects or behavioral principles that would enable them to respond to diverse environmental stimuli consistently and coherently, preventing them from getting lost in a maze of fragmented experiences.

Second - A Utilitarian Function:

This function refers to helping the individual achieve specific goals, enabling them to adapt to the group they live with. This is because they develop positive attitudes similar to those of important people in their environment, which helps them adapt to and succeed in different life situations. This is done by demonstrating attitudes that show acceptance of and loyalty to the group's norms. Furthermore, it leads individuals to utilize their knowledge and skills in various life situations. Thirdly - Expressive Function:

Attitudes provide the individual with opportunities for self-expression, establishing a specific identity within social life, and enabling them to respond to environmental stimuli actively and effectively. This gives their life significant meaning and prevents isolation and apathy. A learner who lacks positive attitudes towards certain aspects of their environment will be unable to acquire anything of value in their life.

Fourth - Cognitive Function:

Individuals need cognitive standards and frameworks to understand their world, and attitudes help provide them with such standards. In this sense, the Gestalt psychology emphasizes the cognitive function of attitudes, which is based on the individual's view of their life as a coherent, holistic structure through the pursuit of meaning and the tendency to improve perception and beliefs.

Fifth - Defensive Function:

Evidence suggests that an individual's attitudes are more closely linked to their personal needs and motivations than to the objective or realistic characteristics of the objects of those attitudes. Therefore, an individual may sometimes resort to forming certain attitudes to justify internal conflicts or failures in specific situations, in order to preserve their dignity and self-confidence. In other words, they adopt these attitudes to defend themselves. Furthermore, attitudes provide the motivation to translate scientific facts and skills in using scientific methods into action. (Adnan, 2005: 162-163)

Attitude Theories:

The explanation of attitude formation is based on several learning theories, including:

First - The Cognitive Approach:

Proponents of the cognitive approach (Piaget, Bruner, and Ausubel) based their understanding of attitude formation on the assumption that humans are rational and logical in their interactions with events, objects, and information, as well as in their attitudes and opinions. They believe that individuals can be motivated to listen to a specific message, engage with its content, learn it, and then internalize it in their behavior through understanding and persuasion. Therefore, the cognitive approach focuses on helping the learner reorganize their information about the attitude topic and restructure the associated cognitive frameworks in light of new information and data related to the attitude topic. (Al-Aqbi, 2004: 44)

Seco ndly - The Behavioral Approach:

Proponents of the behavioral perspective on associative conditioning in teaching and forming attitudes argue that individuals tend to generalize stimuli and associate the natural stimulus with other stimuli that are close to or similar to it. Consequently, the individual responds in the same way to stimuli similar to, associated with, or close to the first natural stimulus. Attitudes are considered a type of motivation. Operant conditioning theory (Skinner) is based on the principle that an individual's behavior or response that is reinforced is more likely to be repeated. From this perspective, attitudes whose associated behavioral patterns are reinforced are more likely to be retained than those that are not. They point out that behavioral patterns that are not reinforced, or from which reinforcers are withdrawn, tend to fade and gradually disappear. (Qarni, 2011: 115)

Previous Studies

First Area - Studies Addressing Graphic Organizers

1- Dicecco & Gleanson (2002) Study: The Effect of Using Graphic Formal Organizers in Addressing Text Learning Difficulties in Grades 5-8 in Middle School.

This study was conducted in the United States and aimed to identify the effect of using graphic formal organizers in addressing text learning difficulties in grades 5-8 in middle school. The researchers used an experimental approach. The research sample consisted of 26 students from grades 5-8, while the study instruments included a 30-item test for addressing text learning difficulties. After implementing the experiment, the results showed statistically significant differences in favor of the experimental group, which studied using the graphic formal organizer strategy, compared to the control group, which studied using the traditional method. The researchers used the following statistical methods: Pearson's correlation coefficient and Sirman-Brown equation.

2- A study by (Al-Hashemi and Al-Mundhiri, 2014) on the effect of teaching using graphic organizers on the achievement and retention of eleventh-grade female students in the subject of literature and criticism. This study was conducted in the Sultanate of Oman and aimed to investigate the effect of teaching using graphic organizers on the achievement and retention of eleventh-grade female students in the subject of literature and criticism. The study sample consisted of (106) female students. The researchers used the experimental method. The study tools consisted of an achievement test consisting of (35) objective questions. After applying the experiment, the results showed the superiority of the students of the experimental group over the students of the control group in achievement and retention of learning. The methods used were the statistical methods: SPSS, standard deviations, arithmetic means, Pearson correlation coefficient, t-test, chi-squared.

The second area - Studies addressing the trend:

1- Edjalali's 1991 study, "The Effect of Mastery Learning Strategy on Attitudes, Motivation, Self-Confidence, and Math Anxiety," was conducted in the United States. It aimed to identify the effect of the mastery learning strategy on attitudes, motivation, self-confidence, and math anxiety. The study employed a two-group experimental design. The sample consisted of 31 students. The research instruments included the Adult Basic Learning Test, a self-confidence scale, and a math anxiety scale. After the experiment, the results showed that the students in the experimental group, who studied using the mastery learning strategy, performed better than those who did not.

The students in the experimental group exhibited more positive attitudes, lower anxiety, and improved self-confidence. Statistical methods included the use of the SPSS statistical package.

2- A study by Al-Maliki (2003) investigated the impact of the Merrill-Tenson and Gagné educational models on the acquisition of historical concepts and attitudes toward the subject among first-year intermediate students. This study was conducted in Iraq and aimed to identify the effect of the Merrill-Tenson and Gagné educational models on the acquisition of historical concepts and attitudes toward the subject among first-year intermediate students. The study employed an experimental design, and the sample consisted of 78 students. The research instruments included a concept acquisition test and an attitude scale consisting of 52 items. After administering the experiment, the results showed statistically significant differences favoring the first experimental group on both the concept acquisition test and the attitude scale.

Statistically significant differences were also found favoring the second experimental group on both the concept acquisition test and the attitude scale. The statistical methods used included: one-way ANOVA, concomitant ANOVA, Scheffé's test, and Black's test.

Indicators and Implications from Previous Studies:

After reviewing previous studies in both sections, the researcher identified the following indicators and implications:

First - Objectives:

The studies in the first section aimed to identify the impact of formal planning organizations, as in the study by DiCecco & Gleanson (2002), and planning organizations, as in the study by Al-Hashemi & Al-Mundhiri (2014). Meanwhile, all the studies in the second section aimed to identify the impact of several independent variables on several dependent variables, with the common denominator being attitudes toward the subject matter and some dependent variables.

The current research aims to identify the impact of planning organizations on students' attitudes toward history.

Second - The Sample:

The sample of previous studies varied in both aspects in terms of number, gender, academic level, grade, and specialization. This is normal according to each study and its circumstances. The researcher chose to present it in Table (1) for the purpose of clarifying it as follows:

Figure 1.

The sample for the current research will be selected from fourth-year literature students, divided into two sections.

Sixth - Results:

Previous studies have yielded varying results depending on the variables and objectives of those studies. The researcher will utilize these results to interpret the findings of the current study.

Aspects of benefiting from previous studies:

1. Assistance in formulating the hypotheses and objectives of the current research.

2. Selecting the appropriate experimental design and ensuring equivalence between the two research groups.

3. Developing the research instrument.

4. Utilizing the statistical methods used in previous studies similar to the current research design to analyze its data.

5. Developing model lesson plans specifically for planning organizations.

6. Assisting the researcher in accessing sources related to the current research.

7. The results of these studies will help in interpreting the findings of the current research.

Research Methodology and Procedures

First: Research Methodology:

The researcher adopted the experimental method as it was suitable for the nature of the research.

Second: Experimental Design:

In the current research, the researcher used an experimental design with two equivalent groups and a post-test. This design includes two groups equivalent in the number of variables. One group is randomly selected as the experimental group and studies history according to the organizational planning strategy, while the other group serves as the control and studies history according to the traditional method. The factors and conditions are then fixed in both groups. Table (1) illustrates this.

Table ( 1 ) shows the experimental design of the research

Figure 2.

Third: The Research Population and Sample

The population and sample were defined as follows:

A- The Research Population:

The research population was defined as all female students in the fourth grade of the literary track in preparatory and secondary schools in the city center of Diyala for the academic year (2023-2024), totaling (1382) female students distributed across (36) secondary and preparatory schools in the city center of Diyala. This information was obtained from the General Directorate of Education in Diyala Governorate.

B- Selecting the Research Sample:

After defining the research population as fourth-grade literature students and obtaining information from the school administration, the researcher intentionally selected the research sample from students at Taif Intermediate School for Girls for the following reasons:

1- The school administration and the history teacher expressed their willingness to cooperate with the researcher and provide the necessary facilities for conducting and implementing the research experiment.

2- Most of the students at the school are from the same geographical area, which ensures a high degree of similarity in the cultural and social levels of the sample members.

3- The school is located near the researcher's residence, making it easy for her to be present.

After the researcher visited the school selected for the research experiment and ensuring the necessary arrangements, she randomly assigned the two classes to the two research groups. Class (A) was designated as the experimental group, consisting of (32) students, who would study using the organizational planning strategy. Class (B) was designated as the control group, consisting of (32) students, who would study using the traditional method. Table (2) shows the distribution of the sample members.

Table (2) shows the members of the research sample

Figure 3.

Fourth: Equivalence of the two research groups:

In order to achieve equivalence between the experimental and control groups in a number of variables, the researcher conducted an equivalence process between the two research groups in several variables that could potentially influence the research results at the expense of the independent variable. Therefore, the two research groups were equivalent in the following variables:

Table (3) Results of the t-test for the two research groups in the equivalence variables

Figure 4.

The table above shows that the two groups are equivalent in these variables at a significance of (0.05) and a degree of freedom of (62)

Table (4) Results of the chi-square test in the educational level of the two research groups

Figure 5.

The table above shows that the two research groups were equivalent in terms of the parents' educational level.

Fifth: Research Instrument

To achieve the research objective and test its hypotheses, an instrument was needed to measure attitudes towards history, as follows:

Attitude Scale:

After reviewing attitude scales from several studies, such as those by Al-Maliki (2003) and Al-Aqbi (2004), the researcher developed a scale to measure students' attitudes towards history. The scale consisted of 34 items, both positive and negative.

Scale Validity:

a) Face Validity:

The researcher confirmed the scale by presenting it to a number of experts and reviewers specializing in teaching methods. Some items were then modified based on the reviewers' feedback. Face validity was established with an 80% agreement rate, and the scale, in its initial form, consisted of 34 items.

B- Discr iminatory Power of Scale Items:

To calculate the discriminatory power of the test items, the responses of the pilot sample of (180) female students were corrected. The responses were then ranked in descending order, dividing them into two categories: an upper category (27%) consisting of (49) female students, and a lower category (27%) consisting of (49) female students. The discriminatory power of each test item was then calculated.

After applying the t-test to each item, the values ​​were found to range between 1.39 and 9.44. Items with the following sequence (26, 15, and 4) were excluded because their t-test values ​​were less than the critical value of 1.67 at 96 degrees of freedom and a margin of error of 0.05. Appendix 3 illustrates this. C- Scoring of the Attitude Scale:

Positive items were assigned the following weights: Strongly Agree (5), Agree (4), Don't Know (3), Disagree (2), and Strongly Disagree (1).

The scoring of negative items was reversed, with the alternatives being: Strongly Agree (1), Agree (2), Don't Know (3), Disagree (4), and Strongly Disagree (5).

D- Scale Reliability:

Reliability is defined as the degree of consistency in measuring the trait being measured from one time to another if the instrument is administered a number of times, or in short, "measurement accuracy." (Al-Shaib, 2008: 102) The test was administered to a sample of (60) female students on Monday, November 8, 2022. The researcher then calculated the reliability using Cronbach's alpha equation, which was found to be (0.889), considered good and acceptable. (Al-Kubaisi, 2010: 77)

Eighth: Post-Application of the Research Instrument:

After completing the history curriculum, the researcher administered the attitude scale on Wednesday, January 16, 2024, to both research groups (experimental and control).

N inth: Statistical Methods Used:

The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to calculate the following: (mean, standard deviation, t-test).

Presenting and Discussing the Research Results

As follows:

First: Presenting the results related to the hypothesis, which state the following:

There is no statistically significant difference at the 0.05 significance level between the mean scores of the students in the experimental group (which studied using the planning-organized strategy) and the control group (which studied using the traditional method) in the post-test for history.

To verify the hypothesis, the researcher calculated the mean and standard deviation of the post-test scores for both research groups on the attitude scale. She also calculated the t-value and compared it to the tabulated value, and the results were included in Table (5). The calculated t-value reached (7.552), which is higher than the tabulated value of (1.997), at a significance level of (0.05) and a degree of freedom of (62). This means that there is a statistically significant difference in favor of the experimental group that studied according to the planning organizations strategy, and thus the second null hypothesis is rejected. Table (5) illustrates this.

Table (5) shows the t-test results for the mean scores of the attitude scale among the students in the experimental and control groups

Figure 6.

The researcher attributes this result to the fact that the planning organizers strategy is distinguished in improving students' attitude towards the subject of history. Perhaps this is because the use of the planning organizers strategy in teaching contributed to making the students play a positive role and turning them into active participants in the teaching and learning process by organizing, classifying and arranging concepts, which makes them use their minds to reach knowledge themselves and not receive it. Therefore, the knowledge remains in their memory for a long time. Also, the members of the experimental group learned in a way in which ideas and words are translated into mental images that help them to reflect on all aspects of them, and then fix them in their minds for a longer period of time. As for the members of the control group, they learned in a way that focused on memorizing information and relying on others to give them information, and they did not link their previous knowledge with their subsequent knowledge, which leads to forgetting the new knowledge after a short period of time after learning it. Then, when this approach was changed for the experimental group, and they were exposed to stimulating and exciting organizational methods, this created an atmosphere of enthusiasm for studying, increased morale, and improved retention of the material. Furthermore, the use of this strategy led to meaningful learning among the students in the experimental group, characterized by longer retention of what they learned. This resulted in greater information retention among the students in the experimental group compared to the control group, which in turn positively impacted their attitude towards history. The results of this study are consistent with those of the studies by Al-Omari (2011), Al-Sharif (2010), Al-Juhaymi (2008), Al-Qawabah (2007), and Ibrahim (2006).

Conclusions:

In light of the results of the current research, the researcher concluded the following:

1. The planning organizers strategy helped improve the attitudes of fourth-grade literary students towards history.

2. The planning organizers strategy generated motivation and interest in history among fourth-grade literary students.

Recommendations:

The researcher recommends the following:

1. Emphasizing specialized supervision of history teachers to activate educational programs through their implementation, especially those programs that develop students' attitudes towards history.

2. Guiding history teachers to focus on classroom activities that stimulate students' motivation towards history.

3. The Directorate of Preparation and Training in the General Directorate of Education in Diyala should train history teachers on modern educational strategies, including the planning organizers strategy.

Suggestions:

To further this research, the researcher proposes the following:

1. Conducting a comparative study between the organizational planning strategy and other teaching strategies, such as the flexible grouping strategy, and their impact on the variables of concepts, skills, and interests among middle school students in history.

2. Exploring the possibility of using the organizational planning strategy with other skills, such as scientific, divergent, and visual thinking, in other educational stages.