Social studies education in 22 countries is described. The purpose of the publication is to stimulate international communication and cross-cultural study among practitioners in different countries. The introduction to the report discusses issues related to social studies education and to international communication. Common concerns, curriculum approaches, educational practices, and methods are outlined. Significant differences are noted in terms of national wealth, quality of school life, attitudes toward the legitimacy of social persuasion and social activism, and inattention given to individualization of instruction and specific learning difficulties. Common problems include defining the scope and nature of social studies, the lag between new knowledge and teaching, curriculum innovation, assessment and examinations, development of intercultural curricula, and information retrieval. Existing communication efforts in research, program development, and professional associations are also discussed. Following the introduction, social studies education in each country is discussed. The countries include: Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Korea, the Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, the United States, and Zambia. The basic format presents the social environment, the educational setting, an overview of social studies education, curriculum descriptions, and school organization. (KC)