In this article we examine preservice teachers' ideas about the role of multicultural citizenship education in social studies classrooms. We use qualitative techniques to explore data collected from observations and interviews with preservice teachers enrolled in a secondary social studies methods course. The findings suggest that even when…

This study examines the effectiveness of asynchronous communication in facilitating historical discussions among adolescents, with a specific focus on the ways in which teachers can affect this process. Threaded discussion board posts and teacher-student email correspondence from a five-week American history summer course are analyzed and…

Discusses feminism and its role in social studies. Suggests that adding a few female names and faces has not changed the inherent masculinity of the culture. Argues that women's contributions are overlooked because they do not fit the male model of achievement. Suggests that women's culture must be articulated in the social studies. (DK)

Using classroom observation and interviews in a naturalistic study, investigates how a secondary social studies teacher's personal practical theories influence curricular and teaching practices. Finds the teacher's practice congruent with her beliefs. States the study increased the teacher's awareness of her own theories. Proposes a curriculum…

Presents a study analyzing the relationship between preservice teachers' perspectives of their role and how they teach social studies. Identifies seven perspectives: scholar psychologist, friendly scholar, inculcator, facilitator of thinking and lifelong learning, friendly pedagogue, empowerer, and nurturer. Concludes that multiple approaches to…

Examines the history and vocabularies of the Highlander Folk School (Tennessee), an adult education school emphasizing decision-making, critical thinking, and active citizen participation. Encourages social studies teachers to become aware of their vocabularies, using the Highlander example in the discourse about the nature of knowledge and the…

Advocates a broader conceptualization of citizenship, relying less on Cartesian and Aristotelian precepts, and incorporating postmodern feminist political theory. Identifies three theoretical phases leading to this conceptualization: past for the present, difference out of sameness, and rationality to subjectiveness. (MJP)

Attempts to broaden the theoretical base and practical applications of multicultural education by examining the contributions of European American educators to the process. Advocates members of the dominant culture using their own lives as starting points for studying how that culture is maintained. (MJP)

Reports on an exploratory study examining the conditions that contribute to the frequency with which social studies teachers use groupwork. Uses both quantitative and qualitative methods. Finds that the factors contributing to use of groupwork are school and classroom factors, and teaching objectives. (SLM)

Reports on a study of the impact of a transformative curriculum in social studies among 96 11th-grade students in a New York City high school. Illustrates problems teachers face when they assume that students are making the intellectual connections expected of them. (CFR)

Maintains that Albert Bushnell Hart was a leading figure in history education. Discusses his contributions to history's emergence as a modern school subject and to its inclusion as a core component of the school curriculum. (CFR)

Maintains that during World War II the nature of elementary social studies changed significantly. Concludes that, as a result of enhanced and broadened activity during the war years, elementary social studies emerged as an important curricular field. (CFR)

Describes results of a study of how eight social studies teachers use computer databases in social studies instruction. Examines how students employ the databases in problem solving, what they learn, and what factors held and hinder the process. Discusses the effects of time constraints, prior student knowledge, cooperative learning, and…

Examines the inherent dichotomy between the competing needs of maintaining emotional safety and exploring sensitive issues in social studies classrooms. Argues that an effectively safe classroom can serve as a necessary backdrop for addressing controversial issues even in the earliest of grades. Maintains that most teachers simply ignore these…

Discusses how Cold War ideological models provide a way to examine the U.S. role in world affairs. Discusses and compares on the writings of Paul Gagnon and Noam Chomsky on this topic. Concludes that students should stand outside both models to develop a meaningful perspective on the U.S. role during the Cold War. (CFR)