Social Studies Research and Practice: Volume 8 Issue 1

Survey on the Status of Social Studies: Development and Analysis

Paul G. Fitchett, Phillip J. Vanfossen

In this paper, we outline the rationale for developing the Survey of the Status of Social Studies (S4). The instrument contains items for analyzing the organizational structure…

Pre-service Teachers’ Beliefs about Economics Knowledge and Teaching

Jungsoon Choi

This study aimed to explore pre-service teachers’ epistemological beliefs about economics, and their reported future teaching styles for economics using survey and interviewing…

An Updated Theoretical and Practical Model for Promoting Historical Empathy

Jason Endacott, Sarah Brooks

Over the past two decades significant attention has been given to the topic of historical empathy, yet the manner in which historical empathy is currently defined…

Social Studies Content Reading about the American Revolution Enhanced with Graphic Novels

Kari Bosma, Audrey C. Rule, Karla S. Krueger

Graphic novels can contribute to effective content area reading on social studies topics such as the American Revolution. This action research study’s purpose was to examine…

Analyzing Historical Photographs to Promote Civic Competence

Cory Callahan

Students in all content areas are almost exclusively presented with text-based instruction that starkly contrasts their experiences outside a classroom. With the advent of…

Deficit Crisis Simulation: Using Monopoly to Teach About the Deficit Debate

Cory Wright-Maley

The U.S. has a deficit problem. Both political parties agree that the debt and the deficit must be addressed, but are at odds about how to do so. Worse still, there are members of…

I Just Want to be Heard: Developing Civic Identity through Performance Poetry

Anthony M. Pellegrino, Kristien Zenkov, Nicholas Calamito

This paper describes an integrated unit of study conducted with middle school students who— after being asked to consider the profound and potentially nebulous question, “What…

What Schools Can Do to Increase Racial Acceptance?

Bob Pettapiece, Sabrina Smith Campbell

Although several articles of progress exist that indicate various levels of improvement in race relations in America—perhaps the most notable being the election of the country’s…

Visual Arts and Social Studies: Powerful Partners in Promoting Critical Thinking Skills

Paige Vitulli, Susan Pitts Santoli

Drawing from research on art integration, we discuss why visual arts and social studies can be powerful partners in promoting critical thinking skills. Because this is an…

Past Looking: Using Arts as Historical Evidence in Teaching History

Yonghee Suh

This is a comparative case study of how three high school history teachers in the U.S.A. use art in their practice. The following research question was investigated: How do…

Hidden Teens, Hidden Lives: True Stories of Teens in the Holocaust

Deborah L. Morowski, Theresa M. McCormick

This lesson uses Hidden Teens, Hidden Lives: True Stories of the Holocaust, to help students explore life for children and teenagers during the Holocaust. Students utilize primary…