Purpose: The aim of the article is to contribute to an overall discussion of how civic education may influence the political efficacy of adolescents, with specific emphasis on social equalisation. We analyse how the inclusion of controversial issues in civic education may contribute towards increased social equalisation in political efficacy.…

This research analyzes the contribution of learning the history of early independence in fostering a philosophical understanding of nationhood. The research questions are: 1) What kinds of philosophical understanding of nationhood are perceived as pro-Islamism and pro-secularism by high school students? 2) How is nationalist behavior expressed as…

In this study, we aimed to understand the role of place in how young people come to understand civic life. We implemented and studied an action civics curriculum at two sites to explore the connections between place and youth civic identity. We found that (1) place informs students' conceptualizations of community responsibility and collective…

This article draws on qualitative case studies of student-centered classroom activities to consider how pedagogy and classroom climate interact with students' emotional experiences in the classroom. Findings suggest that teachers' beliefs about the purpose of classroom discussion influence their attendance to students' emotions in a way that…

As a Social Studies teacher and LGBTQ+ educator, the author has explored and critiqued the shortcomings of inclusion in education, especially by exposing curricular patterns that neglect or oversimplify the identities of queer individuals, if not erase them altogether. Through leading workshops, the author has learned about the challenges faced by…

In this collection, scholars from the United States, Canada, and Australia examine the concepts of villainification and anti-villainification in social studies curriculum and popular culture, as well as within broader sociocultural contexts. Villainification is the process of identifying an individual or a small group of individuals as the sole…

The term post-truth refers to a condition in which facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal beliefs. The modern media landscape has created opportunities for various forms of fake news to proliferate at unprecedented rates. Consequently, many elements of democracy and its institutions are being…

Two early childhood researchers from a local public university, have been visiting Mrs. Ball's kindergarten classroom in a small, rural elementary school in the Midwest to read books and discuss characters' identities. In this article, the authors share stories of how they laid the foundation for these conversations and others like it through…

Cisgender women were not permitted to join the armed forces until the Women's Armed Service Integration Act passed in 1984. During the Civil War, some people assigned female at birth enlisted as men. They used "male" names and wore short haircuts, pants, and other traditional "male clothing." Many stories of these soldiers have…

This article, which was completed in January 2020, expands the author's presidential address, which was delivered at the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Annual Conference in Austin, Texas, on November 22, 2019. In her address, Heafner discusses the new ecology of social studies and focuses on concerns over the civic health of our…

As the world grows increasingly contentious, education for citizenship demands greater attention. Yet at this perilous juncture, social studies has neglected to take up the task of preparing citizens in a democratic and global society. Social studies has become increasingly fragmented and isolated by disciplinary foci that fetishize academic…

With the help of the Word Association Test (WAT), the present study aimed to reveal elementary school fourth grade students' cognitive structures regarding the values to be taught in relation to the learning areas within the scope of the course of social studies. The participants in the study were elementary school fourth grade students. In the…

The study aimed at exploring whether a "Science-Technology-Social Change" course improved pre-service social studies teachers' (PST) scientific habits of mind and attitudes towards socio-scientific issues. Within a pre- and post-course experimental design, the study was conducted with 135 second-year PST (68 males and 67 females) from…

As the U.S. and other nations grapple with the boundaries of inclusion at a time of increasing political polarization, teachers face quandaries about how to address immigration in classrooms. Although some educators may avoid immigration as a discussion topic, others enthusiastically choose it precisely because of its relevance. Further…

There is limited research on the variance in teachers' beliefs on social issues such as immigration, particularly related to the grade level they teach. This research is centered on a nationwide sample of K-12 teachers (N=5190) with an examination of their views on immigration and educational rights for immigrant students, particularly those…