The focus of this study is to investigate the effects of using Web 2.0 tools in the social studies "Global Connections" learning area on students' digital literacy levels. A quasi-experimental model was used and 38, seventh graders participated the research. The digital literacy scale, created by Ng (2012) and translated into Turkish by…

The researcher investigated the effects of learning in an integrated curriculum environment in a Midwestern urban school among 7th grade students. The control group consisted of students who were enrolled in just a 7th grade social studies class. The test group consisted of students who were enrolled in both a social studies class "and"…

Türkiye is a region that bears the traces of many different civilizations from the past to the present. This diversity has endowed the country's culture with a deep and rich dimension. This study examines the role of social studies education in the preservation of cultural heritage in Turkey and its relationship with tourism. The aim of the…

Context-based STEM learning has been proven to be useful as interdisciplinary storylines to regulate the flow and sequencing of lessons to obtain expected outcomes. This case study pilot project aims to contextualise scientific learning to local culture. Student groups sampled from two schools in distinct social backgrounds, reflected varied…

There is increasing educational interest in immersive virtual reality (IVR) applications which aid student learning and performance. However, few empirical studies have investigated the potential for implementing the technology in middle-school social studies classrooms. This study employed a quasi-experimental approach to address this issue,…

Shifting to an inquiry-based practice can be challenging. How should teachers get started? How many times should teachers plan for inquiry? What do teachers do when students struggle with inquiry? How long does it take for students to buy in to the inquiry process? These kinds of questions, and the concerns that underlie them, can create an…

This paper introduces the LIDO, or the Low-Inference Discourse Observation tool, that captures discourse moves produced by students and teachers in whole-classroom discussions. Coding methods are described, followed by analyses that explore validity of the LIDO through correlations among LIDO-coded discourse moves and between LIDO scores and…

Art and artistic activities that play a significant role in the lives of both children and adults are an important requirement for all individuals. Cultures develop, expand, and enrich through artistic activities, which are important for the development of visual literacy, especially in social studies. The present study aims to determine the…

Seventh-grade students engaged in a guided historical inquiry about slavery, freedom, and unfreedom. The teacher carefully intertwined historical content, close reading, critical thinking, and text-based writing -- both extemporaneous and refined-- during Social Studies. Students scrutinized primary sources to build their historical schemas over…

Following the emergence of chatbots, especially ChatGPT, researchers have begun to examine their capabilities, credibility, and reliability in educational context. In this study, ChatGPT and Google Gemini are used as technological tools to create 7th-grade lesson plans for mathematics, science, literature, and social studies classes. Using…

As digital games become more integrated into education, striking a balance between technology and pedagogy is essential. This study investigates digital games as contexts for problem-based learning (PBL) to actively involve students in problem-solving in a Korean middle school. This study examined two cases (Social Studies and Science) where…

This study examined the initial efficacy of World Generation (WorldGen), a Tier I social studies instructional approach for emergent bilingual (EB) students and their native English-speaking (non-EB) peers in Grades 6 and 7. WorldGen builds on prior research on instructional practices that have been associated with improved content knowledge and…

This study examined the initial efficacy of World Generation (WorldGen), a Tier I social studies instructional approach for emergent bilingual (EB) students and their native English-speaking (non-EB) peers in Grades 6 and 7. WorldGen builds on prior research on instructional practices that have been associated with improved content knowledge and…

Access to core subject-area curriculum for students from immigrant backgrounds who are learning the dominant language of instruction has long been a barrier to equitable education around the world, especially in secondary schools. This article explores the promise of Complex Instruction (CI) to address barriers to access for such multilingual…

According to the authors, we live in a society that is deeply influenced by technology, and social studies classrooms are ideal places for students to conduct inquiries into timely and relevant technological issues. In this article, the authors describe an approach that can be used across many situations to teach students to think critically about…