The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which teachers received the education or training that prepared them to teach social studies content knowledge, social studies critical thinking skills, and their overall preparation to become highly qualified teachers. The participants in the study were active social studies teachers in Tennessee with less than 10 years of teaching experience. The study explored the effectiveness of social studies preservice programs in Tennessee by (a) examining the difference in teacher value-added scores across various social studies teacher programs and (b) investigating novice teachers' opinions on whether they were effectively prepared to teach social studies in the classroom. The study employed a sequential mixed methods design. The quantitative data were used to analyze participants' level of effectiveness scores across teacher preparation programs. For the qualitative data, participants then completed a modified version of the TALIS Teacher Questionnaire (2018) related to their preservice education experience. The findings indicated that traditional teacher preparation programs better prepare teachers for the classroom. However, traditionally trained teachers did not feel more prepared for the classroom indicating a need for more teacher self-efficacy training. Implications for research included evaluating preservice education courses to explore which aspects of preservice programs prepared social studies teachers for the classroom and what skills and courses best prepared them. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]