Although inquiry-based instruction has been a centerpiece of progressive visions of social studies education almost since its inception as a school subject a century ago, teachers often struggle to conceptualize it in ways that make true inquiry possible for their students. In this essay I suggest that social educators strengthen their connection…

Drawing on a critical conceptualisation of human rights education (HRE), this study investigates how human rights were presented in a set of textbooks which were used in Turkey from 1950 to 2020. Findings show that the textbooks avoid human rights issues, struggles, campaigns, and activists by sustaining a de-politicised and de-contextualised…

The integrated status of Social Studies in the Norwegian "Curriculum for Knowledge Promotion in Primary and Secondary Education and Training 2020" reflects an international educational trend pertaining to a movement from knowledge and traditional disciplinary thinking to generic skills, competence and boundary crossing. This article…

In this article, we analyze the problematization of immigration in citizenship education in Chile. Drawing on Foucault's genealogy of problematizations, we explore the conditions under which curricular discourses about immigration shifted from a historical phenomenon that emphasized "the civilization process" during the 19th century to a…

The primary purpose of education is preparation for life. But what kind of life, and life for whom? Within the social studies, emphasis has long been placed on preparation for civic life in diverse and democratic societies within an interconnected world. This remains essential. There is an ongoing need for people who are willing and able to…

Built as a national effort to promote excellence in history and civics for all learners, Educating for American Democracy (EAD) brought together content experts, civic education organizations, and school district leaders to identify and outline disciplinary concepts that are essential for robust civic education. The EAD steering committee sought…

Social studies educators have long advocated using history and the social sciences for the development of citizens. However, vigorous debate continues over what kinds of citizens are needed and who should decide. Where does this leave us as social studies teachers and scholars? And where does it leave our students? In this paper, I argue that…

While updating standards is done from time to time to reflect a changing world, content within them is ripe for ideological contestation as it reflects the official curriculum that schools follow; in the case of Social Studies education, standards hold the potential to impact students' understandings of civics and citizenship. Ambiguity…

In this article, the author shares a personal reflection of his military and educational experiences in the aftermath of 9/11. He describes his concerns about the ongoing "War on Terror" and the "disengaged militarism" of the United States and how this has shaped his approach in the classroom. Expanding on his personal…

Purpose: This article aims at elaboration of a relevant framework for European identity and citizenship. On this basis, comparative studies like ICSS, Estonian curricula, civic syllabuses and textbooks will be critically reviewed. Methods: The framework relies on former studies on democracy and education. The work also draws on normative materials…

This article explores representations of problems regarding citizenship in changes to the syllabi of social studies and history in Swedish secondary schools between 1970 and 2017. Previous research has shown that the general educational discourse changed from an emphasis on the societal needs of committed citizens to an emphasis on the…

This article posits that the comic medium, wedded with traditional essay assignments, may be a powerful tool for social studies teachers, those who prepare social studies teachers at the collegiate level and other teachers and professors who desire to teach about citizenship in an era of "fake news" and alternative facts.

Many educational studies reference ideology, imaginary, and myth constructs represented in programs of study, textbooks, and school rituals. In the fields of history, civic, and social studies education, for example, many scholars frequently employ these terms to examine mythic groundings of particular nationalisms entwined with the ways in which…

Social studies have been marginalized in early childhood education amid the prevalence of standardized testing and political issues. However, a comprehensive approach to early education, including social studies, is gaining attention. This article emphasizes the significance of incorporating social studies into early childhood curriculum,…

Social studies is a subject discipline which has had significant dispute over a range of areas. There is much variation in how social studies is conceptualised, in terms of both terminology and definition, as well as in what subject content it is considered to encompass and how it is structured and organised. This article examines the various ways…