There is growing international concern about the lack of civic engagement among the youth in many nations. These concerns have sparked renewed interest in the quantity and quality of civic education in public schools in the United States. The objective of this study is to determine if the concerns about civic education are about the sufficiency of…

Because most countries in the western hemisphere have rejected authoritarian governments and economic policies for more democratic governments and freer economies, schools have a responsibility to help maintain democracy by teaching their students to take an active role in deciding both their political and economic futures. Healthy democracies…

The paper analyzes the multifaceted nature of current citizenship education programs and suggests a model which would reconcile the differences between conflicting program approaches. One problem of citizenship education is lack of consensus on its goals and content. Some programs emphasize socialization to established rules of social and…

This study explored democratic learning environments at one research university. The focus was on the qualitative outcomes of a study of one-unit reading and discussion seminars created in response to the events of September 11, 2001. Faculty members created 49 seminars, each of which limited enrollment to 15 students. The findings suggest that…

This paper describes some aspects of the transition taking place in Czech educational efforts since the "Velvet Revolution" of 1989, particularly changes in the teaching of civic education in the schools. The paper takes the position that governments find it important to mold new generations in areas of civic responsibility, whatever the…

This case study describes the development of elementary social studies methods courses appropriate for two new alternative Michigan State University teacher education programs entitled "Learning Community" and "Multiple Perspectives." The "Learning Community" program prepares teachers to teach school subjects effectively while focusing upon the…

This study focuses on how U.S. history teachers utilize secondary U.S. history textbooks. The report addresses the questions of: (1) "How do teachers utilize previously studied textbooks in classroom situations?"; (2) "How do teachers deal with the technical knowledge of textbooks?"; (3) "What are possible factors that influence textbook usage?";…

This paper addresses three questions: (1) What key citizenship characteristics are essential for today's highly diverse, complex classrooms? (2) What should be the content of a course that would teach these traits? and (3) What pedagogical strategies could be employed to enhance the delivery of that content and to measure for the desired results?…

Life goals of current college freshmen that are important in planning college programs are considered in this keynote address. Based on results of Carnegie Foundation Student Surveys, information is presented for 1969, 1975, and 1985 on students' optimism/pessimism about college and the future, views about job chances and money, objectives for…

This paper focuses on the current trends and issues in social studies education based on the literature that passes through the ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education (Indiana). Four trends pertaining to teaching content in history, geography, civics, and science in society have emerged from a review of the literature.…

Features of an effective citizenship program for primary grade children are discussed. The primary school years are an ideal time to nurture the basic skills and values so important for constructive social decision making. The principal feature of an effective citizenship learning program for young children is an activist, child-centered…

Designed for use in a one-semester seventh-grade Ohio social studies class, this curriculum guide is divided into teaching, testing, and activity units. The primary purposes of this guide are to teach participatory citizenship and to emphasize self-learning. Twelve broad instructional objectives include the ability to: (1) interpret Article I of…

"Critical thinking" has been defined as reasonable, reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do. Since the social sciences require practitioners to ask relevant questions, develop appropriate evaluation criteria, generalize from observed facts, conceptualize hypotheses, and make judgements, critical thinking skills should…

In 1994 the Center for Civic Education published "National Standards for Civics and Government," content standards clearly defining what students should know and be able to do as the outcome of civic education in school. This standards project has been an attempt to standardize the best in civic education and to make the Standards…