Despite the increasing emphasis on social studies in Early Childhood Education, there has been a serious paucity of empirical studies on how culturally and linguistically diverse children develop their emergent understanding on their identities and citizenships in different racial and cultural surroundings. The main purpose of this article is to…

The United States has a lengthy history of welcoming immigrants from throughout the world and ultimately naturalizing and conferring citizenship to them. Yet, a number of indigenous and people of color never consented to citizenship and many still do not wish to have it. This article explores the role of citizenship as a tool to not only…

This study examines world history teachers' attitudes regarding teaching U.S. presidential elections. During interviews with nine teachers, participants emphasized that the competing demands of their classrooms negatively influenced their willingness to teach about the U.S. presidential elections generally, and the 2016 Election specifically. The…

While all citizens are increasingly concerned with climate change and its associated effects, youth show particular interest and activism around the topic. Legislators and activists have recently championed a Green New Deal as offering goals for how the issue might be addressed in the United States and other countries. In this article, we offer an…

This article explores the racial prerequisite cases, which were dubious court decisions that attempted to rationalize pseudo-"scientific evidence" and "common knowledge" as reasons for who could and could not be considered for, and who was ultimately denied, U.S. citizenship. These cases are historical antecedents of the…

The accelerated ownership and usage of smartphones and social media presents multiple issues for educators. There is a relationship between smartphones and (a) academic achievement, (b) engagement, and (c) mental health. The purpose of this literature review is to investigate the impact of smartphones and social media on students and how…

This article addresses the problem of how to best design authentic writing assessments in history that support learners in demonstrating the types of higher order thinking skills needed for effective citizenship. Recent research has primarily focused on curriculum interventions intended to build disciplinary literacies through various types of…

To assist teachers in fostering students' global citizenship dispositions through service experiences, this article reports findings from a case study that investigated one high school's global service club and its impact on former club members' global awareness and global citizenship dispositions. Data were collected from Web-based documents and…

In our complex, interdependent world, it is critical that educators prepare students for global citizenship. One way to develop students' awareness and understanding of the world is through global literature. Through exposure to this type of literature, students gain multiple perspectives and learn about the social, political, and moral conditions…

Cooperative learning has long been at the disposal of school teachers. However, it is often misunderstood by some teachers as just another form of collaborative group work. This article revisits cooperative learning, including a sampling of its popular variations, with practical approaches toward effectively integrating it into classroom…

In light of the common mission of social studies education to prepare future democratic citizens, the field continues to be rooted in didactic and monologic practices. Finding an alibi in the current accountability movement that favors teaching about democracy instead of teaching through democracy, many social studies teachers have reneged on…

This article focuses on high school students' knowledge and notions of citizenship after taking the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Naturalization Test. The students' test results and responses show emerging support for the need to make changes to the test as well as the students' limited conceptions of citizenship. In…

In honor of the 100th anniversary of "The Social Studies," the journal is reprinting this article, originally published in Vol. 55, No. 6 (November 1964). In this essay, Shermis explains that, while prior to 1914 the social studies did not exist, the field had come into existence within five years after World War I ended. The war, subsequent…

This article tells the story of a classroom teacher's journey with her elementary students as they attempt to understand and define citizenship. The narrative highlights the process of using an emergent curriculum, creating a democratic classroom, and facilitating an active citizenship project led by students. The authors provide steps to help…

The Navajo Nation, comprising the largest land area allocated mainly to a Native American jurisdiction in the United States, offers a unique opportunity to enhance students' understandings of citizenship rights and sovereignty. For example, what does sovereignty mean on the reservation? What is the relationship between the Navajo Nation and the…