Academic vocabulary networks were examined in 3 elementary grades textbook programs (first through fifth grade) in 3 domains--science, mathematics, and social studies. Within each program, a given network consisted of a focal domain-specific academic word and the collection of words from all grades that overlapped in meaning with the focal word.…

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to give a survey of the status of Social Studies in the Danish educational system. To deepen the survey the article also will contain some reflections of the contents and didactics of the subject. Design and approach: The analysis of the contents and didactics will focus on the description of the curriculum…

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…

When the standards reform movement was introduced, researchers postulated the dual methods of rigorous standards and assessment to measure performance on those standards. Through the early part of the 21st century, the standards corpus has grown, and so too have the accompanying testing regimes (Delandshere and Arens, 2001). However, in…

Because social studies educators are expected to incorporate literacy into their instruction, it is important to consider how prospective teachers interact with literacy frameworks as they engage with social studies content. This qualitative case study examines two pre-service social studies teachers enrolled in a teacher preparation course at a…

While immigrant students, who live in Turkey, have their own values at home, they encounter Turkish culture and values at school and in their social life. This situation brings along certain tensions in identity formation processes. Citizenship education aims to prepare students for social life by providing them with the necessary knowledge and…

Social studies is by virtue opaque, unwieldly, and rarely neutral. It challenges convention and conventional thought and action. Embedding controversy into social studies instruction allows students to think deeply, critically, and passionately. Yet controversy is fraught with philosophical and pedagogical hurdles that often limit its use. Thus,…

This study investigated the extent to which digital literacy and media literacy among the 21st century skills are included in the social studies curriculum of the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th grades in Turkey. Among qualitative research methods, the document analysis was used in the study. Since the data were collected from printed and digital materials,…

In this historical study, the author traces the contents of classroom materials and methods textbooks published between 1916 and 1966 that endorsed the discussion and deliberation of social issues to demonstrate how these materials consistently evaded racial justice as a social issue. As a result, the materials designed to inspire classroom…

Social studies is an important course to include current issues and associate them with life. Within the course, the concept of gender and supporting the entrepreneurship of individuals are noteworthy. Since it is an interdisciplinary course, the recognition of gender roles, and understanding correctly and developing the concept of…

We examined LGBTQ inclusion in state social studies standards. Our content analysis revealed widespread exclusion as shown in the frequencies of the words "lesbian," "gay," "bisexual," and "transgender." We discussed the implications of this exclusion for LGBTQ students, as well as all students. We…

The aim of this study is to determine the opinions of pre-service classroom teachers about academic controversy, from the cooperative learning methods, implemented in social studies teaching course. Using the action research pattern from the qualitative research approaches, the study group for the research comprised 42 preservice teachers in third…

This study works to answer the question: How are pre-service social studies teachers conceptualizing the difficult knowledge of climate change during a pedagogical encounter related to impending and unfolding climate catastrophe? Drawing on small group discussion and using critical discourse analysis, the author theorizes moments of hope, agency,…

This qualitative instrumental multiple case study explores the beliefs of high school students', parents' and social studies teachers' to better understand their perspectives surrounding the integration of controversial and sensitive photographic images into the high school social studies curriculum. Previous studies have highlighted the benefit…

This article addresses the importance of teaching controversial issues, especially within elementary school contexts. In particular, the article explores the underlying elements of justice within controversies and demonstrates the way in which teachers might explore procedural justice within an elementary classroom.