The study aimed to evaluate what the underlying reasons were for the low level of interest among lower secondary school pupils in the social studies course. The phenomenology was adopted in the research. The study group of the research consisted of academics, teachers, and parents of lower secondary school pupils. Pareto analysis was used to…

Developing civic competence among learners is the business of any social studies teacher. The overall success of any social studies teaching depends, in great measure, on the ability of teachers to approach controversial public issues (CPI) in the spirit of critical inquiry. However, previous studies suggest that the teaching of CPI is affected by…

Effective social studies education involves inquiry into and discussions of controversial social and political issues and difficult topics. In the current polarized political climate, exemplified by the emergence of divisive concepts legislation, the ability of social justice-oriented social studies teachers to provide highly effective instruction…

As democracies have deteriorated worldwide, understanding preservice teachers' perceptions regarding teaching about the 2020 US presidential election helps teacher educators better guide them to make informed and intentional pedagogical decisions for democratic education. Through a survey study, we found that early childhood and elementary…

The aim of this study is to reveal the literacy levels and metaphors of Social Studies teacher candidates regarding the concepts of war and peace taught in secondary school. The research may be important in terms of revealing how Social Studies teacher candidates interpret the concepts of war and peace and how they perceive these concepts…

Racism remains endemic and pervasive throughout the United States, its institutions, structures, and systems. And yet, efforts to build racial literacy have been widely absent in K-12 educational institutions. Research exploring the racial pedagogical decision making of teachers is essential for disrupting systemic educational inequalities brought…

Purpose: The aim of the article is to contribute to an overall discussion of how civic education may influence the political efficacy of adolescents, with specific emphasis on social equalisation. We analyse how the inclusion of controversial issues in civic education may contribute towards increased social equalisation in political efficacy.…

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of argumentative writing in teaching controversial issues in Social Studies education. We employed the convergent design as a mixed-methods approach. The sample consisted of 49 prospective social studies teachers. Data were collected through an attitude scale towards controversial issues,…

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking as it commonly referred, has seen tremendous growth in Ohio over the last 10 years. However, this growth comes at a price which makes fracking a current event which is also a controversial environmental issue. Recent work by young activist like Greta Thunberg and others have highlighted a sincere interest from…

This paper examines data from a statewide survey of K-12 social studies teachers in one midwestern state regarding their perceptions on the ways in which they integrate issues of race and justice into their classes, or their reasons for not doing so in their role as Instructional Gatekeeper.

The main purpose of this study is to examine the epistemological beliefs and informal reasoning of science and social studies teachers about COVID-19, which is a controversial socioscientific issue. Qualitative research, specifically phenomenological design, was used in the study. During the data collection process, teachers' epistemological…

In December 2021, Texas lawmakers passed a bill related to the national debate and politicization of critical race theory (CRT). Texas Senate Bill 3 seemingly limits the teaching of "sensitive" topics. These perceived limitations may present challenges for social studies teachers in the state. This study examines the knowledge and…

This research examines the impact of social studies teachers' personal practical knowledge on their roles as gatekeepers to controversial topics in the classroom. The findings indicate that the context of the school and community directly impact the teachers' decision-making process. Furthermore, the teachers perceived the content area standards…

In this study, it was aimed to perform an in-depth examination of the opinions of social studies teachers on how citizenship education should be given. Phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. The study group of the research was formed with 17 social studies teachers working in different regions of…

Purpose: This study seeks to gain an understanding of the complexities involved in real-life classroom teaching. The aim is to trace values and tensions displayed in what the teachers regard as successful and unsuccessful. Design/methodology/approach: Teachers were interviewed to explore their perceptions of success and failures in their teaching…