This study investigates the social studies teaching practices of sixty-seven elementary teachers who are part of an alternative master's degree program in New York City. The respondents' program emphasizes constructivist and inquiry based teaching practices in its social studies methods courses. The findings are from an exit survey that was completed at the end of coursework. The study finds that the teachers use constructivist teaching practices in social studies more than teacher directed instruction. The teachers with undergraduate majors in the social sciences use these practices even more than the total group of respondents. However, the results when focusing on teachers with academic undergraduate majors in the disciplines of social studies which include history, economics and political science show a preference for mixed method instruction which includes some direct teacher instruction as well as constructivist student inquiry. (Contains 9 tables.)