Various types of visuals are included in social studies textbooks such as pictures, illustrations, maps, and photographs as they are considered powerful learning aids. Therefore, it is important to investigate how visuals in social studies textbooks are perceived by the students. Thus, the first purpose of this paper is to discuss how students…

This study explored teachers' perceptions of their experiences participating in self-directed learning (Knowles, 1970, 1975). The teacher participants (n = 127) were guided through a self-directed learning framework for professional learning and reflected on their experiences. Findings indicate teachers reporting increased autonomy and…

Curriculum materials are not a fixed object; they are an active partner in a teacher's practice. Teachers and curriculum materials interact in a participatory relationship where both the characteristics of the teacher and the characteristics of the curriculum material affect the instruction. Teachers interpret and tailor these materials to create…

Units Coordination and Covariational Reasoning are powerful frameworks for modeling students' mathematics in arithmetic reasoning and construction of relationships between changing quantities, respectively. This case study of an advanced stage 2, 8th-grade algebra student, Daniel, investigated connections between his units coordination and…

The development of technology enables diverse learning experiences nowadays, which shows the importance of learners' self-regulated skills at the same time. Particularly, the ability to allocate time properly becomes an issue for learners since time is a resource owned by all of them. However, they tend to struggle to manage their time well due to…

Drawing inspiration from Parker Palmer and John Dewey, this essay explores the author's journey of learning to connect with his ninth-grade students in a summer study skills class. Using the metaphor of an "undercarriage," the author reflects on how he strengthened his capacity to endure classroom challenges. Through experimentation with…

We tested whether a brief self-affirmation writing intervention protected against identity-threats (i.e., stereotyping and discrimination) for adolescents' school-related adjustment. The longitudinal study followed 639 adolescents in Germany (65% of immigrant descent, 50% female, M[subscript age] = 12.35 years, SD[subscript age] = 0.69) from 7th…

The aim of this research is to determine the opinions of Social Studies teachers about teaching students the skills in the curriculum. Obtaining the opinions of Social Studies teachers regarding the acquisition of the skills in the program will contribute to the improvement of the infrastructure and practices of the skills that are difficult to…

This study used a natural experiment design to examine the impact of ethnic studies courses on students' ethnic-racial identity (ERI) development, multicultural attitudes, and civic engagement during the 2021-2022 school year in Minneapolis, MN (N = 535; 33.5% White, 29.5% Black, 21.1% Latine, 10.7% multi-racial; 44.7% female, 7.1% non-binary).…

Developing both conceptual and procedural knowledge is important for students' mathematics competence. This study examined whether U.S. Grade 9 general education mathematics teachers' self-reported use of concept-focused instruction (CFI) and procedure-focused instruction (PFI) were associated differently with ninth graders' algebra achievement…

In countries from which enslaved Africans were forcibly taken to the new world, critical discussion of the Transatlantic Slave Trade (TST) and its Diaspora remains elusive, especially in educational spaces. Ghana is one such country that is deeply connected to the TST and yet struggles to engage it in the social studies syllabus. This article…

In this study, we aimed to understand the role of place in how young people come to understand civic life. We implemented and studied an action civics curriculum at two sites to explore the connections between place and youth civic identity. We found that (1) place informs students' conceptualizations of community responsibility and collective…

Temporary school lockdowns and physical distancing practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to the risk of problematic social media use (PSU) in students who need to socialize. The effect of PSU on students' academic commitment and the mechanisms that moderate this effect spark interest in researchers. For this reason, the present study…

Self-direction has become an important skill in the 21st century. To cultivate learners with a high level of self-direction, it is necessary to diagnose their self-directed learning (SDL) ability. This study diagnosed and predicted learners' SDL ability based on their actual SDL behaviours. The study was performed in a self-directed 3D design…

The study of history as part of the social studies curriculum is an important component of K-12 education. Yet, past research suggests that students perceive history as less important than other subjects (Brophy et al., 1992; Schug et al., 1984), find it boring and without purpose (Zhao & Hoge, 2005), and are unable to articulate why they…