This study uses interview and survey methods to describe the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme's (DP) development of students' "academic civic mindedness" and "model citizenship" at four public schools in California. Results indicate that the DP pedagogy enables students to develop many of the skills that are…

As the development of active, democratic citizens has become, arguably, the primary purpose of social studies education, the model of instruction in citizenship education varies significantly. Although current models of citizenship education typically foster a sense of societal conformity and law-obeyance to the exclusion of social change, this…

To prepare students for participation in a pluralistic, democratic society, history curriculum should help them develop mature ideas about why multiple accounts of the same events exist. But how can we know if we are successful? In this article, we describe work on the design, validation, and piloting of a paper-and-pencil instrument called the…

Despite 9/11, the seemingly endless Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons capabilities, and the Arab Spring and its aftermath, the social studies curricula of high schools throughout the nation generally put little emphasis on the Middle East and Islam as the foundation for understanding vital issues that…

Results of a survey of social studies methods professors regarding educational practices are presented. Questions were asked regarding class size, program interrelationships (position of the course in relation to the sequence in education offerings), course content, teaching methods, instructional materials, and how the methods instructors viewed…

A survey administered to fifth and sixth graders revealed that students do not find the content encountered in social studies objectionable. However, 67 percent of the students offered negative comments concerning how social studies is taught. Thirteen percent indicated there was nothing about social studies they did not like. (RM)

Presents results of a survey of high school seniors exploring what instructional activities they preferred as a means of learning citizenship education. Explains that the eight citizenship education activities used were derived from eight citizenship teaching approaches. Reports that students preferred activities based on current events,…