While research exists on teacher self-efficacy beliefs, limited research is documented on the level of self-efficacy beliefs among Social Studies teachers, and much less in the senior high schools in the Central Region of Ghana. In view of this lacuna in the literature, this study investigated the level of self-efficacy beliefs among Social…

Understanding the photosynthesis concepts is challenging due to its abstract nature, often leading to student misconceptions. This study aims to identify and analyze misconceptions among science and social studies students using the image analysis method. A total of 78 students (32 science, 46 social studies) participated, selected through a…

Primary Objective: This study examines student reaction to a unit of instruction teaching war through a more critical lens focusing on anti-war movements and how student sense of civic agency was impacted. Research Design: A design study that centered student voice on activism and experiences of a unit of instruction of the USA at war. Design…

Purpose: In 2017, the Government of Québec made a high school financial education course compulsory. Anchored in the social studies, it tackles themes like consumer rights, savings, and employment. This paper strives to understand the types of citizenship education they promote. Design/methodology/approach: Our research is based on a content…

The discourse of economic literacy has influenced high school economics instruction for decades. Using Foucauldian genealogy, this study examined the events and circumstances which allowed that discourse to emerge. By mapping the relationships in the discourse through the economic literacy, it is possible to examine the mechanisms and rules which…

This study investigated high school social studies teachers' perceptions of Robert Stahl's decision-making materials within their content area and the relevance of curricular implementation. The primary questions addressed in this study focused on high school social studies teachers' perception of current instructional practices, inquiry-based…

Background: Over the past several decades, understandings of civic knowledge and engagement have been enlarged in productive ways; the field has been transformed by contributions rooted in and showcasing critical, cultural, transnational, activist, and participatory approaches to the civic. Civic action research fits neatly amid these new…

In this comparative case study, the purpose was to describe how teacher language works during political lessons in order to understand it in one case and compare it to cases in different contexts. Three Macomb County, Michigan teachers were interviewed about their planning and then observed teaching a civics lesson to high school students. In…

This study utilizes the term "teacher as stranger-teacher as public citizen" from Greene's Teacher as Stranger to explore how teachers develop students' civic engagement in Taiwan. Using a case study design, this study documents how six social studies teachers make curricular decisions about whether to develop/advocate for students'…

This qualitative, phenomenological study examined the experiences of public high school social studies teachers in 11 U.S. states in teaching democratic principles in their classes since the 2016 presidential election. The study utilized semi-structured interview questions and inductive analysis to assess teacher experiences, including instances…

Secondary social studies education in Missouri has played a crucial role in shaping students' cultural awareness, values, social identities, and civic engagement. Missouri's public high schools have been vital in preserving and disseminating culture, holding significance for a democratic society. This study surveys the historical development of…

Purpose: The aim of this article is to contribute new knowledge about critical thinking in social studies and conspiracy beliefs in Norwegian schools. We explore Norwegian high school pupils' self-reported learning about critical thinking in social studies and their attitudes toward conspiracy theories. Design/methodology/approach: The survey…

In this Research and Practice article, the author explores the scholarship on women and the social studies published in the last decade and what can be learned from it in order to move forward with teaching students about women in history, government, and the other social sciences. In an effort to compile research recommendations most relevant for…

Despite psychology's position within the National Council for the Social Studies' definition of social studies, the American Psychological Association is advocating the rebranding of psychology as a science course. This study interviews six high school psychology teachers and employs a Foucauldian framework to understand different perspectives on…

In Georgia, the recent "Protect Students First Act," or GA HB 1084, states that curricula and training programs should refrain from judging others based on race or advocate for divisive concepts such as "One race is inherently superior to another race," or that "the United States of America is fundamentally racist."…