Many elementary and middle school students are confronted by media messages constantly. They receive messages not only from family and friends, but from television and social media outlets. The media messages about current events are often politically biased, polarized in nature, and potentially inaccurate, especially on social media platforms.…

This paper examines the ways that political contexts affect the perceptions and practices of social studies preservice teachers (SSPSTs) being prepared in a conservative "Red State" compared to those being prepared in a liberal "Blue State." The researchers analyzed how controversial the SSPSTs in each context considered the…

This article recounts three studies that portray an evolution from research examining the effects of researcher-designed instructional interventions to research examining the impact of helping teachers to design their own instructional interventions. Study 1 investigated the effects of an instructional treatment designed by the research team on…

Arguing on the computer was used as a method to promote development of face-to-face argumentation skills in middle schoolers. In the study presented, sixth graders engaged in electronic dialogues with peers on a controversial topic and in some reflective activities based on transcriptions of the dialogues. Although participants initially exhibited…

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…

Despite public support for personal finance instruction in high school, its effectiveness has not been firmly established. The current study investigates instructional approaches as a reason for these inconsistent outcomes by comparing survey responses of business education, family and consumer sciences, and social studies/economics teachers. The…

A 1973 survey of middle, junior, and senior high schools in Connecticut indicated that more schools teach geography now than they did in 1968; more geography courses are required now; no major curriculum changes have occurred since 1968; geography courses are oriented toward social studies; and geography is strongest in junior high schools.…

Discusses why world history instruction is flourishing in higher education. Describes the new Advanced Placement (AP) world history course and states that the course is comparable to college-level world history courses. Considers to which college world history course the AP course is most comparable. (CMK)

This examination of the treatment given to peace and security issues in American social studies textbooks begins by summarizing the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Curriculum Guidelines and a 1983 study of high school social studies topic priorities. Following a review of past textbook studies and a brief discussion of textbook…

The purpose of this paper is to explore face-to-face discussions and electronic threaded discussions. Forty high school students engaged in both face-to-face and threaded discussions during a world history course. Their comments and interactions were analyzed, and they revealed that both types of discussion hold promise for helping students…

The implications of six national reports for social studies are examined. These implications are compared with past and present practices in the social studies and the ways in which the reports fail to give useful guidance to teachers are noted. An introductory chapter presents a broad overview of the six reports: "The Paideia Proposal: An…

In 1983, elementary and secondary teachers in West Germany were surveyed concerning the treatment of social themes in school curricula. As in a similar survey conducted in the United States, West German respondents indicated that every theme surveyed was important, with nuclear disarmament and environmental pollution clearly considered the most…

Results of a survey are presented concerning the status of social studies methods courses at undergraduate institutions in Arkansas. There are 16 colleges which provide teaching certificates at the secondary level in Arkansas; all include the social studies as one of their certification areas. All 16 responded to the author's questionnaire. It was…

Discusses research into high school economics teachers' attitudes about U.S.-Japan trade policy and teaching about Japan. Compares teachers' and general public's responses to Harris poll on U.S.-Japan trade relations. Reports that, although 91 percent of teachers believe they should teach about Japan, only 53 percent spend 2-5 class periods on…

Focusing on the human element through a cross-cultural comparison of U.S. and Japanese modes of production, this resource guide features an assessment of the major factors that affect productivity performance. Each section contains a goal statement and an overview outline of the featured topics. The text includes primary sources, such as documents…