Our work is within the context of the ubiquitous discussion about adopting mobile devices to offer school-age students new learner-centric learning opportunities. Leveraging location-based context-aware mobile technology, based on the theoretical foundation of constructivist learning, we have developed "EduVenture," an integrated mobile…

The spatial thinking skills and attitudes of geography majors were compared with those of future teachers majoring in elementary education and secondary social studies education. Scores were obtained for each group on two measures: the spatial skills test and the attitude toward spatial thinking inventory. Mean differences were examined based on…

This study explores the experiences of 34 US social studies teachers who participated in a cross-cultural professional development in South Korea, and the impact of the programme on the participant teachers' perceptions and practices of global education. Drawing upon a postcolonial lens, this mixed-method study takes a critical look at (a) how…

This study examined the 4th-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessments (history, geography, and civics) and 3rd- and 4th-grade social studies standards from nine randomly selected states and organized the content around three global concepts (conflict, movement, discovery) and six specific concepts (war, rebellion,…

This article advances a continuing line of inquiry into an innovative teacher-support program intended to help in-service history teachers develop professional teaching knowledge for inquiry-based history instruction. Two prior iterations informed our design and use of professional development materials; they also informed the implementation…

This action research case study evaluates the effectiveness of using "flipped" instruction in a secondary social studies classroom. The researchers used mixed methods data to determine if flipping the instruction in a social studies class through the use of screencasting increased student learning as measured by pre- and post-unit…

The protests against the Budget Repair Bill in Wisconsin during the spring of 2011 provide a powerful moment in which to examine social studies teachers' curricular, pedagogic, and personal political decisions in the context of a local, controversial current event. We engaged 7 middle and high school social studies teachers from small and large,…

This study, comparing the academic achievement levels of the students with different primary school entrance age, is in survey model. 60 students, at the second grade of a primary school centrally located in Tokat province in the year the study was conducted and were 60-66 and 73-84 months old when entered the primary school, were selected with…

This study reports vocabulary and reading comprehension instructional practices implemented in middle and high school social studies and language arts classrooms. It also describes text reading practices. We conducted 137 observations of 11 social studies and 9 language arts teachers over the course of 1 academic year. We observed instructional…

In today's globally connected world, it is essential for students to have an understanding of multiple cultures and perspectives. In this edited collection, Kathy Short, Deanna Day, and Jean Schroeder bring together fourteen educators who use global children's literature to help students explore their own cultural identities. The book lays out why…

A central argument for school choice is that families value the freedom to exercise choice and can make wise decisions. This principle may underlie why lottery-based school evaluations, which exploit over-subscription due to excess demand, have almost always reported positive or zero achievement effects. This paper reports on a striking empirical…

Great teaching is not just a matter of talent or creativity or passion. Teachers are made, not born, and great teachers know "why" they do what they do in their classrooms. They do it strategically and purposefully based on technique. "Teach on Purpose!" demonstrates a high-quality research-based and practical approach to…

In this interpretative case study, the researchers examined the beliefs and practices of 10 self-identifying race-conscious social studies teachers. Using critical race theory as the lens, the results showed that most of the teachers made race explicit in their classrooms, included race in units not typically considered race-related, and focused…

The purpose of this study is to assess the performances of social studies teacher candidates in using WebQuest applications in Human Rights, Democracy and Citizenship Education. WebQuests are tools that are used to create constructivist learning environments for students by using web resources. WebQuests allow students to do internet research…

The author shares information related to integrating quality literature written for children into the teaching of social studies at the elementary school level. Research within the past decade informs educators of the strong impact of curriculum standards for the social studies as developed by professional organizations. Teachers today are…