Historical simulations are often criticized for being superficial, reinforcing negative stereotypes, and skewing students' view of history. Simulation critics argue if inexperienced teachers implement simulations, they may adversely influence students' psychological development, especially if students take roles as perpetrators or victims.…

The purpose of this study was to compare two middle schools in one school district in south Texas to determine if presence or absence of instructional coaches has an effect on student achievement. The research design was a quantitative pre experimental study: a nonequivalent (posttest only) control group design in which the experimental group and…

The aim of this study is to evaluate project studies in the 6th and 7th grades social studies courses of secondary schools according to opinions of students. This study is a descriptive research in the survey model. The sample is 880 students selected from 6th and 7th grades of 22 secondary schools randomly in central province of Kastamonu. As a…

This study aims at identifying the values function, its relationship with sustainable development, and the extent of taking in to consideration the national education book for Jordanian tenth graders in the years 2004-2010. This study will attempt to answer the following questions: what is the values function that should be followed in the social…

Inquiry-based and interdisciplinary teaching practices exemplify constructivist approaches to education capable of facilitating authentic student learning; however, their implementation has proven particularly challenging within certain contexts in the United States. This qualitative study considers one such context via an investigation of…

This paper reports on a design experiment of web-based curriculum materials explicitly created to help social studies teachers develop their professional teaching knowledge. Web-based social studies curriculum reform efforts, human-centered interface design, and investigations into educative curriculum materials are reviewed, as well as…

This article describes Bill Ferriter's efforts to incorporate cause-driven learning into his 6th-grade grade language arts and social studies classroom starting with Kiva (http://www.kiva.org), a microlending website that pairs interested lenders in the developed world with people in the developing world who are working to improve the quality…

The goal of this study is to investigate the mapping skills of pre-service teachers as regards to various parameters. The study was carried out using the survey method. The data collection tool employed in the study was the achievement test developed by Koc (2008). The study was carried out on 199 pre-service teachers studying in social studies,…

By considering ethics and morals from a vantage point in which personal and political beliefs become part of our national debate, students could form the habit of political discussion in much the same way that representatives of social and political groups prepare and respond on a daily basis to an ever inquiring media. I will explore several…

This article tells the story of one second grade teacher and the ways she integrated informational texts into her classroom. Reported by the classroom teacher and a researcher who studied her practice for a year, the manuscripts detail the ways Michelle (the classroom teacher) embedded informational texts in her classroom primarily within the…

Purpose: Black history as represented in social studies textbooks often lacks depth demanded by historians and authenticity required for cultural relevance to African American students. However, important Black historical narratives sometimes contain difficult prose and refer to times or circumstances that are far removed from students' life…

Today, globalization has increased cross-border migration in many countries. The public school classroom in the United States has been getting more diverse, linguistically, culturally, racially, and ethnically. Classrooms in South Korea are also becoming linguistically, culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse because of the fast growth of…

In early elementary school in most English-speaking countries children are taught "patterning," which involves learning repetitive patterns of colors or shapes (e.g., red, blue, green, red, blue, green). The present study was designed to test the effectiveness of patterning instruction when compared to equal amounts of instruction in…

This research explored the decisions and practices of two elementary student teachers as they taught the social studies in their elementary classroom placements. The need for this investigation was underscored by the state of the social studies in the elementary classroom and the necessity of understanding the factors that impacted the student…

Despite its importance as the event establishing that the 20th century would be known as "the age of genocide," the destruction of the Armenians that occurred between the mid-1890s and 1923 is given marginal coverage in contemporary U. S. high school history textbooks. This article critiques that coverage and identifies the overall flow…