Pre-service Social Studies Research Articles

EXAMINATION OF SAMPLE COURSE DESIGN STUDIES PERFORMED BY PRE-SERVICE SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS BY USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

The aim of this study is to examine the sample course design studies performed by pre-service social studies teachers by using digital technologies and to describe the opinions of pre-service teachers about this process. Design-based Research Model was used in the study. The study was conducted with 30 pre-service social studies teachers with criterion sampling technique. Data collection tools consisted of design documents, video recordings and interview forms. Descriptive analysis method was used for data analysis. Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge model was applied in the instructional process of the research. At the end of the 8-week instructional process, designs of pre-service teachers and their opinions about the process were obtained. In the research findings, course designs where pre-service teachers integrated their content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge with digital technologies, were acquired. Addition, all of the views of pre-service teachers on the process were found to be positive. In the context of these findings, it is concluded that technological pedagogical and content knowledge studies can be given with pre-service trainings. In this context, it is recommended to focus on pre-service training activities in future studies to be conducted and for any new researches, it is suggested to make longitudinal studies in order to monitor the effectiveness of this design model in real classroom environments.

Does preparing citizens matter? Examining the value of civic mindedness in pre-service teachers

This exploratory mixed-methods study considers what motivates pre-service social studies teachers to pursue a career in teaching, and the extent to which those motivations are connected to a desire to promote democratic citizenship. We seek to put pre-service social studies teachers’ motivations into a broader context by comparing them to those of pre-service teachers in other certification areas. Using surveys and open-ended responses, we analyzed the motivational factors of 218 pre-service teachers using the FIT-Choice Scale and Westheimer and Kahne’s categories of citizen-types. Our findings suggest that being civically motivated is not a phenomenon unique to social studies teachers. However, participants’ responses to the open-ended prompts suggest a greater likelihood of pre-service social studies teachers articulating a more nuanced vision of “good” citizenship than their peers in other certification areas. Our findings offer implications that extend beyond social studies teacher education to the structure of teacher education programs more generally.

Epistemological beliefs of preservice social studies teachers

Epistemological beliefs are an individual’s personal beliefs about what knowledge, knowing, and learning are. These beliefs are important for pre-service teachers since they may affect their teaching styles in the classrooms. This study aims to determine if the pre-service teachers’ undergraduate education affects their epistemological beliefs comparing the epistemological beliefs of the first and the fourth grade students at the Department of Social Studies Education in a state university in terms of their epistemological beliefs. The data were analyzed using independent groups t-test to compare the scores of pre-service social studies teachers in the sub-dimensions of the epistemological beliefs questionnaire (belief that learning depends on effort, belief that learning depends on skills, and belief in a single truth) in terms of their gender and grade level. The results of the study show that, except for the third dimension of the questionnaire, the fourth graders have more sophisticated beliefs than the first graders. There is no statistically significant difference between male and female pre-service teachers regarding their epistemological beliefs.

The effect of preservice social studies teachers’ pupil control ideologies on their classroom management beliefs

The purpose of this research is to set forth the impact of preservice social studies teachers’ pupil control ideologies on their classroom management beliefs. The research was conducted via a correlational survey model, which is among quantitative research methods. The sample of the research consists of 221 preservice teachers who received their education during the 2018-2019 academic year in the Social Studies Teacher Education Program at Mugla Sitki Kocman University. In the research “Pupil Control Ideologies Scale” and “The Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control (ABCC) Inventory” were used. In conclusion, it was determined that pupil control ideologies make a low degree impact in the positive direction on instructional management sub-dimension, and a low degree impact in the negative direction on people management sub-dimension, of classroom management beliefs.

Examining the Effects of using a Porphyrios-Tree Aided Constructive Teaching Approach with Pre-service Social Studies Teachers to develop Understanding about Ecological Interspecies Relationships

This study aims to find out the effects on pre-service teachers of a constructivist teaching approach aided by use of a Porphyrios-tree. Use of a Porphyrios-tree is thought to be the basis of and most principled conceptual teaching tool to aid meaningful comprehension about concepts of interspecies relationships. The study has a quasi-experimental design and uses a single-group pre-test and post-test model. The study group consists of 3rd Grade Social Studies pre-service teachers who are studying in the Faculty of Education at a university in Turkey. The study has a two-tier application, the first of which is dedicated to conducting interviews with each participant for nearly 20 minutes in a suitable environment. Stage two is designed to conclude whether or not the responses from the individual or group interviews about the Porphyrios-tree drawings do help to resolve any misconceptions. A structured grid was used for data collection in these interviews. Data analysis was performed by analyzing the quantitative values obtained from the structured grid with SPSS 22.0. It was found out that pre-service teachers developed the most alternative conceptions in their learning about mutualism and commensalism. Also, after the application of Porphyrios-tree, the students' alternative conceptions about of “positive interaction (mutualism, commensalism)” was eliminated. More strikingly, the pre-service teachers’ post-test scores are higher in all statements of the grid. Consequently, it is recommended to carry out further research with different variables to enlighten about whether the Porphyrios-tree is an effective teaching tool in other subjects.

Authority and Carnival: Preservice Teachers’ Media Literacy Education in a Time of Truth Decay

This qualitative, longitudinal study traces the development of preservice social studies teachers’ awareness of and reaction to the current climate of truth decay over the course of their initial certification program. By drawing a parallel between Bakhtin’s concept of the carnivalesque and the current online media landscape, this study found that teaching media literacy in a post-truth society can be complex and may indeed be asking teachers to reconsider how they conceptualize, truth, authority, and trust. Ultimately, even with targeted intervention from teacher educators, this phenomenon may lead preservice teachers to feel less confident in their own ability to identify truth and occupy an authoritative space.

Coaching to teach: Preservice social studies teachers’ experiences with a hiring contingency

Social studies teachers are frequently athletic coaches who are often criticized for prioritizing coaching over teaching. The purpose of this study is to investigate the experiences of preservice social studies teachers regarding the relationship between coaching and teaching with respect to hiring in middle and secondary schools. The researchers employed phenomenological research methods to investigate the hiring experiences of social studies teacher candidates. Survey and interview data were collected from social studies teacher candidates at the three largest universities in a southeastern state. Results illuminate a pervasive coaching contingency that many social studies teacher candidates face. Social studies teacher candidates perceived that willingness to coach a sport is the most important factor, other than teaching, to be hired to teach—particularly at the high school level.

Investigation of Pre-service Social Studies Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Perception of and Attitudes Towards the Profession of Teaching

The current study aimed to investigate pre-service social studies teachers’ self-efficacy perception of their ability to teach geography and attitudes towards the profession of teaching in relation to the variables of gender and university attended. The study is a descriptive study employing the survey model. The research sample was determined from the universities, where there were two public universities represented from each of the seven geographical regions, and a fourth-year student of social studies teaching in the spring semester of the 2017-2018 academic year. The study was carried out with the participation of 654 pre-service social studies teachers from 14 different universities across Turkey. In order to collect data, “The Geography Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale” and “The Scale of Attitudes towards the Profession of Teaching” were used. In the analysis of the collected data, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, independent samples t-test and one-way variance analysis (ANOVA) were used. According to the findings of the current study, self-efficacy perceptions related to geography teaching and their attitudes towards the profession are high. The mean scores taken from the whole self-efficacy perception scale and its sub-dimensions were found to be not varying significantly depending on the gender variable while they were found to be varying significantly depending on the variable of the university attended. On the other hand, the attitudes towards the profession of teaching were found to be varying significantly depending on both of the variables.

Preservice teachers’ perceptions of teaching news media literacy

PurposeThis study explores social studies preservice teacher’s orientation toward teaching news media literacy in the era of fake news. Previous literature indicates that many social studies teachers express a desire to maintain neutrality in the classroom. As such, this study focuses on the preservice teachers’ articulated pedagogical practices around news media literacy, as well as the described forces and factors that influence their described stances.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses work from the field of political communication to analyze course assignments, semi-structured interviews and survey responses in order to consider the ways 39 preservice social studies teachers articulated their anticipated and enacted pedagogical practices around news media literacy.FindingsFindings suggest a prevalent desire among the participants to pursue neutrality by presenting “both sides,” echoing traditional journalistic pursuits of objectivity. The possible consequences of this desire are also explored. Additionally, the study suggests that parents, administrators and the content standards are viewed as forces, which will constrain their practices.Practical implicationsUsing theorizing about the civil sphere, this paper considers implications for teacher educators. The civil sphere may provide a lens with which to analyze news media and may help preservice teachers adopt practices they view as risky.Originality/valueThis study aims to extend conversations around the teaching of news media, controversial political and social issues and the preparation of social studies teachers in the current social and political ecology by working to align the field with growing conversations in the field of political communication and journalism.

Sosyal Bilgiler Öğretmen Adaylarının Matematiğe Yönelik Tutumlarının Yaratıcı Drama Yöntemi ile Geliştirilmesi

This study aims to improve the attitudes of preservice Social Studies teachers towards Mathematics by means of creative drama method. The study comprised a mixed method integrating both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The quantitative method of this research involved experimental pretest-posttest research design with no control groups. As for the qualitative method of the study, phenomenological research design was used. The study group of this research was formed through purposeful and convenience sampling method used in the mixed method research. Accordingly, the study group of this research consisted of 20 preservice teachers from among the last year students studying at Akdeniz University Faculty of Education Department of Social Studies in the 2017-2018 Academic Year, who volunteered to take part in the research and who thought and stated that they had prejudices against mathematics and geometry lessons. The quantitative data of the research were collected through Mathematics Attitude Scale developed by Aşkar (1999) and Geometry Attitude Scale developed by Bindak (2004), after having obtained the necessary permissions. The collected quantitative data were analyzed with SPSS program. The qualitative data of the research, on the other hand, were collected through the evaluation of written documents received from the study group before and after the practices as well as of written documents received at the end of the 14th workshop. The collected qualitative data were analyzed with descriptive analysis and content analysis. In view of the overall research results, it would be safe to say that positive changes were observed in the attitudes of the study group -consisting of preservice Social Studies teachers- towards mathematics thanks to the use of creative drama method.

‘The world they’ve been born into’: Black male teachers on Blackness, masculinities and leadership

ABSTRACTIn this article, life history methodology and principles of counterstorytelling are used to examine moments when one Black male preservice social studies teacher and three Black male social studies teachers challenge Black masculinist visions of leadership, and moments when they seem complicit in perpetuating these visions. Findings indicate that these educators’ understandings of Blackness, maleness, and the pursuit of Black masculine recognition are fluid, developing and sometimes contradictory. We argue that while necessary across disciplines, interrogations of Black masculinity are uniquely imperative in social studies teacher education due to how assumptions about Blackness and maleness have shaped struggles for Black civic recognition.

Examining the Relationship between Social Intelligence Levels and Communication Skills of Prospective Social Studies Teachers

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between social intelligence levels and communication skills of preservice social studies teachers. In the content of the study, the relational screening model, which is one of the descriptive survey models, has been used. The sample of the survey consist of the third and fourth year students who study Social studies Teaching at Faculties of Education at Muğla, Uşak, Afyon and Aksaray University in the academic year of 2017-2018. The sample of the survey has been determined by means of convenience sampling. In this study, the unpaired t-test, the one-way analysis variance (ANOVA), the Scheffe and Games-Howell test have been used. In order to reveal the relationship between social intelligence levels and communication skills of preservice social studies teachers, the Pearson product-moment correlation analysis has been used. As a result of the study, it has been found out that preservice social studies teachers demonstrate “high” communication skills, but “moderate” social intelligence. It has also been determined that there is a moderate, linear, positive and meaningful correlation between the communication skills and social intelligence levels of preservice social studies teachers. In addition to these, it has been observed that communication skills and social intelligence levels of preservice teachers differ to a meaningful extent according to factors such as gender, universities they attend and the number of books they read per month. On the other hand their age and grade caused any meaningful difference in the communication skills and social intelligence levels of preservice teachers.

İşbirlikli Öğrenmenin Sosyal Bilgiler Öğretmen Adaylarının Mesleki Bilgi ve Becerilerine Etkisi

In this study was studied the contribution of the cooperative learning on preservice social studies teachers’ professional knowledge and skills. In addition, were investigated the opin-ions of preservice teachers on cooperative learning. The study depends on mixed method research. The data were obtained by reflective diaries with the Peer Assessment Scale for Activities of Teaching Practice Course. As a result of the research, it was determined that cooperative learning was more effective on the professional knowledge and skills of preservice teachers ac-cording to the traditional group work. The opinions of preserv-ice teachers on cooperative learning were found to be positive.

Active citizenship from the perspective of pre-service social studies teachers

In this research, it was aimed to determine the perceptions of social studies teacher candidates for which is defined as the effective participation of the individuals in political and social life in democratic societies. In this descriptive study, descriptive survey model was used as a research model because social studies teacher candidates' perceptions of active citizenship were determined. The study group was determined according to the maximum diversity sample from the purpose sampling methods. In this direction, the study group consists of 40 students from 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students of social studies teacher department. The research data were collected during the academic year of 2017-2018 with the standardized open-ended interview form developed by the researchers. The data were analyzed with content analysis and descriptive analysis. According to the results of the research, the participants were most interested in the concept of effective citizenship at all grade levels, in the categories of citizens with rights and responsibilities, and citizens who could react to the developments in the world and in their own country, at least the citizen who gave importance to scientific development, producing and developing the society in this respect and are aware of their values. Participants should have the most responsibility for the active citizen, at least respecting the differences, adopting solidarity, democratic attitude, philanthropy, scientificness, sensitivity to natural environment and love of nature, history consciousness, self-confidence, independence, peace, equality, self-esteem, sensitivity self-control values. With regard to the skills that an active citizen should possess, they should have the most social participation and observation skills.

Examination of the relationship between preservice social studies teachers’ democratic values and attitudes towards today’s world problems

This study was carried out to examine the relationship between preservice social studies teachers’ democratic values and their attitudes towards today’s world problems. In this study, a survey design was used based on quantitative research methodology. The research sample consisted of 174 preservice teachers who were studying at the Social Studies Education Program of Anadolu University in the 2017–2018 academic year. During the study, the “Democratic Values Scale” developed by Selvi (2006) was administered to determine the preservice social studies teachers’ levels of democratic values. The “Attitude Scale for Today’s World Problems,” developed by Kilicoglu, Karakus and Ozturk (2012), was employed to determine the preservice social studies teachers’ attitudes towards today’s world problems. In conclusion, it was found that there was a significantly moderate positive correlation between the preservice social studies teachers’ levels of democratic values and their attitudes towards today’s world problems.

Here-and-Then: Learning by Making Places with Digital Spatial Story Lines

In this article, we introduce and analyze learning experiences made possible by a teaching framework that we have developed and call digital spatial story lines (DSSLs). DSSLs offer a novel approach to learning on the move by engaging learners with related conceptual practices of archival curation, digital mapping, and the production of public history. Learners collaborate to make and follow map-based story lines that bridge archival media they curate in public libraries and museums onto city neighborhoods these media describe. Story lines can be followed as tours to explore under- or untold stories about a city’s public history at walking scale. To illustrate and study learning within the DSSL framework, we describe and analyze one design iteration from a larger, multi-year research project with local museum, library, and high school partners. Our analysis shows how making and following story lines provided opportunities for pre-service social studies teachers to engage with and learn about the public history of racial segregation, Civil Rights Movement activism, and American Roots Music in Nashville, Tennessee (aka the “Music City”). Our analysis focuses on using archival material to create and share public history as a mobile experience of being both “here-and-then”—a form of palimpsest in which learning on the move layers together historic places and the voices of different historical actors. We end with a discussion of who speaks for the public history of city neighborhoods and the prospects and limitations for teaching and learning with the DSSL framework.

Digital Storytelling Experiences of Social Studies Pre-Service Teachers

The purpose of the present study is to determine the pre-service social studies teachers’ opinions about digital storytelling process that they were experienced during 2018-2019 fall term. Mainly, their attitudes towards learning and teaching are tried to determine according to their opinions after their digital storytelling experiences. This study employed an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as a framework. Pre-service teachers were encouraged to create their own digital stories by telling the story along with the pictures through programs like windows movie maker, IMovie and so on. Data were collected through a survey and with semi-structured face to face interviews. A survey developed by researcher was given to all students who were enrolled to democracy and human rights course in 2018-2019 fall term and a total of 37 students completed it. Six pre-service social studies teachers in the group were selected for face to face interviews depended on their answers to survey questions. Three of them were who generally stated most positive views towards the digital storytelling process and other three were who generally reflected the challenges and difficulties during the process.

Analysis of in-Service and Pre-Service Social Studies Teachers' Digital Citizenship

Analysis of in-Service and Pre-Service Social Studies Teachers' Digital Citizenship

UNTANGLING SEXISM AND CLASSISM 1Untangling sexism and classism: attempting complex discussion about sexual violence in teacher education

ABSTRACT In studies of gender and preservice teacher education, sexism is often a silent force that undergirds the inquiry, findings, and implications. This study explores how a group of preservice social studies teachers (n = 25) reify discourses about gender and gender issues within the context of discussing a current event involving sexual violence and with a direct connection to sexism. Through feminist poststructural discourse analysis and assemblage, one class discussion is analysed in-depth to understand how a group of future teachers talked about a current event in one of their courses. Findings reveal that even when asked explicitly to connect the current event to sexism, most students resisted and instead linked their interpretations to classism. Implications for teacher education are included.

Examining pre-service social studies teachers’ sensitivity levels based on various variables

<span>The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not pre-service Social Studies teachers’ interpersonal sensitivity levels significantly vary depending on various variables. The study employed the quantitative model to determine pre-service Social Studies teachers’ sensitivity levels. The survey model was used as a quantitative model. The study group consists of 80 pre-service teachers studying in the Social Studies Teaching department of a state university located in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey. The study used a personal information form to find out the pre-service teachers’ demographic information. The personal information form includes descriptive information about age, gender, and grade. The study also used the sensitivity. The scale analysis was made via SPSS. The data were analyzed through independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The data were collected by the researcher in the 2018-2019 academic year. The pre-service Social Studies teachers’ general average of consciousness was found to be high.</span>