School Social Studies Research Articles

The task of sociologists is to bring order into chaos (interview with RAS corresponding member M. F. Chernysh)

On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the journal Sociological Studies, we turned to Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Sociological Sciences Mikhail F. Chernysh – our long-time author and expert, member of the editorial board – with a request to answer our questions. I wanted to discuss not only the activities of our journal, but also the problems of sociology in general. In recent years, situation in sociology has been changing: alarming trends in sociological education in higher education are intensifying, decisions are being made to reduce the subject of social studies in school, the problem of reproduction of scientific personnel is becoming acute, and discussions about the subject of sociology are becoming more urgent. The interview raises such important issues as the essence of sociology as a science, provides an understanding of its functions and tasks, and outlines the structure and levels of sociological knowledge. Important elements of its existence and development are emphasized, in particular the impossibility of forming an exclusively “national” sociology. The development of sociological education in new conditions is discussed. The tasks of the functioning of the Federal Research Sociological Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences are outlined. Attention is focused on personnel problems in science and the perception of sociology by government institutions.

예비교사의 사회과 수업 연구 - 낮은 선호의 내용 영역은 어떻게 수업을 할까?

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how preservice teachers constructed detours in teaching a less favored area of Social Studies, with implications for their development as professional educators. Methods: To this end, data collected from sixty-five preservice teachers were analyzed based on grounded theory. Results: The results showed that the phenomenon was 'hesitancy to teach non-preferred areas' and the causal condition was 'negative experiences with Social Studies in school'. The contextual condition influencing the change in the central phenomenon was “the influence of the preservice teacher education program,” and the mediating condition was “adjustment with fellow preservice teachers. The action/interaction for breakthrough in teaching non-preferred areas of Social Studies was “the sum of student experiences, preservice curriculum, and teamwork,” which resulted in “a desire to improve the quality of Social Studies teaching. The pattern of bypassing for teaching non-preferred areas of Social Studies was that: first, the causal conditions associated with the central phenomenon acted as antecedents for intervention strategies, with experiences as a student guiding teaching and learning choices; second, knowledge accumulation did not occur as a strategy to counteract the lack of content area knowledge identified as an important reason for non-preferred areas of Social Studies; and third, preservice teachers' current focus was on “how to learn”. Third, a strong perception that Social Studies should reflect life and that life should be influenced by Social Studies was the dominant criterion for choices related to Social Studies instruction. Fourth, circumvention strategies differed across Social Studies content areas, with differences in post-teaching efficacy depending on the degree of congruence between teaching intentions, teaching methods, and demonstration performance. Finally, lesson demonstrations that targeted weaknesses were found to strengthen their commitment to improving the quality of their teaching. Conclusion: Based on the results of the analysis, it is recommended that programs for learning the knowledge and skills of Social Studies should be strengthened, opportunities for lesson demonstration and reflection should be expanded, and the perception of the “life” position of Social Studies should be changed in order to foster preservice teachers' expertise in Social Studies teaching.

Challenges of implementing social studies curriculum: A case of selected secondary schools in Kafue district of Lusaka Province, Zambia

Overview: The purpose of this study was to examine the challenges that schools are facing in the implementation of the Social Studies curriculum and its effect on learner’s academic performance in secondary schools of Kafue district in Lusaka province, Zambia. Body of Knowledge: The study was guided by the following specific objectives: to investigate whether the absence of teachers trained to teach social studies has an effect on implementation of curriculum of social studies in schools; to examine the extent to which absence of teaching and learning materials like text books for social studies affect the academic performance of learners; and to establish measures put in place to mitigate the challenges of curriculum implementation for social studies in schools. Methods: The population of the study comprised head teachers, heads of departments, teachers, DESO officers, and learners. The total target population was 1500. The sample size involved a total of 150 respondents, which was 10% of the target population. A mixed method approach was used in this study in combination with the descriptive survey design. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data. Qualitative and Quantitative techniques of data analysis was used, and data was presented on the analytical tools such as tables, figures, charts and software; SPSS. Results: The study established that the major challenges that affected curriculum implementation and influenced learners’ academic performance were: absence of trained teachers of the subject, and inadequate teaching/ learning materials, physical facilities and the way the curriculum was being implemented itself. This undermined effectiveness of school administrators and teachers in ensuring there is smooth teaching and learning process in schools which eventually translated to poor academic performance among learners. Recommendation: Ministry of Education should ensure that schools have adequate resources such as textbooks, teaching aids, and technology to support the implementation of the social studies curriculum.

PEDAGOGICAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF READING LITERACY IN A SCHOOL SOCIAL SCIENCE COURSE

The formation of reading literacy is an important component of the school’s social studies course, as it promotes the development of critical thinking skills, information analysis, self-study of sources, and also allows you to get a broad overview of knowledge about social processes and phenomena. In today’s information-rich world, the ability to analyze and understand texts is becoming increasingly important. Reading literacy allows students to consciously work with texts, identify their main idea, arguments and evidence, and evaluate the reliability and reliability of in- formation. It also helps students distinguish facts from opinions, recognize rhetorical techniques and logical errors in the text. Through the study of texts of a social science orientation, students learn about various social problems, political and cultural phenomena, as well as about the historical and modern development of society. This helps them develop analytical thinking and form their own position on various social issues. The article presents options for tasks when working with various types of text in a school social studies course: scientific and popular science texts, normative texts.

Usage and Impact of Teachers Self-Assessment Practices on Teaching of Upper Basic Social Studies in Kwara State

Background: Self-assessment is a mechanism that enables teachers to reflect how their own work meets the goals. It is set for teaching concepts and enhancing effective teaching and learning. The objectives of this study are to investigate prevalent patterns of self-assessment practices, extent of using as well as the impacts of self-assessment practices on teaching Social Studies. Contribution: This study investigates impact of teachers’ self-assessment practices on teaching of upper basic Social Studies. Method: Through simple random sampling technique, 600 upper basic Social Studies teachers were selected. A questionnaire is used for data collection. Percentage and mean ranking were used to analyze the collected data. Results: The findings of the study show that peer observation, testing the flexibility of teaching style and activity reports are prevalent patterns of self-assessment practices and frequently used. The practices have impacts on teaching of upper basic Social Studies in schools. Conclusion: it is recommended that teachers should constantly self-assess their teaching processes to recognize and improve on the progress teaching in the classrooms.

Teachers’ Ability to Integrate Disaster Reduction in Science and Social Studies in Basic Education Schools

Teachers’ Ability to Integrate Disaster Reduction in Science and Social Studies in Basic Education Schools

ПОЛИТИКА И ИДЕОЛОГИЯ В ВОСПРИЯТИИ СТАРШЕКЛАССНИКОВ

The article presents the results of an empirical research: an expert survey of teachers of history and social studies in schools in the Ulyanovsk region and an online survey of high school students in grades 9-11. The school at present, due to the lack of a significant part of the humanitarian subjects in higher education, lays the foundations for the political and ideological identification of young people. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to study students’ ideas about politics and modern political ideologies. The article concludes that there is a lack of practical extracurricular activities to involve high school students in social and political activities at school and at the local level, and as a result, we can observe the lack of formation of the political identity of school graduates as an integral part of the civic identification of young people.

Collective memory and the transatlantic slave trade: Remembering education towards new diasporic connections

In countries from which enslaved Africans were forcibly taken to the new world, critical discussion of the Transatlantic Slave Trade (TST) and its Diaspora remains elusive, especially in educational spaces. Ghana is one such country that is deeply connected to the TST and yet struggles to engage it in the social studies syllabus. This article contributes to this literature by using a single instrumental case study approach to interrogate the inherent contradictions in Ghana’s collective remembering of the TST and its Diaspora in the junior high school (JHS) social studies syllabus. Using data from nine interviews and a directed content analysis of the 2007–2019 JHS social studies syllabus, I find that while the syllabus highlights the TST, it fails to critically and deeply engage students on either the TST or its Diaspora. Rather, it situates the TST as a minor event in the broader and monumental colonial, anti-colonial, and post-independence narratives. Ultimately, this creates misinformation and ignorance about the TST and its Diaspora among Ghanaian youth, further facilitating a disconnection between them and the TST’s Diaspora. In the article, I discuss broader implications for African and African Diaspora relationships and solidarity. I recommend a critical collective remembering (CCR) approach to teaching the TST which comprehensively highlights actors, victims, survivors, counter-narratives, and contemporary implications. CCR uses relevant creative, technology-based, and collaborative pedagogical and dialogical methods to make this history and social studies education relevant and meaningful for the younger generation.

Negotiating human rights: citizenship education in South Korea

ABSTRACT This study investigates how human rights education (HRE), a global movement and citizenship education model based on universal personhood rather than nationality, is presented and negotiated in relation to national citizenship discourses in South Korean middle school moral education and social studies textbooks. Using qualitative methods of textual analysis, I identify four recurring approaches consistently used in textbooks to educate students about human rights: (1) distinguishing between universal human rights and national constitutional rights, (2) emphasizing duties to the national community, (3) accommodating both global and national identity through a discourse of achieving harmony and (4) demonstrating continuity between universal and national moral values. These findings contribute to the existing empirical literature on Korean citizenship education by investigating the interaction of global and local citizenship narratives.

An Analysis of Prospective Teachers’ Curriculum Literacy Levels in Terms of Various Variables

This study aims to examine the curriculum literacy levels of prospective teachers in terms of various variables. The research sample consists of 469 teacher candidates, including 253 students from the 3rd grade and 216 students from the 4th grade, studying in Primary School Education, Preschool Education, Turkish Education, and Social Studies Education Departments of Inonu University Education Faculty. Curriculum Literacy Scale was used as a data collection tool in the study. In the findings of the study, it was observed that there was a significant difference in various sub-dimensions of the curriculum literacy of prospective teachers by different variables.

Socio-Cultural and Economic Importance of Kete Weaving in Agortime Traditional Area, Ghana

Aims: The study investigated the socio-cultural and economic importance of Ewe Kete cloth to the people. It aimed at finding out how the Kete weaving developed as a vocation in the Agortime traditional area, the socio-cultural and economic significance of Kete weaving to the people and how the Kete weaving was incorporated into the teaching and learning processes in the various educational institutions in the Agortime traditional area.
 Study Design: The study employed the quantitative approach using descriptive cross-sectional survey design.
 Place and Duration of Study: Sample: This study was conducted among the weaving communities in the Agortime-Kpetoe traditional area from February 2019 to November 2019.
 Methodology: The simple random sampling technique was used to sample the 100 male Kete weavers. Self-designed questionnaire was used as data collection instrument. Reliability analysis of the questionnaire showed high reliability with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.86. The quantitative data were descriptively analyzed and presented in tables as frequency counts and percentages using the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS).
 Results: The study revealed that Kete weaving industry is a source of employment, income, clothing and socio-cultural identity to the people. The findings of this study revealed that Kete weaving and usage features prominently during lessons involving Basic Design and Technology, Religious and Moral Education as well as Social Studies in schools within Agortime-Kpetoe traditional area.
 Conclusion: It was recommended, among others, that financial institutions in the North Dayi District should provide credit facilities and financial support services to Kete weavers and sellers to enable them expand their industry and business activities. Also, the North Dayi District Assembly in liaison with the Small Scale and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Commission should provide credit facilities and financial support services to Kete weavers and other rural crafts to pave way for sustainable rural development.

Interpreting inquiry learning in social studies: Singapore secondary school teachers’ understandings of “Issue Investigation”—a preliminary study

ABSTRACT Inquiry-based learning is becoming a widely recognized and used pedagogical approach. However, existing research has largely focused on inquiry learning in science education, neglecting fields such as social studies (SS). In Singapore, inquiry learning in SS received an impetus when a component called “Issue Investigation” (II) was introduced into the compulsory secondary school syllabus of 2016. Given the recency of this introduction, there has been a lacuna of empirical research. Addressing both these research gaps, this paper presents qualitative findings from a preliminary study of Singapore secondary school SS teachers’ perspectives and experiences relating to II. Building on a recognition of teacher agency and of the role teachers play in mediating curriculum and teaching/learning, this paper focuses on how teachers interpret the nature of inquiry learning in SS in the Singapore context. Findings suggest that teachers held broadly two conceptions of II: some saw it as aimed towards working out practical solutions to societal issues in the spirit of participative citizenship; others treated it akin to a social science inquiry process that fostered critical and analytical thinking. In addition, the challenges teachers encountered in implementing and enacting II, and their coping strategies are also briefly discussed.

The Absence of Civics Interventions for Students with Disabilities: A Mixed-Methods Investigation

ABSTRACT Compared to other academic content areas, educational researchers conduct relatively few empirical studies focused on students’ civics knowledge and teachers then have fewer opportunities to learn about research-based practices. A mixed-methods study was undertaken with 326 high school students (n = 52 with disabilities) and 21 social studies and special education teachers. Results indicated 12th-grade students with disabilities scored significantly lower than their peers on a formative assessment of civics knowledge; students with and without disabilities identified school as their primary source of civics knowledge; and interviews with high school special education and social studies teachers revealed several areas for future research and promising practices teachers can use with their students.

Öğretmenlerin Okuduğunu Anlama Düzeyleri: Temel Eğitim Okullarında Çalışan Öğretmenler Üzerine Bir Araştırma

Bu calismanin amaci, temel egitim okullarinda (ilk ve ortaokul) gorev yapan ogretmenlerinin okudugunu anlama duzeylerinin belirlenmesidir. Arastirma betimsel tarama modeli ile kurgulanmistir. Ankara’da calismakta olan 1415 ogretmen arastirmanin orneklem grubunu olusturmaktadir. Calismada arastirmaci tarafindan gelistirilen ‘Okudugunu Anlamayi Degerlendirme Olcegi’ kullanilmistir. Olcme aracina ait puanlama anahtarinin guvenilirligi Krippendorff'un alfa (α) katsayisi, Cohen'in kappa (κ) katsayisi, Pearson moment carpim katsayisi kullanilmistir. Veriler, betimsel istatistik teknikleri kullanilarak cozumlenmistir. Arastirma sonuclarina gore, ogretmenler oykuleyici metinleri ‘iyi’, bilgilendirici metinleri ‘zayif’ duzeyde anlamaktadir. Genel olarak ogretmenler, okuduklarini ‘orta’ duzeyde anlamaktadirlar. Bunun yaninda ogretmenlerin demografik ozellikleriyle (cinsiyet, mesleki kidem, brans ve ogrenim durumlari) okudugunu anlama duzeyi arasinda anlamli farklilik bulunmaktadir. Erkek, lisansustu mezunu ve mesleki kidemi fazla olan ogretmenler, okuduklarini daha fazla anlamaktadirlar. Ayrica, genel okudugunu anlama duzeyi, Turkce ogretmenlerinde iyi; beden egitimi, gorsel sanatlar, muzik ile teknoloji ve tasarim dallarindaki ogretmenlerinde zayif; bilisim teknolojileri, din kulturu ve ahlak bilgisi, fen ve teknoloji, matematik, okul oncesi, rehberlik, sinif, sosyal bilgiler ve yabanci dil ogretmenlerinde orta duzeyde oldugu belirlenmistir. Bu arastirmada ogretmenlerin okudugunu anlama duzeylerindeki yetersizlik gorunur kilinmistir. Alanyazindaki onemli bir bosluga isaret eden bu calisma, okudugunu anlama calismalarinin hizmet oncesi ve hizmetici donemi kapsayacak sekilde genisletilmesi acisindan onem tasimaktadir.

ICT Infrastructure, ICT Competencies, and Teachers’ Workload: Critical Factors that Influence Social Studies Teachers’ Integration of Technology in the Kwahu West Municipality of Ghana

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence basic school social studies teachers’ integration of technology in the teaching of Social Studies in schools within the Kwahu-West Municipality of Ghana. The study sought to address the following objectives: To what extent do ICT infrastructure, teachers’ ICT competence and work load influence basic school social studies teachers’ integration of technology in their lessons in the Kwahu-West Municipality of Ghana? The study was a descriptive survey. Proportional simple random technique was employed in selecting sample size of eighty-one (81) Junior High School social studies from 46 public basic schools within the Kwahu West Municipality of Ghana. The data for the study was collected using questionnaires to solicit responds from the teachers. A Cronbach Alpha value of .860 was obtained for the reliability of the items on the questionnaires. The data of the study was analyzed using Multiple Regression Analysis which established Rsquare (R 2 ) value of 0.7090 at 0.05 alpha level of significance. From the analysis, it was established that basic school teachers’ integration of technology in their social studies lessons were heavily influenced by the ICT infrastructure of their school, their ICT competence and their workloads in terms of number of periods they handled a week and other co-curriculum activities they have been asked to engage in. It was recommended that Government through Ministry of Education and other relevant stakeholders should ensure the provision of art-of-craft ICT infrastructure in basic schools within the municipality coupled with organization of regular in-service programs for teachers to upgrade their knowledge on technology integration. Keywords: Basic School, Kwahu West, Technology, Workload, Social Studies, Integration. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-14-08 Publication date: May 31 st 2020

SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM AT THE CROSSROADS: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SECONDARY SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM IN CHINGOLA DISTRICT OF ZAMBIA

Curriculum implementation is one of the key aspects of the curriculum development process. The success of any educational policy depends on the accomplishing of the objectives of the policy. However, despite the desire to make learning more relevant to the needs of the learners by bringing into context all the skills, attitudes, values and competencies from the three subject areas (Geography, History and Civics) into one (Social Studies). The implementation of the 2013 revised junior secondary school Social Studies curriculum still remain a challenge. The purpose of this study was to analyse the implementation of the junior secondary school Social Studies curriculum in Chingola district. The researchers used a phenomenological research design. 71 participants comprising of 40 teachers of Social Studies, 20 learners of Social Studies, 10 secondary school head teachers and the District Education Standards Officer were sampled for the study. Data was collected from the District Education Standards Officer, Head teachers and teachers using interview schedules. From the learners, data was collected using focus group discussion schedules and then a document analysis schedule was also used to collect data from policy documents and school-based curriculum implementation documents. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that the time allocated to the implementation of Social Studies in schools was inadequate. Further, Social Studies was being taught through specialization by teachers who were trained in subject areas like Geography, History and Civic Education a scenario which contributed to the poor performance of learners. The researchers recommended that the Ministry of General Education through the Curriculum Development Centre should consider allocating more time (periods) to the implementation of Social Studies, expedite the training and recruitment of Social Studies teachers and encourage Continuous Professional Development (CPD) meetings both at district and school levels for the purpose of capacity building. Article visualizations:

Linking middle school mathematics and social studies through immigration issues

In the effort to create a multiculturally sensitive citizenry, addressing issues of immigration is critical in today’s schools and society. Mathematics and social studies are subjects sensitive to the cultural and population shifts of society. Since STEM subjects and skills are what drive the 21st century classroom today, it is important that teachers incorporate mathematics into the framework of social and political issues such as immigration, acquire numerical data from a variety of online sources, and engage in project-based activities that could also help middle school students develop solutions to societal issues.

Integrating evidence-based reading practices into middle-school content instruction: exploring a facet of sustainability

ABSTRACTReading comprehension models are being implemented in content-area settings to boost reading achievement. Yet, little research explores how such models are incorporated into teachers’ daily instructional practice. The authors used extended observations and interviews to examine the integration of Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), an evidence-based reading comprehension model, into the instructional practices of 15 middle school science, social studies, and language arts teachers. Findings indicated that high-integration teachers embedded CSR lessons into their curriculum and reinforced CSR strategy use throughout the week. These teachers also felt supported in their efforts by colleagues and school administrators. There is much to be learned from the ways in which teachers engage in the art of integrating new methods into their teaching.

SOCIAL STUDIES LEARNING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF EMPATHIC AWARENESS

The background of this research is the tendency of emphatic awareness learning that is being overlooked in the social studies in schools. The main problem addressed in this research is the social studies learning for the development of emphatic awareness of student of elementary school level in Bandung.The objectives of this research are (1) to design a model of social studies learning program for the development of emphatic awareness of fifth-grade students of elementary school in Bandung, (2) to test the effectiveness of the learning program, and (3) to identify difficulties encountered by elementary school teachers in developing social studies learning for the development of emphatic awareness of fifth-grade students. The methodology of this research is using multi method approach with two-phase designs model or double research strategy. After the research is conducted, based on analysis and discussion of the phase 1 result of limited testing, a stable emphatic awareness learning model was found, then focusing revision in cycle. The early model in product testing was conducted by using pair t-sampling. The result shows that social studies learning model using story telling method is effective in developing emphatic awareness of student in all indicators. The difficulties faced by teachers are more related to the level of understanding of emphatic awareness, creativity, and innovation level which are not optimum. Based on the analysis and discussion and the result of the research, the general conclusion is the development study have met the objective. Emphatic awareness learning model can be applied through planing management and implementation of learning through storytelling method which have high applicability rating with a favorable result and has good implication theoretically and practically. The proposed recommendations are beneficial for model application and for further studies.

KONTRIBUSI MOTIVASI BELAJAR, PERILAKU PROSOSIAL DALAM IPS, DAN LINGKUNGAN KELUARGA TERHADAP PENGUATAN MODAL SOSIAL PESERTA DIDIK

This research is motivated by the increasing number of social deviation in the community that directly or indirectly affect the characteristics of learners. As a result, what the students see, experience and feel, also gives effect to the psychological and social development of learners, both positive and negative influences. Therefore, the necessary social capital of each learner as a result of learning social studies in school. The survey research was conducted in ten junior high schools in Subang with a sample of 360 eighth grade students were then divided proportionally. Data collection technique used observation, questionnaires, interviews, and literature studies. Data obtained from respondents, further processed and analyzed using path analysis (path analysis), the results are as follows: 1) learning motivation positive effect on social capital learners, 2) prosocial behavior in IPS positive effect on social capital learners, 3 ) family environment has a positive effect on social capital learners, 4) motivation to learn, prosocial behavior and the family environment, positive effect on social capital learners, 5) there is a significant difference between learning motivation, prosocial behavior, family environment and social capital learners based cluster region.Keywords: motivation to learn, prosocial behavior, family environment and social capital.