Theory and Research in Social Education 

Abstract: This paper reviews recent studies on the relationship of classroom life to larger social/political institutions. It analyzes the phenomenon which Philip Jackson has identified as the “hidden curriculum”, that covert pattern of socialization which prepares students to function in the existing workplace and in other social/political spheres. The authors argue that this pattern has been largely ignored by social studies curriculum developers. By ignoring the values contained in the social processes of schooling, social studies developers failed to influence school programs in a fundamental way. To promote a more complete understanding of the dynamics of classroom life and its relationship to the larger society, the authors have identified social processes of school and classroom life which give specific meaning to the term hidden curriculum. They argue that a new set of processes will have to replace existing ones if the goals of social education are to be realized. In the latter part of the paper, ...

Abstract: This study examined the teaching of controversial public issues (CPI) in middle and high school social studies classes. I sought to better understand the instruction and conceptions undergirding the instruction of secondary social studies teachers who were nominated by discussion experts as especially skillful at teaching their students to participate more effectively in CPI discussions. Using grounded theory, I analyzed three types of data: classroom observation field notes, interviews of the teachers, and CPI discussion teaching artifacts. First, I describe CPI discussions in the teachers' classes, then introduce six propositions induced about the teaching of CPI discussions. Next, I discuss how the propositions challenge and add to the existing literature on classroom discussion in secondary social studies, and suggest implications for the CPI discussion teaching practice of teachers and teacher educators.

Abstract: The National Council for the Social Studies has explicitly advocated technology integration into the social studies classroom to transform the teaching and learning of key social studies content and skills While the call for technology integration into the social studies classroom is clear, the application of technology within the realm of social studies has traditionally been theoretically underdeveloped One theoretical foundation that has promise for framing the discussion of technology and social studies integration is constructivism Within this paper the current relationship between social studies education and technology is explored, the nature of constructivist philosophy, theory, and pedagogy is delineated, and principles for the integration of technology in social studies that supports an explicit constructivist foundation are posited

Abstract: Much debate exists over the role teachers should assume in the discussion of controversial issues. This paper presents and critiques four perspectives on that debate. The-perspectives are characterized as exclusive neutrality, exclusive partiality, neutral impartiality and committed impartiality. Synthesizing research and scholarship from a number of fields, the paper proposes committed impartiality as the most defensible teacher role.

Abstract: As Americans come to understand the effects of globalization, there is increasing concern that schools today are not adequately preparing students for our interdependent world. Although much has been written about the need to infuse global perspectives in education so that students will understand and benefit from the increasing interconnectedness of the world's cultures, economies, and political relationships, few scholars have studied the actual practice of social studies teachers as they teach global perspectives or tried to understand the contexts of their instructional decisions. In this article multiple perspectives on current classroom practice in global education are examined, including those of master teachers considered the best global educators in their school districts, practicing teachers who have recently completed their first formal instruction in global education, and preservice teachers who are beginning to teach globally-oriented social studies as part of their certification pro...