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This article provides a brief picture of social studies education in the United States, China, and South Korea. It begins with a brief account of the K-12 curriculum structure and history of social studies education in each country in the 20th century. It then turns to a contemporary look at the social studies, the national curriculum standards that were developed in 1990s, and more recent trends and instructional practices in each country. Commonalities and differences in these areas are described and analyzed. In comparing social studies education in the United States, China, and South Korea, it is not hard to see that all these nations are aware of the changes brought about by globalization and they all attempt to accommodate these changes in their social studies curriculum. This article concludes with a section on the influence of contemporary testing practices and a critical consideration of the strengths and weakness of social studies as it is currently manifested in these three countries. (Contains 3 tables and 38 notes.)

In the early months of 2005, much of the world celebrated the 60th anniversary of the World War II Allied victory over Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Around the same time, protests erupted in Asia against a revised Japanese history textbook, "The New History Textbook," which critics said covered up Japanese World War II atrocities. This type of sanitized history makes it hard to discuss issues related to World War II and prevents students from learning historical events. To help students better understand the past, and its direct impact on current events, textbooks and classroom teaching should accommodate multiple perspectives of important historical events, and inform students of both the Western and non-Western perspectives. In this article, the authors delve into the tension between Japan and some Asian countries regarding the aforementioned Japanese history textbook and discuss the three principal Japanese war crimes--which together are increasingly referred to as the "Asian Holocaust." The authors also suggest resources to support further learning on World War II history in American social studies classes. (Contains 28 notes.)

With this study, the authors investigated, in an open-ended manner, what elementary teachers and their students said about social studies. They endeavored to see if prior findings still persist and studied the potential relationships between students' and teachers' perceptions. They conducted their research in three different school districts in northeast Georgia. Fifty preservice teachers in two sections of the our elementary social studies curriculum and methods classes interviewed students in kindergarten through fifth grade at their field-placement schools to determine the students' knowledge of and opinions about social studies. The interview protocol for students consisted of ten questions that tapped their knowledge of social studies, politics, geography, culture, and perceptions of the importance of social studies. The purpose of asking students these questions was to investigate how students perceived social studies and determine how much they knew about some basic social studies content, most of which was related to their personal lives. First, they examined the responses of all the students, generated categories, and identified common themes in the data. Second, they compared the similarities and differences in each category of gender and academic level within and across the grades. During the third stage, they analyzed teachers' responses, identified the common themes, and then compared those responses with the students' responses on the same issues. The data they collected from northeast Georgia schools are similar to previous research findings; students almost universally hold negative attitudes toward social studies and do not understand the importance of social studies or its relation to their lives. The students demonstrated limited knowledge of basic topics, and they concluded that they were receiving little or no social studies instruction. From their research, they can report that the textbook-centered approach to social studies was driven by teachers' desires to fulfill the minimum requirements of state and local curriculum guides while saving their best instructional efforts for more highly valued subjects, such as reading and math.

Explores third, sixth, and ninth grade students' interpretations of historical photographs. Finds that the students' ability to date the photographs and determine why the photographs were taken improved with age without differences in gender and race; differences in regard to race occurred in students' inferences about the peoples' lives portrayed in the photographs. (CMK)

Identifies concepts and findings in cognitive psychology and cooperative learning relevant to teaching and learning higher cognitive skills. Derives implications from research to use as criteria for evaluating history and social science instruction programs. Critiques three models for teaching intellectual skills in the social studies curriculum. (SG)

Presents research findings regarding the historical knowledge of fifth, eighth, and twelfth grade students and college level elementary education majors. Concludes that students learn the content of U.S. history as they progress through years of schooling. Reports student unfamiliarity with more recent historical events and difficulty in completing a time line assignment. (SG)

Discusses the classroom practice of Geri Collins who is a veteran eighth grade social studies teacher. Explains how, through her teaching, she attempts to break down the wall her students have around them. Highlights the four characteristics that make her teaching an example of wise practice. (CMK)

Discusses the U.S. Department of Education's publication "What Works: Research About Teaching and Learning," focusing on those sections that are most pertinent to the goals and methods of social studies teachers. Reviews and draws implications from its suggestions for improving education at the levels of home, classroom, and school. (AEM)

Schools can make the best use of their microcomputer resources if they (1) use the computers constantly, (2) encourage teachers to use the computers as tools, (3) use a variety of appropriate software for each grade level and subject, and (4) ensure that teachers have access to equipment experts. (PGD)

More than any previous generation, today's students need to develop a global perspective and be knowledgeable about other nations in order to play a better role on the global stage. This paper first reviews some earlier and current studies on students' knowledge of the world, mainly conducted in the United States, and then it describes the global education status and similar studies in countries like Canada, Russia, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Based on a review of studies in these countries, the paper proposes that contemporary assessments of students' cross-national and global knowledge and attitudes are necessary. The new research must be multinational, assessing what paired nations' school aged populations know about one another's history, geography, politics, economics, and international relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on social studies education in the United States, South Korea, and China. It provides information on the history and K-12 curriculum structure of social studies education in the 20th century. It describes the differences and commonalities of social studies in each country. All these countries are conscious of the changes brought by globalization and they try to accommodate these changes in the curriculum of their social studies education. Their common goal is to enhance the problem-solving and decision-making skills of students for the good of the public.

This article discusses a study on the attitude of elementary students and teachers towards social studies in the U.S. in 2005. The data the authors of the study collected from northeast Georgia schools are similar to previous research findings; students almost universally hold negative attitudes toward social studies and do not understand the importance of social studies or its relation to their lives. The students demonstrated limited knowledge of basic topics, and the authors concluded that they were receiving little or no social studies instruction. Their teachers corroborated this fact. Students in fourth and fifth grades, however, offered answers that indicated the presence of some limited social studies instruction.

Focuses on debate in social studies classes in the United States regarding the decision of the Polk County School Board in Florida to enforce a mandatory dress code from Kindergarten to Grade 8. Honing students' skills in research, logical analysis and the use of evidence to support a line of reasoning; Lesson plan identifying key issues at stake; Encouragement to students to review them from different perspectives.