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The following paper provides a response to the recent critique of our review of the FRIENDS For Life anxiety prevention and intervention program. In their critique, Barrett, Cooper, Stallard, Zeggio, & Gallegos-Guajardo (2017) expressed concerns on a range of conceptual, methodological, and interpretative issues. Our rejoinder addresses each of these points and reasserts our position that the primary concern with the studies was the use of the wrong unit of analysis when analyzing the data. Our response is contextualized in the importance of rigorous research as an essential component of evidencebased practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criticism against quantitative methods has grown in the context of “big-data”, charging an empirical, quantitative agenda with expanding to displace qualitative and theoretical approaches indispensable to the future of sociological research. Underscoring the strong convergences between the historical development of empiricism in the scientific method and the apparent turn to quantitative empiricism in sociology, this article uses content and hierarchical clustering analyses on the textual representations of journal articles from 1950 to 2010 to open dialogue on the epistemological issues of contemporary sociological research. In doing so, I push towards the conceptualization of a social scientific method, inspired by the scientific method from the philosophy of science and borne out of growing constructions of a systematically empirical representation among sociology articles. I articulate how this social scientific method is defined by three dimensions – empiricism, and theoretical and discursive compartmentalization –, and how, contrary to popular expectations, knowledge production consequently becomes independent of choice of research method, bound up instead in social constructions that divide its epistemological occurrence into two levels: (i) the way in which social reality is broken down into data, collected and analyzed, and (ii) the way in which this data is framed and made to recursively influence future sociological knowledge production. In this way, empiricism both mediates and is mediated by knowledge production not through the direct manipulation of method or theory use, but by redefining the ways in which methods are being labeled and knowledge framed, remembered, and interpreted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grounded theory methodology (GTM) is a popular methodology used in social work dissertation research. GTM entails the development of theory ‘grounded in’ and generated from data systematically gathered and analyzed through qualitative methods. But little is known of its theory development and relationship to social work education at the doctoral level. In this article, we reflect on contemporary usage of GTM with respect to the state of theory development in social work education by reviewing a sample of Canadian social work doctoral dissertations that utilize GTM, identifying if and how theory was developed. Our analysis draws from a broader review of GTM research published as social work doctoral dissertations in Canada using the Qualitative Research Quality Checklist (QRQC). The findings indicate that almost half of the dissertations in the sample did not contribute to theory development, and for many, theory development was not the intention. This raises a question about whether theory development when utilizing GTM is essential in social work dissertation research, and perhaps, whether the focus should be on exploring a social work issue rather than generating theory. The paper concludes with considerations for social work educators in regards to research methodology, epistemology, and theory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Research courses have become a taken-for-granted component of social work study programmes. Nonetheless, studies still confirm that social work students are reluctant to engage with research courses. They report considerably negative beliefs and attitudes as well as higher levels of anxiety. The present study aims to assess the interest in research courses among students entering a BSW programme in Switzerland. Further, it aimed to establish the relationship between students’ interest in research courses, their research orientation, and research anxiety. From 2014 to 2016, 708 first-year students were surveyed using an online questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling. Analysis showed that the interest in research courses was predicted by research anxiety (β = −.29) as well as by the perceived importance (β = .27), the attributed usefulness (β = .15) and the perceived unbiased nature of research (β = .08). These variables were predicted, in turn, by research anxiety (β = −.10,β = −.23,β = −.13). Moreover, interest was predicted by age (β = .13). Research anxiety was predicted by age (β = −.10), female gender (β = .28) and the type of baccalaureate allowing admission (β = −.09). This first study on entering BSW students in Switzerland confirms that research orientation and research anxiety should be considered and addressed by teachers when conceptualizing research courses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The debate on ethics around research involving human beings, in the national context, has intensified in the last two decades. Social sciences and Humanities researchers, with few advances and many hurdles, converge on the refusal of the biomedical model as a reference for all scientific work. The article seeks to give visibility to issues that researchers from these areas have been debating about the ethics in research involving children. For this purpose, Brazilian articles and book chapters that discuss on the subject were analyzed. The investigation was focused on links between politics and science, the unequal adult-child power relationship, the development of procedures that allow an effective listening to children and the children's participation in the research processes. The central position of the literature, with which we agree, defends that ethical standards are not enough to ensure children the role of social actors, requiring a new understanding of the role of children in research, as well as concerning the own researcher in this relationship. It is argued that the fruitful discussions on research with children can contribute to the more general debate on national ethics regulation in research involving human beings in the areas of humanities and social sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Electronic Turkish Studies is the property of Electronic Turkish Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this article, the author reflects upon the teaching of social studies in secondary education. Particular focus is given to how past practices can be improved upon. Additional topics discussed include how technology can be used to excite students about learning, the use of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in the U.S. and examples of activities and lessons used in the curriculum of an educator named Mrs. Ponte.

This article explores the role of emotion in teaching about social issues in higher education. We draw and expand upon Boler's notion of a ‘Pedagogy of Discomfort’, Goodman's and Curry-Steven's concept of a ‘Pedagogy for the Privileged', and on Freire's idea of a ‘Pedagogy of Hope', in reflecting on our own experiences in teaching a graduate-level course on social movement learning. We argue for the importance of further sociological theorisation of the role of emotion in teaching and learning in higher education, and acknowledge the challenges a Pedagogy of Emotion present to those teaching in the social sciences at the post-secondary level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article reports a self-study that analyzes my experience as a teacher educator navigating a turbulent educational landscape with the advent of edTPA. The data consist of my journal entries, the syllabi, handouts, work submitted by my students, and course evaluations. Data were analyzed by using an inductive process to describe how the edTPA compounds my work of teaching future elementary teachers for social studies for social justice. I discuss challenges associated with my teaching and the ways that I have grappled with these challenges. Implications for teacher educators are discussed, because we all must deal with important issues in the current era of accountability and testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth in racial and ethnic diversity among public school P-12 students stands in stark contrast to the teaching population who tend to be monolingual, White females. Secondary social studies teachers defy demographic teacher trends, as they tend to be male, albeit White males who still are not representative of the students they teach. What is missing from the discourse of student-teacher imbalance however is discussion surrounding diversity among social studies teacher educators. The purpose of this study was to examine racial, ethnic, and gender demographics for social studies teacher educators using a framework of critical teacher demography. Findings revealed that social studies teacher educators tend to reflect the population of social studies teachers with many being White males. Furthermore, social studies teacher educators tend to focus their research on concepts such as democratic citizenship with little focus dedicated to critical multicultural issues. The paucity of diversity in demographics and research is critical for social studies teacher educators to consider if we are to reflect multiculturalism in 21st century schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We report the background to and preliminary evaluation of the Leadership in Mental Health: Island Nations course, run for the first time in Cairns in conjunction with Creating Futures 2015.Conclusion: The course was well attended and well received, with increased confidence in key areas demonstrated and concerns regarding local application identified. In addition to positive comments, content and delivery issues were raised. Future opportunities for expanding upon this initial course are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of pedagogy and social studies content influences a teacher's decision making and helps teachers conduct sound instructional practices despite the influence of highstakes testing policies. Using national data from the Survey of the Status of Social Studies (S4), this study examined the associations of teachers' professional characteristics, school environmental factors, and state testing policy on self-reported levels of authority that secondary level social studies teachers (grades 6-12) hold over key classroom tasks. Through hierarchical multiple regression analysis, key findings from this study indicated that greater minority enrollments are associated with lower levels of instructional authority. Teachers who worked in states where a state-mandated social studies test was administered reported less freedom to choose what to teach and how to teach than those in non-testing states. Also, this study showed that in-field status, the type of licensure, and years of teaching experience are important factors in exercising social studies teachers' instructional authority (e.g., their ability to balance effectively the demands of state-mandated reforms with teaching for meaningful student learning). This study recommends that schools with high minority enrollments, especially if these districts exist in a high stakes testing environment, should invest in teachers with highquality social studies preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative research studies examining the effects of literacy instruction set in social studies classrooms (grades 6-12) on students' academic content learning and reading comprehension are synthesized using meta-analytic techniques. An extensive search of the scholarly literature between 1983 and 2013 yielded a total of twelve intervention studies that provided literacy instruction to secondary students within social studies classes and quantitatively measured content learning outcomes, reading comprehension, or both. Findings revealed that content learning outcomes were consistently improved with instruction that included text-processing activities such as summarizing and generating questions. While many social studies teachers do not provide explicit reading supports, in part because they perceive that the time needed to do so is prohibitive, the findings of this synthesis suggest that sound reading practices hold promise as a means through which teachers can help students better access social studies content, thus improving student learning outcomes. More rigorous quantitative research is needed to further understand the causal effects of literacy practices in social studies settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examined the effects of team-based learning (TBL) implemented in Grade 8 social studies classes on student content acquisition. Twenty-four classes were randomly assigned to treatment or comparison blocking on teacher. In the treatment classes teachers integrated TBL practices in the content instruction. The authors examined teacher instruction in the treatment and comparison classes during implementation. Results indicated TBL was implemented only in treatment classes and teachers demonstrated a novice level of implementation. The authors then examined the effects of the treatment implementation on measures of content acquisition. Significant differences in favor of the treatment condition were noted in the number of accurate content ideas produced in a written essay (effect size = .31). A small effect (.16) was also observed in the number of supporting details students provided in the essay but was not statistically significant. There was no benefit of the treatment on a multiple-choice test of content knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Teacher educators have an obligation to prepare preservice teachers with the skills and dispositions necessary to promote a socially just world. Yet the results of this study uncovered that the majority of elementary preservice teachers in a national sample (N= 846) have a simplistic perception of good citizenship consistent with what Westheimer and Kahne called a “personally responsible” model of citizenship. Follow-up interviews with 21 participants revealed a problematic trend among 14 participants: inadequate content knowledge and minimal support or even resistance to socially just action. As this trend is antithetical to a democratic government and the very nature of social studies, we recommend teacher educators attempt to move preservice candidates in the direction of adopting Westheimer and Kahne’s justice orientation toward citizenship when teaching elementary students in their future classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this qualitative collective case study with 6 high school civics teachers, I found that using an asset-based approach to teaching civics for, with, and by immigrant students enriched teaching and learning for immigrant and native-born students, although participants missed some opportunities for deeper exploration. I used a combined theoretical framework of additive acculturation, civic education, and codetermination, and nested this study in immigrant civic education and asset-based literature. Data revealed 3 “sites” of enriched civics teaching and learning when teachers employed an asset-based approach: adding comparative and international perspectives, initiating critical civic discourse, and challenging native-born students’ assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This review describes the conditions for teaching economics in the kindergarten through twelfth grade (K–12) curriculum in U.S. schools. The first section presents data on course-taking in economics in high schools and state mandates for economics instruction. It discusses the value of the infusion approach to teaching economics either in place of a separate course or as a complement to it. The second section describes the economic content that is taught to students as presented in content guides and standards. The final section presents research findings on (1) test instruments for measuring outcomes from economics instruction, (2) the effect of teacher coursework and training on the student economic understanding, and (3) how instructional materials complement or substitute for instructor selection and training. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of RIE: Revista de Investigacion Educativa is the property of RIE: Revista de Investigacion Educativa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The authors use U.S. public and private high school transcripts to analyze grade distribution patterns in economics courses across student and school characteristics, and compare these grades to those earned in other selected high school courses. Results are reported for the 53 percent of 2009 high school graduates who took a basic economics course and the additional 5 percent who took a college-level course in high school. Basic economics grades were relatively high but within range compared to grades earned in other social studies courses, and higher than the grades in mathematics and science courses. College-level economics grades were lower on average than those earned in college-level social studies courses, comparable to grades in college-level mathematics courses, and lower than grades in college-level science courses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors explore the use of varied learning environments for deeper learning of complex content and present a strategic approach to designing learning environments around three criteria: essential subject-matter concepts, deeper-learning criteria, and the characteristics of highly effective environments. The authors explore these criteria, suggest how teachers can use a matrix to analyze a proposed environment, and show how such analysis of the TEx² approach to financial literacy illustrates creation of a varied learning environment that will improve student mastery of the personal finance portion of the high school social studies curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the development of active, democratic citizens has become, arguably, the primary purpose of social studies education, the model of instruction in citizenship education varies significantly. Although current models of citizenship education typically foster a sense of societal conformity and law-obeyance to the exclusion of social change, this article illustrates how elementary school students engaged in the critical examination of a pertinent social issue and guided the direction of a social action plan devised to overcome the injustice of bullying. The focus of this article is to illustrate how one fourth-grade teacher harnessed her students’ enthusiasm and interest in activism through an inquiry-based, interdisciplinary social action unit devised to solve elementary school bullying. A detailed, step-by-step narrative of the unit is described. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Research has demonstrated the benefits of using historical empathy in history classrooms to encourage historical inquiry and understanding. This article chronicles the experiences of one middle school teacher as she integrates an updated theoretical and practical model of historical empathy into an existing instructional unit on Ancient Athens to help her students develop enduring understandings of social control. Students investigate primary sources, take part in group activities, and engage in Socratic dialogue to unpack the historical context, perspectives, and affective considerations of Athenian citizens who faced propositions revolving around slavery, the rights of women, and the prospect of war with Sparta. The culmination of their efforts is a simulated debate in the Athenian Assembly in which students display their newfound understanding of Ancient Athens and the human phenomena of social control gained through historical empathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the authors investigate the extent to which 9 elementary social studies methods textbooks present the purpose of teaching and learning social studies. Using Stanley’s three perspectives of teaching social studies for knowledge transmission, method of intelligence, and social transformation; we analyze how these texts prepare preservice teachers to plan, instruct, and assess social studies in the elementary grades. Findings from this study suggest that social studies methods textbooks hold divergent perspectives for teaching social studies and that the purposes presented in the texts generally determine how social studies teaching and learning is presented in the remainder of the texts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article, first the authors describe the aims of and a definition of social studies education and classroom assessment. Second, the authors provide an overview of issues related to classroom assessment followed by trends in social studies classrooms and assessment. Then the authors address essential systems and best practices related to classroom assessment, suggesting necessities for these practices to become widely accepted and implemented. The authors began our work with a thorough review of the extant literature on assessment in social studies classrooms, practices in classroom assessment, and research on assessment. As our analyses evolved, the authors found it necessary to move sideways into the literature as the empirical research in the field is sparse while the prescriptions for classroom assessment are plentiful; it is “the presence of an absence.” The article provides an overview of the empirical research literature alongside the literature that addresses assessment practices within P--12 classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we explore the challenge and experience of developing skills that are typical of information and communications engineering but linked to cybersecurity in an unusual academic context within the branch of social sciences, specifically for law and criminology students. We examine the prior assumptions regarding the technical issues evaluated, the result of putting the designed laboratory into practice, and also student satisfaction with the experience. The engineering skills-based experiences should be incorporated transversally into other subjects of non-technological sciences. Our research contributes experience along these lines, and inspires confidence in this respect for the new and ever more digitally native batches of students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article points out how „Glück“ is defined by graduates of Social Sciences and which concepts of "Glück" could be identified. The focus lies on the transition from academic studies to professional work. After giving a brief introduction of the term "Glück" we develop the hypothesis, that especially in situations of transition, different relevant social requirements for justification of action (Boltanski/Thévenot 2007) can affect the understanding of "Glück". Based on qualitative interviews we show that a critical moment is the transition from studies to job entry. This specific moment could contest the idea of "Glück" held by graduates. In the article it is showed, how social scientists experience and evaluate this transition against the background of their expectations and beliefs of "Glück". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine teacher and student behavior in high school classrooms that included at least one student identified with challenging behavior. Across two school years and within the content areas of math, reading/English, social studies, and science, student/teacher dyads were directly observed in the typical classroom setting. Results are described in terms of overall teacher rates per minute and percentages of observed instructional practice. The degree to which teacher and student behaviors differed across students with and without challenging behaviors is described. Findings revealed relatively low rates of specific instructional practices, increased use of negative feedback for students with identified challenging behaviors, and variable levels of student engagement. Study limitations and areas for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imagery and sounds from television, film, music, the Internet, and other media bombard American youth; dictating to them how they should act, think, or what they should believe. They often do not realize that they find much of their identity and belief systems in messages put forth to them by popular culture (Du Gay 1997; Hall 1997). Young people should think critically about their media choices and reflect on the degree that they shape their identity (Considine 2009; Youngbauer 2013). Even when it comes to the topic of race, the media has messages and values readily available for youth to adopt (Bresnahan and Carmen 2011). Based on the work of many popular musicians, African American identity is associated with violence, misogyny, materialism, and deviancy (Balkaran 1999; Ruffner-Ceaser 2012; West 1993). Other forms of popular culture, such as television and film, communicate the same negative messages. In what ways are black stereotypes perpetuated through popular culture? Can social studies classrooms facilitate conversations about race? This article explores how social studies educators can integrate popular culture into their curriculum to unpack racial stereotypes in American society, thereby helping students become more critically aware of the media they consume and how it impacts their lives and self-image. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Digital humanities (DH) have adopted various institutional forms in academia (centres, networks, projects, etc.). This study addresses the current state of the discipline through an analysis of DH centres, as reported by CenterNet. We analysed websites, missions, and the social media presence of the centres in order to provide an overall picture. Results show a remarkable heterogeneity in DH organisation. Finally, some of the most debated issues are discussed, such as the borders of the field, inclusion and exclusion issues, or a new cultural colonialism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With support from the National Science Foundation, two long-running social science studies - the American National Election Study and the General Social Survey - partnered with the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) and NORC at the University of Chicago to improve their metadata and build demonstration tools to illustrate the value of structured, machine-actionable metadata. The partnership also involved evaluating the studies' data collection workflows to determine where in the data life cycle metadata could be captured at source to avoid metadata loss and costly procedures to recreate the metadata later. This article reports on the experience and knowledge gained over the course of the project and also includes recommendations for others undertaking similar work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arabs and Muslims live within the United States surrounded by misconceptions about their culture and religion, both of which seemed foreign to most Americans. Arabs, like many immigrant groups who came to the United States, were not exempt from racist accusations. They were viewed as a backward, violent, desert-dwelling people. The media and Hollywood did their part to ensure that Arabs and Muslims on the big screen perpetuated these misconceptions through their movies, cartoons, and TV characters. After the attacks on 9/11, many Americans realized, for the first time, how little they understood Arabs and Muslims. This led many to raise questions about curricular needs concerning Arabs, Muslims, and the Middle East, as well as Arab and Muslim Americans living within U.S. borders. This article discusses the mixed methods study, which consisted of 101 surveys of secondary social studies teachers from across the U.S. and contextual analysis of five U.S. history textbooks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the prevalence of psychological myths and misconceptions among psychology students and within the general population. In total, 829 participants completed a 249-item questionnaire designed to measure a broad range of psychological myths. Results revealed that psychological myths and misconceptions are numerous and widely held. A number of widely held, potentially harmful, and socially divisive myths were identified. Psychology students recognized more myths than did the general population. However, effect sizes were small, indicating that education has only a very limited success in alleviating psychological myths and misconceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Given that social studies pedagogy often runs in direct opposition to how students best learn, social studies teacher preparation must intervene by providing teachers robust experiences for inquiry, interpretation, creation, and personal meaning making. Digital history represents an area of innovation in social studies that can be a useful context for providing such interventions. This research applies a design-based methodology to develop a teacher education activity that reflects research on digital history and how students learn best by constructing and extending prior knowledge, processing information into knowledge, and scaffolding. Design-based research has proven to be suitable as an intervention for classroom settings in that it can be rapidly refined in response to ongoing research on an intervention. The research asked what methods and tools can teacher educators use to promote digital history in their classrooms. Through the project, 200 teacher education students, over four iterative design phases, learned to process historical information into knowledge using technology to communicate refined versions of their knowledge to outside audiences. Seven design factors and six commonalities and differences were identified as influencing the design process. The results of this design-based research informed the development of generalizations and guidelines for designing similar digital history projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning to use new technologies often involves significant challenges for teachers and learners. This study follows Tally's ((2007). Digital technology and the end of social studies education. Theory & Research in Social Education, 35(2), 305-321) challenge to put the "why" of social studies education first, and then "tinker" with technologies to discover how they can address learning goals. Using a modified "backward design" approach (Wiggins & McTighe (2005). Understanding by design. ASCD), a design team of middle school teachers, researchers, and disciplinary experts designed, enacted, and studied historical inquiry projects in middle school and college classrooms. Students used online, interactive, historical census data GIS "webmaps" (Baker (2005). Internet-Based GIS Mapping in Support of K-12 Education. The Professional Geographer, 57(1), 44-50) to investigate African American and Latino migrations. The study presents findings detailing three emergent learning objectives, highlighting how students' presentations with GIS maps evidenced three modes of reasoning with webmaps: (1) making observations with data; (2) drawing inferences from data; and (3) explaining the limitations of data for inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report is drawn from a project funded to better support the teachers of quantitative methods in UK social science. In it we identify the types of quantitative methods taught in the geography curricula for UK schools and universities, and discuss attitudes towards those methods amongst students and teachers. We argue that geography has benefitted from its position at the intersection of the sciences, social sciences and humanities, retaining a quantitative component. Consequently, levels of basic numeracy and data handling have remained relatively high, leaving the discipline well placed to respond to the call for greater quantitative training within the social sciences in the UK. However, we also suspect that the typical levels of quantitative training in university human geography courses are not sufficiently high to compete on the international stage. As the title suggests, our report is focused on geography. However we raise issues germane to other disciplines including what actually we mean by quantitative methods, what should be taught in a twenty-first century curriculum, how to meaningfully embed those methods in the substantive themes and teaching of a discipline, and whether more should be expected as a minimum standard of quantitative competence than the existing Quality Assurance Agency benchmarks require. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst growing concern about the shortage of social science undergraduate students with even basic quantitative methods skills, student apprehension is recognised as a barrier to learning quantitative methods. A recent ESRC-funded project has sought to overcome such fear and anxiety through the design of a cross-disciplinary social sciences unit for first-year undergraduates. The unit aimed to capture students' imaginations by the use of 'quantitative narratives'-- descriptions of current social issues or controversies that allow quantitative concepts to be introduced in a contextualised way. This paper presents findings from the qualitative evaluation of the unit. It considers the attitudes and experiences of students who covered a spectrum of social science subjects, self-cited levels of confidence and prior experience of statistics. A typology of students taking the course is presented, revealing the challenge of meeting the needs of all students. Conclusions consider the implications of this evaluation both for the development of quantitative methods curricula and wider considerations for cross-disciplinary teaching in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the rationale for, design and outputs of a project, based at the University of Surrey UK and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which sought to integrate aspects of teaching substantive and Quantitative Methods (QM) teaching across first year sociology undergraduate programmes using a blended approach. The paper considers the nature of concerns regarding teaching QM within social science undergraduate programmes. It goes on to describe the rationale for this project, its design and its primary outputs. We consider a range of data related to student attitudes towards studying QM at university as well as their perspectives on the project and the implications for practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inadequate quantitative methods (QM) training provision for undergraduate social science students in the United Kingdom is a well-known problem. This paper reports on the design, implementation and assessment of an induction module created to test the hypothesis that visualization helps students learn key statistical concepts. The induction module is a twelve-week compulsory unit taught to first year social science students at a UK university, which they complete prior to a more traditional statistical, workshop-based QM module. A component of the induction module focuses on the use of visualization through Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to teach the process of hypothesis generation to students while they also are introduced to the basics of QM research design and univariate and bivariate forms of data analysis. Self-reflexive evaluation indicates that visualization could assist students with more advanced QM statistical skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistics anxiety has been widely documented among both postgraduate and undergraduate social science students and shown to be an obstacle in engaging students in quantitative methods. This article builds on previous studies that have highlighted the utility of fun and games in productive learning and overcoming anxiety. A personalized version of the game Top Trumps was developed for use with a class of postgraduate sociology students in the UK. This game provides an ideal way for students to inductively learn about basic statistical concepts, such as range and dispersion. The game also creates opportunities to engage students in critical discussion of measurement and social categorization. The article suggests that the employment of such hands-on learning exercises, especially when used in the first week of a quantitative methods module, can stimulate student interest, ameliorate statistics anxiety and encourage critical discussion, thereby positively impacting learning goals in the rest of the module. The article ends by briefly outlining how to adapt the game for use within an undergraduate module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate cognitive structure of primary education pre-service teachers regarding social studies and social sciences. 3rd grade primary education pre-service teachers who were taking the course of Social Studies Education in Primary School Teacher Education Program at the Education Faculty of Anadolu University in the spring 2012-2013 participated in this survey model designed study. In this study, word association test was used as a data collection tool to reveal the cognitive structure of primary school teacher candidates. Cut-off points were figured out in light of information about how many different answers were given and how many times these answers were used for which key concepts. Cutoff points used to prepare the concept maps. According to results of the study, it is seen that pre-service teachers mostly repeated "citizenship" for social studies, and "History" for social sciences. Also, History, skills, society-socialization, values, social participation, Geography and culture were given for both of two concepts. It can be claimed that pre-service teachers have much more conceptual information about social studies, and much more misconception about social sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to explain commonalities and differences in the responses of four national educational science communities to the same external stimulus, namely international comparative large scale student assessments that offered vastly improved comparability of national results from the beginning of the 1990s. The comparison shows the epistemic traditions of educational research in the four countries and properties of the data produced by the international comparative studies to be the central explanatory factors for commonalities and differences of responses to the new studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on student outcomes from the administration of a co-taught course designed around teaching collaboration with a special education teacher preparation program in history and social studies in secondary settings. The modes of inquiry used to learn the impact of a co-taught course on students are described. Also mentioned are the data sources used to assess student outcomes. Findings reveal the views of students about collaboration and communication.

The article discusses a research study which examined how the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) shapes history and social studies instruction and education in the U.S. It mentions the role of school districts in the implementation of the CCSS. Findings are presented on the varying interpretations by administrators in the Del Sur County Office of Education in Southern California on the role of the CCSS in history and social studies classroom.

Diabetes is an enormous public health problem with particular concern within Hispanic communities and among individuals with low wealth. However, attempts to expand the public health paradigm to include social determinants of health rarely include analysis of social and contextual factors considered outside the purview of health research. As a result, conceptualization of the dynamics of diabetes health disparities remains shallow. We argue that using a holistic anthropological lens has the potential to offer insights regarding the nature of the interface between broader social determinants, health outcomes and health disparity. In a primarily Hispanic, immigrant community in Albuquerque, New Mexico, we conducted a mixed methods study that integrates an anthropological lens with a community engaged research design. Our data from focus groups, interviews, a survey and blood sampling demonstrate the need to conceptualize social determinants more broadly, more affectively and more dynamically than often considered. These results highlight a need to include, in addition to individual-level factors that are traditionally the focus of public health and more innovative structural factors that are currently in vogue, an in-depth, qualitative exploration of local context, social environment, and culture, and their interactions and intersectionality, as key factors when considering how to achieve change. The discussion presented here offers a model for culturally situated and contextually relevant scientific research. This model achieves the objectives and goals of both public health and anthropology while providing valuable insights and mechanisms for addressing health disparity such as that which exists in relation to diabetes among Hispanic immigrants in New Mexico. Such an approach has implications for how research projects are designed and conceptualizing social determinants more broadly. The discussion presented provides insights with relevance for both disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article communicates results of data analysis from an online survey of teachers in the state of Illinois. The data were collected as part of the National Profile of Social Studies Teachers Project (NPSS), which concerned the status of social studies teaching. This article spotlights social studies education and the relationship of teaching conditions/practices with the values contained with the methods and content. This study found that respondents defined social studies’ importance and student learning in terms of content. The responses conveyed this view of content among respondents and were consistent with established relationships between state assessments and teacher views of social studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In our world that natural resources have been rapidly consumed, and their quality-quantity have been changed, very little part of natural areas (e.g. 7% of natural forests) has been able to remain in relatively wide, undisturbed units. On such an environment, it is required for sensitive terrestrial-marine natural heritage areas to be put under conservation urgently and, for conservation-usage balance to be pursued. Syllabuses which are in the status of constitution of training-education activities are required to have a deep content and attainments so that conservation consciousness of natural heritage can be able to be created. In this study, our social studies (secondary school) and geography (secondary and higher education) curricula were examined by descriptive method in terms of conservation of natural heritage. As a result of the research, it was found that social studies syllabuses had been inadequate, but as for geography syllabuses for secondary education had been seen relatively adequate. Units and attainments, which contain concepts of natural heritage and its conservation, should appear comprehensively in our country's social studies syllabuses, and they should be drawn from 12th grades to 10th or 1th grades as for in geography cirriculum for secondary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, it was intended to introduce Social Studies Curriculum of Ontario Province of Canada which was implemented in 2004, then its comparison with The Turkish Social Studies Curriculum which was implemented in 2005 in terms of structures, approaches, contents, purposes, learning-teaching processes and assessment-evaluation approaches. Ontario Social Studies Curriculum was examined from its historical roots until the current status; however Turkish Social Studies Curriculum is not examined in detail but examined in a comparative way. Document analysis, which is one of Qualitative research methods, was conducted in the research. In conclusion, it has been found that there are differences in class levels covered by the curricula, distribution of learning strands and units in grades, purposes, number of expectations and their classifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to give suggestions increasing the economy literacy levels of the students at the primary school level. The alternative ways were presented to the teachers for the Social Studies lessons by examining the samples in the literature in this direction. This study is in the literature scanning model. Today's students shall face with more complicated economy subjects while making the decisions that will affect their lives when they became adults. The individuals not literate economically and who are void of applying the economic judgment skills, shall consider the economic problems faced by them when both they were young and also they became adults complicated and threatening. The young people can understand the global economy only when learned the economy subjects and thus they have roles much better in their country's economic system. Therefore it is quite important for today's young people to understand how the economy affects the humans' lives in the triangle of the producer, consumer and good citizen. The activities to be applied by the teachers in the Social Studies lessons while they teach the economy subjects, shall help to the teachers to learn the economy subjects seem hard and complicated in both enjoyable and also permanent ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been an effective tool for the educational systems. There are many efforts for use this tool especially teaching of geography topics in the Turkish middle or secondary schools. The aim of this study is to determine Turkish middle school students' opinions related to using of GIS in the teaching process. There were 273 middle school students (6th, 7th and 8th grade) surveyed in this research. The GIS attitudes test used in the study was prepared by the researcher. According to the research results, Turkish middle schools students' opinions related to motivation to use GIS and the use of GIS in the teaching process were positive. They also stated that they didn't have any significant learning difficulties with GIS. In conclusion the results were interpreted that GIS would be an appropriate tool for teaching some subject matter or curriculum content in the middle school in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]