Towards a Comprehensive Method for Evaluating Social Studies Curriculum Materials: With Examples from the Elementary School Curriculum.

The evaluation methodology delineated in this paper is a work in progress. The purpose is to develop a method for evaluating social studies curriculum materials that encompasses the materials' comprehensibility and the perspective offered. The paper draws from past evaluations that focused on either comprehensibility or perspective but have not typically encompassed both types of evaluation. It offers examples of studies for comprehensibility such as those done by I. L. Beck and M. G. McKeown (1991), Bonnie B. Armbruster and Thomas H. Anderson (1984), Jere Brophy (1990) and Jane J. White (1988). It offers examples of studies for perspective as well, such as those by Jean Anyon (1978, 1983), Ray Allen Billington (1966), Joel Taxel (1984), Linda S. Levstik (1990), and others. As a general overview, the evaluation methodology determines whether the curriculum materials are age appropriate, educationally significant, and offers the perspective of groups of people important to the topic. Noting that a content goal is necessary for each topic being evaluated, the paper states that this content goal serves as a model for age appropriate and educationally significant information on the particular topic. It explains that, for the first use of the evaluation, three topics from the original textbook series for elementary school social studies by Hanna and Rugg: (1) pre-industrial Pacific Island societies, specifically Samoa and New Guinea; (2) Dutch colonial New York; and (3) the beginnings of industrialization in the 18th century English textile industry. It notes that the aim is to use this evaluation in the future with other materials, modern and historical fiction and non-fiction tradebooks, videos and computer resources as well as textbooks and materials at grade levels other than elementary. (Contains 22 references.) (BT)