Social Studies Research and Practice
Volume 5, Number 2, Summer 2010
The Marginalization of Elementary Social Studies in Teacher Education
Cheryl Mason Bolick
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
This article examines the literature related to the marginalization of social studies through the lens of elementary social studies teacher education. This study presents the case of two different states wherein one state, Virginia, tests social studies in elementary schools and another state, North Carolina, where social studies is not tested until middle school. The data gathered from both states were originally analyzed to shed light on the question of testing’s effect on teacher preparation and subsequent curriculum enactment. Data collected from the study suggest that factors such as field experiences, programs of study, and methods instruction impact teacher education in elementary social studies in more important ways than student testing.
Reid L. Adams, doctoral candidate in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research is in the area of teacher education, social foundations of education, and the intersection of popular culture and pedagogy. He teaches in the elementary education program as well as the Master of Arts in Teaching program at UNC-CH.
Lara Willox, doctoral candidate in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research is in the area of culturally responsive teacher education, elementary social studies education, and social foundations of education. She works as the elementary education program assistant and teaches for the Master of Arts in Teaching and elementary education program.
Citation for this Article: Bolick, C. M., Adams, R. L., & Willox, L. (2010). The marginalization of elementary social studies in teacher education. Social Studies Research & Practice, 5(1), 1-22. Retrieved from http://www.socstrp.org/issues/PDF/5.2.3.pdf.