The “Traditions” Revisited: Instructional Approach and High School Social Studies Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to explore and characterize the instructional approaches of US high school social studies teachers according to Martorella's “alternative perspectives on citizenship education” framework. The study was based on a national survey of 500 high school social studies teachers holding membership in the National Council for the Social Studies. The major finding was that the research subjects identified more strongly with the instructional approaches of social studies as reflective inquiry, social studies as informed social criticism, and social studies as personal development than with the approaches of social studies as citizenship transmission and social studies as social science. Implications are addressed relative to previous findings and future research.