Rethinking “General Audience”: A Comparison of Film Usage Between Honors and General-Level Social Studies Classes

• In Event: Roundtable Session 95
  In Roundtable Session: New Possibilities in Social Studies Education

Abstract

Hollywood feature films and television shows have become a staple in secondary social studies classrooms. Marcus and Stoddard (2007) report that over 90% of secondary social studies teachers use feature films on a weekly basis as part of their instruction. However, researchers are only beginning to understand the strengths and limitations of using feature film in the classroom. This qualitative study adds to the existing literature on film in social studies classrooms by describing the differences between prolonged film usage in two secondary civics classrooms containing students of varying academic ability. The findings of this study will provide social studies researchers with a better understanding of the challenges associated with ensuring all students are able to learn from feature films.

Authors

• Lisa Brown Buchanan, University of North Carolina - Wilmington

• Wayne Journell, University of North Carolina - Greensboro