State History Teachers: An Examination of the Influence of Technology Use on Historical Inquiry

• In Event: Examining Teachers’ Intentions and Practices When Integrating Technologies

Abstract

The reform of pedagogy is a central issue in the debate over social studies education. There is still a significant gap between teacher-centered and student-centered pedagogies emphasized in social studies education research. Past research has shown that there is a significant positive relationship between computer and technology use and a more student-centered pedagogy. In fact, Becker & Ravitz (1999) showed that this relationship is particularly strong in the social studies. However, there is little research on the specific types of student-centered pedagogies that increased technology-use enables. This study addresses the gap by looking at how state history teachers use technology and how it affects their use of specific student-centered pedagogies.

Authors

• Dennis Beck, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

• Jenni Eno, University of Arkansas