Sports Coaches and High School Social Studies Teachers: Myth or Men?

• In Event: 16.057 - Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: 16.057-24 - Issues Affecting K–12 Social Studies Instruction

Abstract

The perception that high school social studies teachers are often sports coaches is widespread, but there has been little empirical research on this issue. We suggest that there may be a link between this pattern in social studies and another underexplored topic: the unequal gender balance among high school social studies teachers (Fitchett, 2010) In this paper, we describe a study designed to explore the link between coaching and social studies teaching. Through the analysis of a database of teacher-coaches in Georgia, we present evidence in our sample to substantiate the perception of the social studies-coaching connection and the disproportionate representation of men social studies coaches in comparison to men coaches in the other subject areas.

Authors

• Mardi Schmeichel, University of Georgia

• Erin Adams, University of Georgia - Athens

• Jacob Malone, University of Georgia

• Glenda Wheatley, University of Georgia

• Michael Patrick Cassidy, TERC