Using Historical Thinking Practices to Support Social Justice–Oriented Civic Goals in the Elementary Classroom

• In Event: 18.072 - Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: 18.072-13 - Addressing Social Justice and Democracy in the Social Studies

Abstract

Taken from a larger qualitative, multi-case study on teachers’ use of disciplinary inquiry practices to support social justice civic goals, the findings reported in this paper illuminate how an elementary classroom provides specific opportunities for and constraints on teacher practices that use historical inquiry skills to support social justice-oriented civic goals. Data collected and analyzed for this paper include eight weeks of classroom observations, three interviews, three focus groups and teaching documents. Using 2nd generation activity theory as a theoretical and analytical framework, the study offers empirical evidence of classroom and community opportunities including how temporal and spatial factors supported teacher practices. However, teacher fear of supporting misconceptions constrained a more complete connection of historical and contemporary injustice.

Author

• Jennifer Lynn Gallagher, East Carolina University