Social Studies Teachers’ Beliefs: Justice, Democracy, and Global Change (Poster 7)

• In Event: A Global Perspective of the Landscape of Research on Teachers’ Beliefs

Abstract

Purposes
In this review, we seek to understand what current research tells us about the beliefs of social studies teachers, how those beliefs change across teachers’ career spans, how they vary by regional and national context, and how they relate to the practices that social studies teachers engage in within their classrooms.

Theoretical Frameworks
This literature review uses two frameworks in its analysis: transformative and expansive democracy (Banks, 2017; Author, 2023) and justice (Ayers et al., 2009; Ladson-Billings, 2022; Author, 2021).

Modes of Inquiry
We engaged in a systematic synthesis of research on social studies teachers’ beliefs across international contexts published in peer-reviewed journals. We examined research on preservice and in-service K-12 teachers of social studies, including the elementary-level, where the subject is often taught as an integrated subject as part of a self-contained classroom, and the middle- or high school levels, where it is usually specialized disciplinary courses.
Our search spanned from 2012 to 2023. In the end, we included 151 articles in this review. Studies included social studies teachers in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia/Oceania. A substantial number of these studies used qualitative (often employing case study methods), survey, or mixed methods, but there were also a number of quantitative studies.

Findings
Across these studies of social studies teachers’ beliefs, we found three main themes. First, researchers examined social studies teachers’ beliefs about justice, or what Ladson-Billings (2022) has described as what is right, fair, and equitable for all. These studies examined teachers’ beliefs of social identity (i.e., race, class, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status) and culture. We also placed studies of teachers' beliefs about disciplinary tools within this theme, as the ultimate purpose for students to develop historical, political, economic, geographic, and sociological thinking is to make the world better and more just (Author, 2021).

Second, researchers explored social studies teachers’ beliefs about democracy and citizenship, particularly at the local and national levels, which also included how certain communities are included or excluded from the civic project and ways that citizenship can be more transformative (Author, 2023). In this theme, we also examine the tools that citizens need to navigate our rapidly changing world, including teachers' beliefs about social studies-related literacies and technologies.
Third, researchers investigated social studies teachers’ beliefs in relation to global change. Here, we placed studies about what teachers believe the purpose of social studies is in our current age (Ross, 2014), as well as their beliefs about globalization, migration, and global citizenship (Ikeno, 2014; Myers, 2006).

Significance
Across the research, there is strong evidence that social studies teachers’ beliefs are generally difficult to change and the most effective teacher learning occurs when it builds on teachers’ pre-existing beliefs, which aligns with the findings of Wideen et al.’s (1998) foundational review of research on learning to teach. However, recent research has revealed numerous additional ways that teachers’ beliefs influence their pedagogy.

Authors

• Christopher C. Martell, University of Massachusetts - Boston

• Kristen Duncan, Clemson University