Analytical Processes and Possibilities in Social Studies Education Research

• In Event: (Re)Imagining Social Studies Educational Research While Under Attack: Interrogating Methodologies to Repair Harm

Abstract

The final paper in this session will explore unique analytical frames and techniques that are not frequently employed as featured in social studies research over an eight-year period from 2015 to 2022. Instead of focusing on quantitative research that relied on descriptive analyses, the authors featured studies that employed inferential analyses. They showcase examples of research that utilized linear modeling, multi-level approaches to analyze large data sets, or quasi-experimental and experimental designs. Most qualitative research in this review featured categorical thinking often associated with coding and categorizing data in ways that produce themes. This presentation focuses instead on studies that exemplified other “modes of thinking,” including narrative, dialectical, and diagrammatical ways of thinking (Freeman, 2017). The authors encourage social studies education researchers to incorporate infrequently used analytical tools to expand research possibilities in this field.

Authors

• Christopher H. Clark, University of North Dakota

• Sarah A. Mathews, Florida International University