Teaching War: A Literature Review of Secondary Social Studies Teachers

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Abstract

In this systematic review, I analyzed 19 empirical studies across 12 geographic contexts of secondary social studies teachers regarding how they taught about war. I found that the factors that influenced how teachers teach war were situated in three contexts: the teacher context, the community context, and the nation/state context. For teacher context, teachers considered their beliefs and past experiences in regard to war, their content knowledge of the war, and their knowledge of pedagogy when teaching war. In the local context, teachers balanced perceived community values, local resources, and students’ wellbeing. Lastly, the nation/state context played a role, such as the power of the state, curricula standards, and the conclusion of the war under investigation.

Author

• Jonathan Lancaster, Montclair State University