Evidence-Based Practices for Enhancing Social Studies Instruction and Developing 21st Century Skills in a Complex World

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session Three
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT051 (Friday)

Abstract

This study investigates how high school social studies teachers perceive and implement Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs) in alignment with Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) to prepare students for the 6Cs of 21st-century learning: Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Connectivity, and Culture. It aims to address persistent achievement gaps and sociopolitical challenges in education by exploring the instructional agency of teachers and the role of CRP as both a mediating and catalytic force in complex learning environments. The study draws on Adaptive Leadership Theory for navigating VUCA, Self-Efficacy Theory for linking teacher beliefs to practice, and Cognitive Development Theory for emphasizing social learning. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) serves as both method and equity lens, while policy entrepreneurship guides systemic educational reform.

Author

• J. Ryan Moses, Creighton University