Results from a National Random Survey
NCSS Vital Issues Session
November 14, 2009
Atlanta, GA
Presenters
 James Leming
Character Education Associates
 Lucien Ellington
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
 Mark Schug
Mark Schug Consulting
 David Dieterle
Walsh College
The Research
 National random telephone survey of 1,201 high school social studies






teachers
Funded by the Bradley Foundation and a US Department of Education
Excellence in Education grant from the Council on Economic
Education
Data collected between December 2007 and April 2008
Multi-step sampling process beginning with the NCES nationally
representative random sample of public high schools (grades 9-12)
Schools were stratified by size, region, urbanicity
Initial calls to front office. Random alphabetization used to identify
teachers. Strict replacement procedures used to replace refusals from
schools and/or teachers.
Sampling error of +/- 2.8% for total sample and +/- 5.7% for subject
matter subsamples.
Myth: Definition
A popular belief or story that has become associated
with a person, institution, or occurrence, especially
one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal.
2. A fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part
of an ideology.
1.
The Myths
1)
High school social studies teachers highly value their professional
teacher education coursework.
2)
Digital resources such as the internet are quickly causing social
studies textbooks to become obsolete instructional tools.
3)
High school social studies teachers eschew whole class instruction.
4)
High school social studies teachers’ greatest professional
development needs focus on differentiating instruction, classroom
management, diversity, and constructivist pedagogy.
5)
Social studies teachers (American history, civics and world history)
believe it is important to focus on the role of significant individuals
and heroes and heroines in shaping the world today.
The Myths (2)
6) High school social studies teachers emphasize teaching
7)
8)
9)
10)
facts and concepts as an important rationale for their
respective subject matters.
State and district testing significantly influences high
school social studies instruction.
Economics is a fundamental social studies subject in
most states.
High school economics teachers utilize the same
teaching methods as other social studies teachers.
High school social studies teachers view themselves as
objective in their approach to instruction.
Myth 1
High school social studies
teachers highly value their
professional teacher education
coursework.
Myth 1 Findings
IQ 25: Please rate the quality of the following aspects of the teacher preparation
program that you received in college, and if applicable, in graduate school.
(% saying very good)
Total
U.S. History
World History
Civics
Economics
Your history, political
science, and
economics courses
55%
49%
54%
59%
60%
Student teaching
47%
47%
47%
49%
46%
25%
17%
24%
28%
31%
24%
19%
24%
24%
27%
Your professional
education courses,
excluding student
teaching
Courses in the
methods of teaching
social studies
Myth 2
Digital resources such as the
internet are quickly causing
social studies textbooks to
become obsolete instructional
tools.
Myth 2 Findings
Textbook Usage – By Years of Experience
Q20A. Which of the following best represents the use of textbooks in your
current teaching?
My students
and I use
textbooks in
class and for
homework
Total
<10 years
10-19 years
20+ years
75%
70%
77%
80%
Myth 3
High school social studies
teachers eschew whole class
instruction.
Myth 3 Findings (1)
Q19. On which of the following did you spend the majority of time in your
MOST RECENT class period?
Myth 3 Findings (2)
IQ18. Please tell me the frequency of the following activities in
your classes. (% saying or almost every every class)
Myth 4
High school social studies
teachers’ greatest professional
development needs focus on
differentiating instruction,
classroom management,
diversity, and constructivist
pedagogy.
Myth 4 Findings
The question: Respondents were asked to assess the
importance of a variety of professional development
needs on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means a very low
need and 10 means a high need.
Myth 4 Findings
The results:
% saying 8, 9, 10—high need area
Total
U.S. History
World History
Civics
Economics
65%
64%
65%
70%
61%
63%
64%
61%
65%
60%
53%
55%
55%
57%
47%
Meeting the academic
needs of culturally and
learning diverse students
in my school
51%
56%
51%
55%
44%
Classroom management
42%
43%
47%
45%
33%
Meeting students’ social
and psychological needs
42%
41%
48%
45%
35%
39%
39%
42%
39%
37%
36%
37%
38%
38%
32%
Presenting content
effectively
Subject matter
knowledge
Assessing student
performance
Constructivist teaching
techniques
Preparing students for
test taking
Myth 5
Social studies teachers (American
history, civics and world history)
believe it is important to focus on the
role of significant individuals and
heroes and heroines in shaping the
world today.
Myth 5 Findings: US history
Most Important Topics to emphasize in the U.S. History in the curriculum
Q7 A/B Considering all the reasons we have discussed regarding where the
emphasis should be in the U.S. History curriculum which do you think should
receive the most/second most emphasis?
Combined importance
2nd most important
Most important
Thinking critically about
American institutions and
society
64%
45%
20%
Building an understanding
of the U.S. Constitution and
political system
62%
33%
30%
Promoting acceptance of
cultural diversity
34%
9%
26%
Fighting injustice in
American society
24%
8%
17%
8%
2%
6%
Learning about heroes and
heroines in American history
Myth 5 Findings: Civics
Most Important Topics to Emphasize in the Civics Curriculum
Q13F/G. Considering all the reasons we have discussed regarding where the emphasis
should be in the civics curriculum, which do you think should receive the most/second-most
emphasis?
Building an understanding
of the U.S. Constitution
and political system
Thinking critically about
American institutions and
society
Promoting acceptance of
cultural diversity
Fighting injustice in
American society
Learning about heroes
and heroines in American
history
Combined importance
Most important
2nd most important
74%
49%
25%
59%
31%
28%
33%
11%
22%
28%
7%
21%
5%
1%
4%
Myth 5 Findings: World History
Most important topics to emphasize in the world history curriculum
Q 9 A/B Considering all the reasons we have discussed for teaching world history, what
do you consider to be the most/second most important reason?
Combined importance
Most important
2nd most important
Developing a tolerance of
cultural differences
55%
31%
24%
Developing an
understanding of current
affairs
42%
22%
20%
Developing active global
citizens
36%
20%
16%
Developing an
understanding of individuals’
roles in shaping world
events
23%
10%
13%
Developing an appreciation
of core democratic values
23%
9%
14%
An emphasis on historical
facts and concepts
18%
7%
11%
Myth 6
High school social studies teachers
emphasize teaching facts and
concepts as an important rationale
for their respective subject matters.
Myth 6 Findings: US history
Combined importance
Most important
2nd most important
60%
41%
20%
35%
16%
20%
32%
15%
18%
19%
5%
15%
19%
7%
12%
Building patriotism
17%
9%
8%
Encouraging political
activism
11%
3%
8%
Forming critically-minded,
reflective citizens
Promoting democratic
values
Producing well adjusted
members of society
Building cultural
understanding
An emphasis on historical
facts and concepts
Myth 6 Findings: Civics
Forming critically-minded,
reflective citizens
Promoting democratic
values
Producing well adjusted
members of society
Encouraging political
activism
Building patriotism
Building cultural
understanding
An emphasis on historical
facts and concepts
Combined importance
Most important
2nd most important
62%
43%
19%
47%
21%
26%
39%
19%
20%
20%
7%
13%
14%
4%
10%
12%
4%
8%
6%
2%
4%
Myth 6 Findings: World History
Developing a tolerance of
cultural differences
Developing an
understanding of current
affairs
Developing active global
citizens
Developing an
understanding of individuals’
roles in shaping world
events
Developing an appreciation
of core democratic values
An emphasis on historical
facts and concepts
Combined importance
Most important
2nd most important
55%
31%
24%
42%
22%
20%
36%
20%
16%
23%
10%
13%
23%
9%
14%
18%
7%
11%
Myth 6 Findings: Economics
Forming critically-minded,
reflective citizens
Developing an
understanding of basic
economic concepts
Using economics to better
understand current affairs
Developing an appreciation
of core economic values
and freedoms
Helping students adjust to
society
Developing activists to use
government to solve current
societal problems
Developing activists to use
market to solve current
societal problems
Helping students learn
about other countries
Combined importance
Most important
2nd most important
48%
28%
20%
42%
24%
18%
34%
14%
20%
23%
11%
12%
20%
10%
10%
12%
4%
8%
11%
6%
5%
6%
2%
4%
Myth 7
State and district testing
significantly influences high
school social studies
instruction.
Myth 7 Findings
Total
Northeast
Midwest
South
West
U.S.history
60%
47%
53%
79%
44%
World history
39%
32%
42%
38%
39%
Civics
31%
8%
46%
36%
11%
Economics
25%
5%
39%
30%
10%
No state tests in
social studies are
ever administered
37%
52%
42%
15%
56%
Myth 8
Economics is a fundamental
social studies subject in most
states.
Myth 8 Findings (1)
Total
Northeast
Midwest
South
West
US History
60%
47%
53%
79%
44%
World history
39%
32%
42%
38%
39%
Civics
31%
8%
46%
36%
11%
Economics
25%
5%
39%
30%
10%
No state tests in
social studies are
ever administered
37%
52%
42%
15%
56%
Myth 8 Findings (2)
Combined importance
2nd most important
Most important
Personal finance and consumer
education
62%
44%
18%
Microeconomic concepts
36%
14%
22%
Macroeconomic concepts
31%
14%
17%
Critical thinking about free
market institutions
30%
15%
15%
How markets create prosperity
13%
5%
8%
13%
4%
9%
11%
3%
8%
0%
0%
0%
International trade and
institutions
Injustice in the economic
system
Non-market economic systems
Myth 9
High school economics teachers
utilize the same teaching
methods as other social studies
teachers.
Myth 9 Findings
IQ18. Please tell me the frequency of the following activities in your
classes. (% saying every class or almost every class)
Myth 10
High school social studies
teachers view themselves as
objective in their approach to
instruction.
Myth 10 Findings
More liberal than
the majority in the
community
More
conservative than
the majority in the
community
Very much in line
with the majority
in the community
Total
U.S. History
World History
Civics
Economics
38%
38%
38%
42%
33%
15%
15%
18%
14%
14%
38%
40%
36%
37%
41%
Myth 10 Findings (2)
Total
U.S. History
World History
Civics
Economics
All the time
11%
13%
12%
7%
12%
Some of the time
45%
48%
46%
47%
40%
Seldom
27%
25%
25%
29%
29%
Never
10%
9%
11%
11%
10%
The End