Goals of social studies and the methods and practices applied in classrooms – results of a teacher study

Abstract

The goal of the study was to explore the curricular goals preferred, methods and practices used by teachers involved in social studies education. Data was collected with an online questionnaire from teachers in elementary and high schools, a total of 400 teachers filled out the questionnaire. The outcomes show that teachers emphasize the importance of teaching about human rights and moral values and positive attitudes towards environment protection. The most frequently used methods and practices are searching for and interpreting information, examining visual aids and discussions. The outcomes of the cluster analysis resulted four teacher groups regarding their goal-preference: teachers devoted to developing tolerance, environment protection, national identity, and solidarity. The comparison of the four groups resulted no difference in the methods and practices used by the four groups during their work.