<p>The decline in Americans’ civic knowledge and engagement is alarming and concerning for U.S. democracy. Over the years, there has been an increasing concern about the amount of civic knowledge and content taught in schools, students’ civic scores, equipping classrooms with civic learning opportunities, and federal funding for students in civics and civic programs. Thus, extant literature shows four critical gaps of concern: 1) curriculum gap, 2) knowledge gap, 3) research gap, and 4) funding gap. As a result, studies on civic readiness have become essential due to the growing concern for reinforcing civic readiness in U.S. classrooms. However, despite the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) advocacy for inquiry as the best practice for social studies teaching and using the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) in teaching inquiry across all social studies disciplines [history, civics, geography, economics], few studies examine the civic readiness of middle-graders using inquiry-based approaches, such as the IDM. Likewise, research examining how different schools are equipped with civic learning opportunities, practices, and access to resources for students is limited. This study employed a multiple-case design to investigate how inquiry-based instructional approaches, such as IDM, foster the civic readiness of middle graders in seven middle-grade social studies classrooms in a midwestern school. Multiple datasets were used, including 14 teacher interviews with seven middle-level social studies teachers, 162 class observation hours, and 246 documents/content analyses. This study argues that there are barriers to middle graders’ civic readiness, and teachers employ different strategies in diagnosing and addressing the barriers; however, inquiry teaching, using the IDM, is an effective instructional approach and plays a pivotal role in fostering civic readiness of middle graders. The findings highlight seven barriers for middle graders in their preparation for civic readiness. Participants shared five strategic ways to diagnose those barriers and five approaches to address them. The study further highlights practical implications for teachers and students, teacher preparation programs, policymakers and teacher educators, and future research. </p>

The adoption of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology in social studies classroom practices has helped accelerate the achievement of educational goals. However, despite the value that GIS possesses for supporting student learning skills, few schools have adopted it so far. A reason for this deficiency lies in the absence of specific instructional models that demonstrate possible methods for incorporating GIS into class curriculum. This study sought to address this problem, tailored specifically for Kuwaiti social studies classrooms, with the design, development, and validation of a GIS Instructional Model to facilitate AIW. The study employed a design and development research methodology, comprised of five major phases, (i) selection of model components and theoretical foundation, (ii) analysis and development, (iii) formative feedback, (iv) revision, and (v) usability evaluation. In phase one, the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) format and components with AIW framework were selected to provide basic guidelines for the GIS Instructional Model. In phase two, following a comprehensive review of relevant academic literature, and in combination with personal experience, the researcher developed a preliminary GIS Instructional Model. In phase three, two expert reviewers evaluated the model, delivering their opinions by completing an online survey and taking part in follow-up interviews. The expert reviewers were primarily tasked with determining the model's ability to facilitate AIW in a social studies classroom, and providing suggestions for improving its performance. In phase four, the details gleaned from this formative feedback phase were then used to revise the model and enhance its effectiveness. In the last phase, six Kuwaiti expert reviewers assessed this updated version of the GIS Instructional Model to determine what barriers it might face regarding its implementation in the Kuwaiti educational system. They completed an online survey as part of this process and provided possible solutions to address perceived barriers. The data gained from expert reviewer feedback in these formative and usability evaluation phases were analyzed using qualitative methodologies. This step-by-step procedure helped to validate the model. As a result, a ready-to-implement teaching model, with all necessary teaching materials and instructions, was developed for Kuwaiti social studies classrooms. This model is proposed to enable social studies teachers to better understand how to integrate GIS into their classrooms to support AIW. Recommendations are provided for Kuwaiti educational policymakers and stakeholders to help overcome perceived obstacles that may hinder model implementation; suggestions for future research are also included. / Doctor of Philosophy / Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are software-based technologies which simplify the gathering, storing and manipulation of spatially-related data in ways which allow users to visually represent complex geographic phenomena more easily, bringing greater understanding for the world around us. As a result, the integration of GIS technology into social studies classroom practices has assisted student learning and achievement. However, despite the value which GIS possesses, few schools have integrated this technology so far. A significant reason for this limitation is the lack of clear guidelines or models which demonstrate how to employ this technology in the classroom. To help address the problem, this study developed a GIS Instructional Model for Kuwaiti social studies teachers to facilitate student authentic intellectual work, i.e. the student's demonstration of their deeper understanding for the knowledge and skills they are learning. The study employed a design and developmental research methodology, comprised of five major phases, (i) selection of model components and theoretical foundation, (ii) analysis and development, (iii) formative feedback, (iv) revision, and (v) usability evaluation. Phase one involved the selection of the study's theoretical foundation. In phase two, following a comprehensive review of relevant academic literature and, in combination with personal experience, the researcher developed a preliminary GIS Instructional Model. Two expert reviewers evaluated the model in phase three, delivering their opinions by completing an online survey and taking part in follow-up interviews. This feedback was analyzed in phase four, leading to revisions in the GIS Instructional Model to improve its quality for supporting student learning. In the final phase, six Kuwaiti expert reviewers assessed the newly-updated model to determine what barriers it might face regarding its implementation in the Kuwaiti educational system. They completed an online survey as part of this process and provided possible solutions to address these perceived obstacles. This step-by-step procedure helped to validate the model. The overall result was the development of a ready-to-implement teaching model, with all necessary educational materials and instructions, for employing GIS technology in Kuwaiti social studies classrooms to support student authentic intellectual work. In addition, recommendations were provided for Kuwaiti educational policymakers and stakeholders to help overcome perceived obstacles that may hinder model implementation; suggestions for future research are also included.