This thesis determines the growth of scientific thinking and civic attitudes attained by students in the Grandfalls Royalty High School in West Texas.

Syftet med denna studie har varit att bidra med information om hur en mindre grupp gymnasister anser att distansundervisning har innehållit meningsfulla undervisningsmoment, som sin tur har gynnat deras möjligheter för kunskap- och färdighetsutveckling. Därtill har studien försökt avgöra om enkätens resultat kan antyda till att samma gymnasister har tagit del av gynnsam förmedling av medborgarkompetenser som anses viktiga för möjligheten till aktivt samhällsdeltagande. För att undersöka detta har studien genomfört en enkätundersökning med 147 gymnasister, varav samtliga har studerat samhällskunskap genom distansundervisning under perioden mars 2020 till april 2021. Enkätundersökningens resultat har därefter analyserats genom studiens analytiska verktyg, som i sin tur har hjälp att besvara studiens frågeställningar Resultaten visar att en majoritet av respondenterna kan ha tagit del av undervisningsaspekter som antyder till meningsfull undervisning, medan en tydlig minoritet anser motsatsen. Dock visar resultatet även på motsägande aspekter, exempelvis att distansundervisning även har bidragit till ett ökat fokus på att nå kunskapskrav istället för utvecklandet av kunskaper och färdigheter. Resultaten visar även att en majoritet av elever antyder till att de har tagit del av kunskaps- och färdighetsutvecklande undervisning som kan bidra till utvecklandet av medborgarkompetenser. Resultatet bidrar dessutom med uppfattningen om att distansundervisning i ämnet samhällskunskap har haft varierande framgångar i förmedlandet av medborgarkompetenser som kan kopplas till utvecklandet av intresse- och ökat engagemang för politiska- och samhällsrelaterade frågor. / The purpose of this study has been to contribute information about how a small group of upper secondary school students consider that distance education has included meaningful teaching moments, which in turn have favoured their opportunities for knowledge and skill development. In addition, the study has tried to determine whether the survey’s results can imply that the same students have taken part of favourable intermediation of civic competences which are considered important for the possibility of active participation in society. To investigate this, the study has conducted a survey with 147 upper secondary school students, of which all have studied social studies through distance education during the period of March 2020 to April 2021. The results of the study where then analysed through this study´s analytical instrument, which in turn has aided answering this study’s research questions.  The results show that a majority of the respondents may have taken part of teaching aspects that implies to meaningful education, while a minority consider the opposite. However, the results also show contradictory aspects, for example that distance education also has contributed to an increased focus on reaching knowledge requirements instead of the development of knowledge and skills. The results also show that a majority of students imply that they have taken part of knowledge and skills developing education that can contribute to the development of civic competences. Additionally, the results also contribute to the notion that distance education in the subject of social studies has had varying degrees of success concerning mediation of civic competences which can be connected to the development of interest and increased commitment in political and societal issues.

In this episode, we consider the role of civics, government, and political science in K-5 classrooms. We explore related standards, connections to the NCSS, and review some essential content and topics for elementary learners. We also visit some key civic digital resources for the classroom. / https://dc.etsu.edu/social-studies-education-oer/1006/thumbnail.jpg

The purpose of this study is to examine how five social studies teachers in Stockholm County incorporate gender and equality into the core content of the social studies syllabus in year 4-6.  It will also address the didactic choices the teachers make to transform the curriculum content into practical education. To investigate this purpose, three questions were formulated: 1. What do five social studies teachers consider essential for students to learn in order to address gender and equality in the social studies syllabus for years 4-6?  2. How does the written content of the syllabus transform into practical education; what didactic choices do the teachers make? 3. According to the teachers, what part does gender and equality play in social studies education? In order to examine these questions, two qualitative research methods, interviews and observations were used. The outcomes have been analysed using an analytical tool inspired by two previous tools used in earlier didactic research studies, which have been developed further and combined for the purpose of this study. The analytical tool allows skills to be categorised as either first order knowledge (knowledge based on facts on a specific subject); or second order knowledge (more general skills such as analysing skill, ability to see phenomena from different perspectives etc). The conclusion of the study indicates that social studies teachers find it difficult to interpret the content of the syllabus to adequately address gender and equality, and that this content does not always have a clear part in social studies education.

This master thesis focuses on topics of narrativity, stories and the art storytelling, while fixing the biggest attention on the storytelling method - as a narratively-dramatical field of arts. The storytelling method stands in the very focal point of this thesis and its potentiality in the field of didactics and education are being examined - concerning specifically the school subject of the Civics. In this master thesis, two chapters have been designed - a philosophical one, and a didactics-concerning one. In the first chapter, narrativity has been analysed as an anthropological and philosophical phenomenon and viewed from the phenomenological perspective. In this part of the master thesis, the essential significance of narrativity, stories and storytelling for the human life, human experience and the capabilities of education have been expressed and emphasized. In the second chapter, the variety of narrative forms has been outlined and the storytelling method has also been introduced. The methodology has been presented and the process of the preparations for a storytelling performance has been described in this part of the master thesis. As a follow-up to this, a possible application of the storytelling mehtod in the education process has been analysed, while focusing specifically on the Civics....

Students should be given the opportunity to learn about, through, and for democracy in order to be able to act in the present and the future. In the subject of social studies, students should be given the opportunity to develop factual knowledge about democracy, and this should be done through democratic methods. According to Curriculum for the compulsory school, preschool class and the leisure-time centre Lgr 22 (the Swedish curriculum, 2022a), stu- dents should be developed into democratic citizens with good values and skills. In order for students to develop into that, they need to learn about, through and for democracy. When students acquire factual knowledge about democracy and learn through democratic methods, they learn for democracy, and both of the school's main missions are pursued. To answer the purpose and research questions regarding how the democracy mission is de- scribed in textbooks for social studies in grades 4-6, Biesta and Dewey's views on educa- tion and democracy are used.The study was conducted using a qualitative method in the form of a qualitative text anal- ysis of the textbooks. The collected data from the seven textbooks generated an analysis of text and tasks to determine how the democracy mission was presented and described. The results showed that parts of the democracy mission were presented in all textbooks, but there were two textbooks that presented the entire mission about, through, and for de- mocracy. It emerged that the teacher's role in instruction is important for students to be given the opportunity to learn about the democracy mission, as not all textbooks covered the entire mission. / Elever ska ges möjlighet att lära om, genom och för demokrati för att kunna verka i samti- den och framtiden. I samhällskunskapsämnet ska elever ges möjlighet att utveckla fakta- kunskaper om demokrati och detta genom demokratiska arbetssätt. Läroplan för grundsko- lan, förskoleklassen fritidshemmet Lgr 22 (Skolverket, 2022a) skriver att elever ska ut- vecklas till demokratiska medborgare med goda värderingar och färdigheter. För att elever ska utvecklas till det behöver de lära sig om, genom och för demokrati. När elever får faktakunskaper om demokrati och lära genom demokratiska arbetssätt lär de sig för demo- krati och hela skolans två huvuduppdrag arbetas utifrån. För att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar kring på vilka sätt och hur demokratiuppdraget beskrivs i läromedel för samhällskunskap i årskurs 4–6 används Biesta och Deweys syn på utbildning och demo- krati.Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ metod i form av en kvalitativ textanalys av läro- medel. Insamlade data från de sju läromedlen genererade i en analys av text och uppgifter för att få fram hur demokratiuppdraget framställdes och beskrevs. Resultatet visade på att delar av demokratiuppdraget framställdes i alla läromedel men det var två läromedel som framställde hela uppdraget om, genom och för demokrati. Det framkom att lärarens roll i undervisningen är viktig för att elever ska ges möjlighet att lära kring demokratiuppdraget då alla läromedel inte täckte hela uppdraget.

The most of it comes with experience, or? The Teacher Education Program for upper secondary school’s ability to prepare new (civics)teachers for their professional life. This study focuses on newly graduated civics teachers’ experiences of their teacher education inrelation to what they deem necessary to know in their current work as a teacher. The study aims tolearn more about in what extent the teacher education program can and should prepare teachers fortheir professional life, compared to what they learn while working as a teacher. More specifically,the aim is to study the subject studies and the didactics in civics at the teacher education program.The findings of this work are based on semi-structured interviews with ten teachers who teach civicsat upper secondary school level. The teachers also participated in a small digital survey and thoseresults are also included in this work. All the teachers graduated from Umeå university’s teachereducation program between 2019-2021. A Qualitative Data Analysis called The ConstantComparative Method has been used to systematically find patterns in the material. The study shows that teachers overall have different views on what is possible tolearn at a teacher education program, compared to what they must learn while working aftergraduation. Three different groups of teachers are identified. Firstly, a group of five teachers reckonthat the main purpose of the teacher education program should be to give the future teacher “a basis”- the rest “comes with experience”. It should thus primarily focus on subject studies. Secondly, twoteachers do not think that the teacher education program is necessary at all. They prefer to learn asthey go while working. Lastly, a third group of teachers argue that the teacher education programshould be more “teacher-specific” and thus include far more didactics. The teachers are providing many suggestions on what they think should be added tothe teacher education program. Looking at the subject studies, they first and foremost miss sometopics that they think the teacher education program can and should contain. For instance, sevenout of ten teachers want the subject studies to talk more about Media, since it is something that theteachers need to teach about according to the steering documents. Moreover, all teachers agree thatthey should be taught on how to talk about topics in the classroom that are considered sensitive orprivate for the students. In addition, the teachers want more didactics during their studies at theteacher education program. Above all, they would prefer to know more about didactic methods, andthey want to have the chance to create materials which could be in use after graduation.

The purpose of the study was to better understand social studies teacher education through preservice professional development that incorporates an online gaming and simulation component. Examination of the impact of online gaming and simulations on the self-efficacy and content knowledge of preservice teachers in the methods course was undertaken. This study employed a mixed methods approach with primacy given to quantitative statistical analyses of data collected pre and post using a content knowledge assessment (AP Government and Politics practice test) and two self-efficacy assessments (SSTEBI-PSSTE and TSES). Results from a repeated measures ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences in preservice social studies teachers content knowledge of civics from pre to posttest administration by gaming status (less than 2 hours and 2 hours or more), testing occasion (pre and posttest), and group by occasion. The gains in content knowledge by participants spending 2 hours or more gaming were greater than the gains for those who spent less than 2 hours gaming. Qualitative analysis revealed themes of content knowledge change, gaming, and active learning in support of quantitative findings. Results from the repeated measures ANOVA on the TSES measure revealed no significant differences by gaming status, testing occasion, or group by occasion from pre to posttest. There was a minimal raw score change from pre to posttest with the participants who played 2 hours or more in iCivics showing slightly less growth in self-efficacy scores on the TSES in comparison to those playing less than 2 hours in iCivics. Results from the repeated measures ANOVA on the SSTEBI-PSSTE measure revealed a statistically significant main effect for testing occasion. Results showed no significant difference by gaming status or for the interaction of group by occasion. Qualitative data collected throughout the research study via interviews and document analysis aided in the explanation of the quantitative results. The present study extends previous research into the use of games to enhance educational experiences. It is clear from this research that the amount of time spent gaming has an effect on participants‘ content knowledge of civics and that online simulations are an effective teaching method.

No description available.

The purpose of the study is to examine how the democracy mission appears within the different curricula 1980 and 2022 as well as the curriculum for civics. This is done through a qualitative deductive content analysis with theoretical connections from Gilljam and Hermansson's ideal types – electoral democracy, participatory democracy and deliberative democracy. These three ideal types are the theoretical framework for how the democracy mission emerges and is constituted within the various curricula. The essay's question is: Which type of democracy is most prominent in the 1980 and 2022 curricula as well as the curriculum for civics? The study's results show that participatory democracy is most prominent within the curriculum for 1980, followed by deliberative democracy and limited electoral democracy. For 2022s curriculum, knowledge-based electoral democracy and deliberative democracy are most prominent and participatory democracy limited. However, it should be pointed out that within both curricula there are traces of writings and formulations that can be linked to all ideal types.