The purpose of this attitudinal study is to investigate the role that social studies methods courses in Florida play in examining controversial issues with their pre-service teachers'. Five research questions established the parameters for the investigation of pre-service teachers' attitudes toward the use of controversial issues through the utilization of a survey instrument, the Florida Pre-Service Teachers' Controversial Issues Questionnaire (FPTCIQ). The FPTCIQ was mailed to 435 pre-service teachers enrolled in social studies methods courses at the Florida State University, the University of North Florida, and the University of South Florida. Of the 435 pre-service teachers' in social studies methods courses, 203 respondents returned the FPTCIQ with a 47% response rate. The FPTCIQ is comprised of questions that asked respondents to rank the controversiality of thirty issues. The FPTCIQ also measured pre-service teachers' awareness of issues taught in their social studies methods courses, pre-service teachers' willingness to discuss issues in their future classrooms, pre-service teachers' reasons for not discussing issues, and pre-service teachers' belief in traditional socio-political values. Pre-Service teachers' were asked questions about how much time they spent examining controversial issues in their social studies methods course, and should pre-service teachers' participate in the discussion of controversial issues in these courses. Demographic characteristics of respondents' included gender, religious affiliation, ethnicity, and region/locale of the university attending were also recorded. Respondents rank gay/lesbian rights as the most controversial issue. In addition, pre-service teachers' were less willing to teach about creationism than other issues and listed external pressures as the primary reason. Only 32% of the respondents discussed controversial issues in their social studies methods course. After the findings were statistically analyzed and cross-sectioned with the research questions, the demographic characteristics comprising all participants in this study was correlated and analyzed. / A Dissertation Submitted to the the School of Teacher Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophyin Partial
Fulfillment of the Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2011. / Spring Semester, 2011. / January 31, 2011. / Social Studies Methods Classes, Controversial Issues, Florida Preservice Teachers / Includes bibliographical references. / John P. Lunstrum, Professor Directing Dissertation; Edward Wynot, Committee Member; Helge Swanson, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_180371 |
| Contributors | Rambosk, Peggy (authoraut), Lunstrum, John P. (professor directing dissertation), Wynot, Edward (committee member), Swanson, Helge (committee member), School of Teacher Education (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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