A COMPARISON OF INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES OF TEACHERS AND ATTITUDES TOWARD SOCIAL STUDIES OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

The purpose of this study was to determine if significant differences existed in attitudes toward social studies of students experiencing two distinct approaches to social studies teaching at the elementary (grades 4-6) and secondary (grades 10-12) levels. The instructional approaches were the approach advocated by reformers in professional literature and the approach traditionally practiced by social studies teachers. The study was conducted in a public school district in the Great Plains. Profiles of the two teaching approaches were formulated and validated. The profiles provided guidelines for district supervisors to select a sample of twenty four social studies teachers. Six matched pairs of teachers (one advocated, one traditional) were selected in grades 4-6; six matched pairs were selected in grades 10-12. The Inventory of Affective Aspects of Schooling (IAAS), as modified, was administered to the first class of the school day of these twenty-four teachers. The IAAS scales used in this study measured student attitudes from two perspectives: the first scale measured attitudes relative to school and other subjects; the second scale measured the presence of factors found to contribute to positive student attitudes toward social studies. A total of 563 students were surveyed (258 elementary; 305 secondary). Data from the IAAS were analyzed using frequency distributions and two 2 x 2 MANOVAs. This study was exploratory. Attitude formation is a complex process. The study had limitations and caution is advised before generalizing the conclusions. Three conclusions are presented with an awareness of these limitations: (1) Student attitudes toward social studies ranged from the apathetic to the negative for this sample. (2) The instructional approach utilized by a social studies teacher did not impact on the sample\u27s attitudes toward social studies relative to attitudes toward school and other subjects. (3) Statistically significant differences were found in factors that contribute to positive social studies attitudes in terms of grade level and teaching style; these statistical differences, however, were not judged to be meaningful because of the absence of a consistent pattern