The effect of a constructivist social studies unit on student attitudes toward social studies

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a constructivist social studies unit on student attitudes towards social studies. It was hypothesized that students who experienced constructivist based social studies lessons would display a greater interest in social studies topics in the classroom than those who did not experience constructivist based social studies lessons. The subjects in this study were fifty, fourth grade students from a southern New Jersey school district. The study consisted of an experimental and a control group, both of which received a pre-test. While the control group received no difference in teaching style, the experimental group participated in lessons that were taught in a constructivist manner. At the completion of this unit, both groups of students took a post-test. At the completion of this study, calculations were completed, demonstrating that there was a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group, therefore agreeing with the hypothesis