scholarly journals Content analysis of elementary school social studies textbooks based on multicultural education components

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-112
Author(s):  
sirus mansoori ◽  
fatemeh behjati ardakani ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Multicultural Education ◽  
Social Studies Textbooks

An analysis of the presentation of Sikhism in social studies textbooks

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-253
Author(s):  
Sean Colbert-Lewis ◽  
Drinda E. Benge
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Middle Grades ◽  
National Council ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Religious Literacy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Studies Textbooks

Purpose The increase of Islamophobia-inspired hate crimes toward Sikh Americans led the Sikh Coalition of America and the National Council for the Social Studies to request social studies educators to conduct a content analysis on the presentation of Sikhism in social studies textbooks. The Sikh Coalition hopes to use the findings of such research to encourage more appropriate inclusion about the religion in textbooks by the leading publishing companies and as a legitimate social studies subject of instruction in the state standards for all 50 states. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The incorporation of critical pedagogy, as a tool of critical multiculturalism, serves as the theoretical design of this study. Content analysis serves as the method of research for this study. The authors also employed an online survey to determine the scope of religious literacy of the pre-service teachers with regard to Sikhism before the conducting of content analysis of social studies textbooks for the presentation of Sikhism. Findings The current presentation of Sikhism in social studies textbooks has the potential to help fuel the Islamophobia that Sikh Americans now face. The authors found that the pre-service teachers possess little religious literacy regarding Sikhism. Furthermore, from the content analyses, the authors found that a total of 21 out of the sample of 32 textbooks (5 elementary, 11 middle grades and 16 high school) mention Sikhism. Eight textbooks include a mention of the origins of Sikhism. Nine textbooks misidentify the religion as a blending of Hinduism and Islam. Nine textbooks mention the religion in relation to the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Research limitations/implications The originality of this research led the authors to find that the very limited and inaccurate information we found present in the most-used textbooks for elementary, middle grades and high school social studies made the employing of inferential statistics like correlation difficult. Also, the authors found from the literature that research addressing Islamophobia in the classroom has centered on the role of licensed teachers only. The research gives a model to how pre-service teachers may address Islamophobia in the classroom and also gain religious literacy regarding Sikhism. Practical implications The rise of Islamophobia-inspired violence toward students of South Asian descent has led to the call to address this matter. The research introduces a method to how social studies education professors may help engage their pre-service teachers in proactively addressing Islamophobia. Social studies professors have a responsibility to help promote social justice through critical pedagogy that explores the religious literacy of their pre-service teachers beyond Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. Social implications The Sikh Coalition, by telephone, has formally acknowledged to the authors that the textbook research has been the most extensive they have received since making their joint request with the National Council for the Social Studies. They have used the research to successfully convince the state education boards of Texas and recently Tennessee to adopt the inclusion of Sikhism in social studies content. More Americans, at a young age, need to learn about Sikh culture, so they are less likely to develop prejudicial ideas about Sikh Americans and commit violent acts of religious-based discrimination. Originality/value The research is extremely rare. To date, no one else in the country has conducted research on the presentation of Sikhism in textbooks to the extent that the authors have. The authors hope that the research will encourage more dialogue and further research. The authors hope that the research will help prevent further acts of religious-based violence toward followers of the world’s sixth largest religion.

scholarly journals Social and Economic Education in the Japanese Elementary School National Curriculum

1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-44
Author(s):  
Eiji Yamane
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Economic Education ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Social Studies Textbooks ◽  
Economic Reasoning ◽  
Economic Globalisation ◽  
Course Of Study

If we define ‘economic education’ as being identical to ‘teaching economies’, then economic education cannot be said to be included in the elementary school curriculum in Japan. However, pupils do learn about economic activities, industries, and economic institutions in social studies. In this article, the meaning of economic education is interpreted in the broad sense, in which pupils think about and understand economic reasoning and consider how people behave in an economic manner. In this sense, economic education is very much practised in Japan's elementary school social studies. The nature of this economic education can be understood from an examination of the national Course of Study. The present Course of Study was announced in 1989 and was put into effect in 1992 for elementary schools. This paper describes both the objectives and the content for each grade in the Course of Study, and illustrates these with examples of economic concepts in the present social studies textbooks and teaching material. It also outlines the new perspectives for economic education that arises through the study of economic globalisation and the conservation of the global environment, and suggests that these will require new forms of economic and social understanding.

Comparing analysis perception of citizenship in Turkey's and Egypt's social studies textbook

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 43-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Emin Osmanoğlu ◽  
Cemil Öztürk
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Category Scale ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Citizenship Rights ◽  
Social Studies Textbooks ◽  
Freedom Of Thought

The contents of the textbooks are shaped according to the policies and education programs of the states. Textbooks are important information sources that reveals various perceptions of states. In this context, the objective of this study is comparing citizenship perceptions of Turkeys' and Egypts' according to their social studies textbooks. Content analysis and comparative research methods are used in the research. Defining of category, - scale-, of citizenship is as follows: The legal connections that determine relations between state and individual, relations among individuals who live in the same country. The term refers to obligations and rights among which individuals' against state and states' against to individuals. Rightful citizenhip perception comes into prominence in Turkish social studies textbooks. Mostly, it refers to womens' rights, freedom of thought, rights of education. Obligations are taxing obligation, receiving education and working. In Egypts' social studies textbooks, obligations come into prominence for perception of citizenship. There isn't any information about citizenship rights in textbook. Obligations are about to obey rules, laws and protect environment.

scholarly journals Poetry in the Social Studies Textbooks in Turkey

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-62
Author(s):  
Bulent Tarman ◽  
Emin Kılınç
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Visual Communication ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Four Seasons ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Studies Textbooks ◽  
5Th Grade ◽  
Theoretical Issues

The purpose of this paper is to examine social studies textbooks to investigate the use of poetry in the social studies textbooks in Turkey. This paper also examines whose poets have been represented in the textbooks. The authors applied content analysis to evaluate social studies textbooks. Content analysis is a research method that uses a set of procedures to make valid inferences from text. It is also described as a method of analyzing written, verbal or visual communication messages. Content analysis allows the researcher to test theoretical issues to enhance understanding of the data. The results showed that very few poems were used in the social studies textbooks. The finding of the study revealed that poems in the 4th grade textbooks relate to topics that were interest to students the nature and humanism. Poem about Şavşat, described the beauty of Turkish homeland in the four seasons. Vetch Field poem in the 5th grade social studies textbook, described a bride who has to work in the field. This poem seems to be written for girls since the language indicates ‘girls’ several times. It emphasizes how hard to be a bride in the vetch field. Remaining poems were used to promote students’ patriotic values. These poems emphasizes flag, homeland, heroism etc.

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