Divergent Perspectives on Citizenship Education: A Q-Method Study and Survey of Social Studies Teachers

• Published in: American educational research journal Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 333 - 364
• Main Authors: Anderson, Christopher, Avery, Patricia G., Pederson, Patricia V., Smith, Elizabeth S., Sullivan, John L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Educational Research Association 1997; SAGE Publications
• Subjects: Acculturation; Citizenship; Citizenship Education; Civic education; Civics, army, policy education; Communitarianism; Critical Thinking; Cultural Pluralism; Curriculum subjects: programmes and methods; Educational Practices; Educational research; Educational sciences; Elementary school social studies; Minnesota; Multicultural education; National Surveys; Q Methodology; Q sort; Social Studies; Social studies learning; Social Studies Teachers; Surveys; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Characteristics; Teacher Surveys; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Teaching, Learning, and Human Development; Minnesota; USA; Higher Education; Teaching Practice; Exploratory Research; Cultural Pluralism; Teacher; Civics; Social Environment; Social Science
• ISSN: 0002-8312; 1935-1011
• DOI: 10.3102/00028312034002333

This study explored the views of contemporary social studies teachers on citizenship education. Q-technique was used to discern the principal conceptions held by teachers in two small samples. Minnesota teachers held three perspectives (cultural pluralism, communitarianism, and legalism) and teachers nationally held four perspectives (critical thinking, legalism, cultural pluralism, and assimilationism). Analysis of a large national sample survey of social studies teachers allows us to ascertain the popularity of each perspective generally and the characteristics of teachers who hold each perspective. Implications for citizenship education in a multicultural society are discussed.