Social Studies Education

Eugene F. Provenzo Jr

The social studies in K-12 education represents the specific area of the curriculum that deals with the social, cultural, and political content of what is being taught. In 1992, the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), the main professional leadership and accreditation group for social studies education in the United States, described the field as including “the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence.” The field is interdisciplinary and includes subjects such as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences. According to the NCSS, the primary purpose of the field is to help students be able to make informed and reasoned decisions as members of a culturally diverse and democratic society—one that is also part of a larger global culture. This entry looks at how the social ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.