Date of Graduation

12-2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Advisor/Mentor

Farah, Mounir A.

Committee Member

Kacirek, Kit

Second Committee Member

Smith, Thomas E.C.

Third Committee Member

Wavering, Michael J.

Keywords

Education; Inquiry-based instruction; Social studies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' perceptions, understanding, and use of inquiry-based instruction in the Social studies, to assess the impact of inquiry-based units on instruction, to detail implementation successes and challenges reported by teachers when implementing inquiry-based instruction, and to provide recommendations for future efforts. Teachers' perceptions of teaching and learning, particularly their beliefs about inquiry-based instruction, changed during the study. Throughout the study, teachers' perceptions and beliefs about teaching Social studies had an impact on how they planned, implemented and reflected on inquiry-based instruction. Many of the teachers changed their perceptions and began regularly teaching with an inquiry-based focus, and some changed from a belief system that focused on a teacher-centered model to a more student-centered focus.

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