Action Research Inquiry Project

Cultivating Informed Learners: Finding Purpose and Passion in Social Studies

Anna V. Ralph

TE 808: Inquiry into Classroom Teaching and Learning

Michigan State University

Fall 2020
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Introduction

Context

I teach fifth-grade at an upper elementary school in the Livonia Public School district.

There are three upper elementary schools in the district, with approximately 700 students housed

at each school, and a total of 14,000 students in the district. There are fourteen fifth-grade

classrooms and thirteen sixth-grade classrooms at my school, with three classrooms in each

grade being virtual for the entire school year. The students I teach are primarily in the middle-

income bracket and are composed of Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic. I teach social

studies to two classes, along with reading, writing, and math to my homeroom class. My

teaching partner teaches my students science four days a week. We are beginning our school year

virtually, but have plans to return to in-person learning early October. Due to COVID, our class

sizes are down 25% this school year.

The Challenge

From a young age, I have viewed social studies instruction as an integral part of a young

learners’ education, thus why I chose to study this domain more closely in my undergraduate

years at Michigan State University. Upon accepting my first teaching job I was quickly stunned

by the disservice that social studies instruction receives in relation to the other core subjects. In

addition, throughout my three years of teaching multiple sections of social studies, the majority

of my students have expressed an aversion towards social studies class. My students often

mention that it is “boring” and their teachers did not teach a lot of it in their lower elementary

years, or if they did it was only twice a week. I do not necessarily believe that social studies

instruction holds more value than other subjects, but I do believe that it is vital for students to
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learn about the past in order to become informed and culturally responsive citizens in the

changing world around us. A comment I often hear during the first weeks of school is, “Miss

Ralph, why do we have to learn about these people and events from hundreds of years ago?”

After hearing this question for many years, and from many of my students, I am determined to

help my students answer it on their own, while finding joy and purpose for learning about the

past and connecting it to the world around them. I teach United States History, which can hold a

lot of bias in its curriculum, so an inquiry approach is vital for having students explore different

perspectives of historical events and determining what they believe happened in the past and for

what reason. I am hopeful that by pursuing this research in my own classroom, that I will be able

to inspire colleagues in my school to do the same with their students.

Justification

Learning about the past is far more than memorizing dates and names and taking a test.

Social studies instruction lends itself to many opportunities for young learners that may be

impossible to teach or incorporate into other core subjects. Social studies allows students to take

what they learn about from the past and use that to shape them into informed citizens who are

able to create change through their voice, empathize and understand those that differ from them,

and become more culturally aware through making connections with the world we are living in

today. Social studies instruction is equally as important as other core subjects because it provides

students with the tools to interact with the world around them, while using their voice to become

a part of history themselves.

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Research Question

In order to create more passionate, informed, and culturally aware students I know I must

change the way I present the material. This leads me to my research question, “How can I shape

my social studies instruction so that it is meaningful, relevant, and long-lasting for my students?”

A sub question that will guide me is, “How can the use of inquiry-based instruction allow my

students to find their own passion in learning about the past and the world around them?”

Additionally, “How can accountable talk support students and guide their learning and thinking

during a social studies inquiry-based unit?” Lastly, “Can the implementation of choice motivate

my students to really dig deep and think critically?” I am eager to watch these questions unfold

in my classroom, and hope to guide the young learners in front of me into becoming passionate

and culturally aware ten-year olds.

Literature Review

This literature review explores the impacts on students when social studies is put on the

backburner or taught without goals in mind, as well as many strategies to make social studies

engaging, challenging, meaningful, and long-lasting for students. My inquiry project stemmed

from my experiences of watching social studies being taught with injustice, both from my own

education growing up, to my involvement on a social studies curriculum team in my school

district. Through my research I found that many of my worries hold true, specifically the lack of

value placed on the effects social studies has on a young learner, and the minimal instructional

time given to this subject, either due to feelings of unimportance or time constraints attributed to

core subjects.
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Much of the research I read discussed the ramifications of giving students memorization-

based tests, providing information and learning solely from the textbook, and not making

connections to the outside world or helping students find purpose in learning the material.

Levstik and Barton (as cited in Babini, 2013) stated that social studies instruction should be

connected to the world outside of the classroom to better serve students’ engagement for learning

the content, as well as providing students with content that allows them to build on prior

knowledge and things of importance rather than spewing facts and dates back out for a test.

Although, Schmitt (2018) and Blanken (1999) have found that one of the most underlying factors

of students' lack of motivation stems from the textbooks given to students to support their

learning. Social studies textbooks are often written without the child in mind and this presents

many setbacks for students when learning the rich and dense content. Textbooks stand in the way

of students’ comprehension due to the fact that they are generally not written for the grade level

that is intended to use them (Schmitt, 2018). The writing of these textbooks are not interactive,

nor help students bridge the gap between then and now and the importance of the content in their

own lives. Furthermore, the content is broken into many different fact-based paragraphs that are

not connected with one another, or do not connect to a powerful theme (Blanken, 1999). Much

of this research sparked my thoughts, as I watch my students struggle to interpret the dense

content in our social studies textbook daily. The information is not presented in a way that

showcases multiple perspectives, nor does it lend to rich discussion, or help bridge the gap

between what happened in the past and how it can affect their lives today and moving forward.

Looking across many studies, I also found that it is far more important to challenge

students than provide “fun” or surface level learning that will not form long-lasting connections.

This was interesting to me, as I remember social studies as always being the “fun” class, yet do
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not remember learning much. My students carry this same idea; they often ask if we can play

games or do something “fun.” In addition to this, I read a lot about creating meaning for students

in the social studies classroom, and the lack thereof in today’s instruction. Through a survey

done with elementary pre-service teachers (Bauml, 2015), it was found that approximately 70%

believe that what makes “excellent” social studies instruction are “fun” and hands-on lessons,

and less than half stated that it should be relevant. Some of the “fun” lessons mentioned were

dressing up as historical figures, making food from different cultures, and playing games.

DiCamillo (as cited in Bauml, 2015) mentions that basing instruction on “fun” activities can

hinder learning from happening and ultimately take away from any sort of meaningful

connections. Instead of focusing on engaging students through interactive activities, teachers

should frame their lessons around students’ interests by finding connections to their lives. The

National Council for Social Studies (NCSS, 2016) mentions that this type of instruction will

make it meaningful and challenging for students by engaging them to actively ask questions

about curiosities and consider new ideas that spark from content that allows them to look at

multiple perspectives. Karabulut (2015) emphasizes that an effective way to challenge students is

by introducing controversial topics because it pushes students to look through different lenses,

challenge their own beliefs, as well as their peers. It allows students to discuss the world around

them, using many different thinking and discussion skills.

Another common theme found through my research was the ability of students to think

critically and participate in authentic and powerful classroom discussions, as well as the ability

to disagree and be open to differing perspectives. For students to become productive, active

citizens they need to be open to opinions that may differ from their own and have the tools to

participate in debates and discussions on controversial topics (Martinson, 2005). Hess (2004)
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mentions that powerful discussions will benefit students by eliciting the idea that all voices and

opinions are valued and should have the opportunity to be heard, and with this it instills the skills

necessary to participate in critical thought and discussion. To be sure a discussion is effective

teachers must teach students the skills to build a tolerance for disagreement (Martinson, 2005).

This can be done through teaching students about social perspective taking (SPT), which focuses

on the ability to recognize others’ feelings and views (Gehlbach, 2011). Gehlbach goes on to

explain that it allows students to relate to someone else, which in turn can elicit more

compassionate and willing engagement to discuss powerful topics in social studies. The National

Council for Social Studies agrees that discussions and debates provoke critical and value-based

thinking (NCSS, 2008). Today’s world is incredibly diverse, so providing students with the skills

to enable them towards accepting differing views, and understanding how to critically engage in

discussion all while being respectful, is truly vital. It is imperative for the young learners in our

classrooms to understand that their voice, along with others’, is important and valued and needs

to be heard. A sub-question of my inquiry project was wondering how accountable talk could

support my students and guide their learning and thinking. Through my research I am finding

that promoting discussion and debate in my classroom is imperative, especially teaching my

students’ to be open and accept differing views. Through accountable talk moves I believe I can

foster positive, open, and powerful discussions in my classroom.

Through my research I was hoping to find studies that explain the importance of leaving

a valuable and long-lasting impact on students. Much of the research I found discussed service-

learning, project-based learning, and inquiry-based learning. Brugar and Whitlock (2018)

describe these forms of learning as the “informed social criticism approach.” Specifically,

service learning focuses on the idea that when one serves their community they are able to learn
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through their experiences, which differs from community service, as with that the participant is

focused on serving, not learning (Brophy, Alleman, and Halvorsen, 2013.) Hartshorne, Waring,

and Okraski (2019) encourages service-learning to enhance students’ ability to connect their

learning to the real-world, as well as improve upon their civic duties and open-mindedness.

Brophy, Alleman, and Halvorsen (2013) go on to explain that project-based learning differs in

that it involves students studying a topic that has meaning to them and applies to the world. This

approach to learning allows students to learn through doing, as well as discussing and

collaborating with others. Engagement and learning become deeper through this learning because

meaning is placed on their everyday lives and what is important to them. Lastly, inquiry-based

learning furthers students’ questioning skills and guides exploration through discovery of

multiple perspectives and ideas (Brophy, Alleman, and Halvorsen, 2019). Levstik and Barton (as

cited in Babini, 2013) believe that children asking questions stems from their natural-born

curiosity, and that taking advantage of this is critical for their learning. An important aspect of

each of these learning opportunities is the idea that the teacher becomes a facilitator, and

essentially takes a step back from the teacher role, to guide students’ questions and learning, but

allow them to drive the process and wonderings (Brugar and Whitlock, 2018). Two sub-

questions of my inquiry-project were related to whether choice can motivate students to really

dig deep and think critically, and if the use of inquiry-based instruction could help my students

find passion in learning about the world around them. Through my research I have found that to

capitalize on their motivation I should incorporate choice through service-learning, project-based

learning, and inquiry-based learning that connects to the content we are studying. In addition to

that, after researching the impacts and importance of inquiry-based instruction I believe it will

spark natural curiosity about the world and historical events that I present to them.
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Overall, through the extensive research I have found, it is apparent to me that for social

studies to become long lasting and engaging for my students I must focus on providing

meaningful, challenging, and discussion and inquiry-based learning to capitalize on their natural-

born curiosities about the world around them and the differing perspectives that are infused in

historical content. The main takeaways for me are the importance of infusing powerful and

meaningful discussion into my everyday social studies instruction, to spark enthusiasm, as well

as elicit the idea that my students’ voices are important and valued in the world. Another

takeaway is the notion of taking a step back as the “teacher” and act more as a facilitator to foster

self-learning in my students and collaboration among my class, instead of me lecturing historical

facts and content at them each day. In addition, I want to tread lightly when infusing “fun”

activities in my instruction, rather take a step back and critically think whether the activity will

elicit long-lasting knowledge and meaning for my students. Lastly, I now know how important it

is to find multiple sources, perspectives, and experiences to teach my students about the past,

instead of relying on overwhelming, outdated textbooks that are difficult to understand.

Moving forward I am going to infuse choice in my students culminating unit projects,

such as allowing them to decide which Native American tribe to research so that they are

passionate about what they are learning and not being told what was important for them to learn.

Furthermore, I am going to begin each unit with an overarching inquiry question to drive my

students’ curiosities and learning. I plan to begin the unit by presenting the question and giving

my students a platform to speak their thoughts, prior to learning about the content, by having

them participate in a discussion thread on Google Classroom or Flip Grid. Upon completing a

unit, I will have students look back at their prior thoughts and reflect on their new
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understandings. Through these new teaching avenues, I hope to create meaningful connections

and lifelong learning about historical events and the current world.

Design & Method

Participants

The participants of this research project are fifth grade students from my homeroom

class, as well as another fifth-grade class of students. I chose to use both of my social studies

classes in order to gather as much data as possible, as well as to expose each of my students to

the new implementations within my instruction. The total number of participants in my research

is 41, although I am waiting to receive permission slips for participating in my research, which

could slightly alter the number of students. The students partaking in my research are primarily

Caucasian, African American, or Hispanic, and range between ten and eleven-years old.

Setting

We began our school year virtually, which posed its fair share of limitations in terms of

instructing students, but we are currently teaching in-person. We always have the possibility of

returning to a virtual setting, which would drastically alter how I carry out this research project,

so I am trying to find ways to collect data in a way that can be done either in-person or virtual.

Although we are in person, much of our work is still done through virtual platforms, such as

Google Classroom and Flip Grid. I plan for students to discuss on Flip Grid during my research,

to serve as audio data, as well as allow them to interact with peers and share their voice in an

authentic way. I hope this allows students to become more invested in their own learning.

Social studies instruction is taught four days a week, for 50 minutes each day. I am

incredibly thankful to be allowed this much time to teach social studies, as I know many school
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districts allocate the bulk of their instructional minutes towards literacy, which I learned about

through my research for my literature review. With the restrictions this year, teachers must move

to their switch classes to teach rather than have students come to their own classroom. My

classroom, as well as my teaching partners’ classroom, have a projector, document camera, and

whiteboard. Each student has their textbook, History Alive, as well as a detailed social studies

journal that is used each day. Students keep all of their assignments, journal prompts, and

findings in their journal. It becomes a vital reference for them throughout the year, and serves as

a place to hold all of their most important and valuable learning. Each classroom has the exact

number of individual desks for students, which are spaced out from one another. Due to COVID,

we are unable to have our gathering carpet area and small-group table, which has changed the

way we instruct immensely. I am very mindful of our limitations this year and have found ways

to still incorporate meaningful discussions, as well as circulate around the classroom while

students are working, although I would love to have our gathering carpet back, as I feel this

space has always held the most meaningful discussions within the classroom.

Data

In order to collect data, I chose three different sources (student surveys, a professional

journal, and student work samples) to drive my research, track data, and allow myself to watch

the research progress over time. I chose to use these sources because whether we are virtual or

in-person, I will be able to use these sources effectively to collect data. The figure below (Table

1) takes a look at how each of these sources will support the sub-questions I have set out to

answer.
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Table 1: Data Sources

I will begin the unit with a pre-survey (Table 2). This survey will be aimed towards

gathering data regarding students' interest in social studies, the importance or value they place on

learning content within social studies, what they view as meaningful social studies, and whether

they believe it is connected to their own life. Some of the questions will be open-ended, while

others will be asked in a multiple-choice or ranked (strongly agree to strongly disagree) format.

This survey will give me a look into my students views on social studies class as a whole and the

value it holds in their life. The survey will be delivered to students via Google Forms and their

answers will be anonymous. A similar survey will be given at the end of the unit as well, to see if

students' views change over time, after they are exposed to choice in their research projects,
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discussion opportunities, and inquiry-based instruction. The post-survey will pose a few different

questions, or will be asked in a different format, such as the implementation of more open-ended

questions to allow students to share in greater detail their mindset shifts over time.

Table 2: Pre-Survey

In addition, I will be keeping a professional journal throughout my research to track my

own thoughts and growth, as well as my students. It is just as important for me to grow in my

knowledge on teaching meaningful and powerful social studies, as it is for me to help my own

students find the purpose and value in social studies. I will use the journal to record significant
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findings and realizations, as well as the reactions and conversations I hear through student-led

discussions. I want to focus on positive comments, as well as comments that lend to negative

thoughts or views towards the content students are learning. It will be extremely powerful for me

to learn through the differing opinions of my students, as well as hopefully watch their views

change over time. Furthermore, I will journal about the engagement I see, and how it changes,

through different means of learning, such as discussions, project-based learning, opportunities

that include student choice, investigating primary sources, etc.

My final data source will be through the collection of student work samples. My students

completed a project in the unit prior to the one we just began, which did not involve choice, nor

did I have my students share their findings with their peers. For this unit students will have

influence in what they are researching, opportunities to discuss their findings, and will share their

culminating projects with students in their own classroom, as well as the other section of social

studies. As I collect their work samples I will look at data regarding how much effort and

individualism they put into these projects, in relation to their previous projects. In addition, I will

collect audio data “work samples” through the discussions held in class. All of these work

samples will allow me to see their growth and motivation throughout the unit.

Timeline

My research will begin next week, the week of November 2nd, and will conclude the week

of Thanksgiving break, which will provide me with three weeks to collect data. My students

have already begun our unit, but have not begun the research project portion, which is the period

of the unit that I will be focusing on for my data collection. I am really focusing on providing my

students with authentic learning, driven from their own wonderings and curiosities, thus using an

inquiry-based approach. My goal is to guide my students through their project as a facilitator,

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rather than an instructor. I hope to help them find their own passion for learning by providing

them with choice.

The first phase of data collection will begin on November 4th, with my students

completing the pre-survey. The following day I pose the guiding question to my students: Why

did Native American cultures differ across North America and how are they still relevant today?

In addition to the pre-survey, I am going to have students respond to the guiding question on Flip

Grid to begin this phase of the unit. Lastly, I will hold a class discussion regarding this question.

Students will participate in the discussion by sharing the big ideas they spoke about in their Flip

Grid response to the question. As students share they will utilize the accountable talk moves that

we have used throughout the school year to participate in the discussion, as well as focus on

listening and accepting other opinions and viewpoints towards the guiding question. This idea

was inspired by the social perspective taking strategy I read about through my literature review,

which teaches students to recognize and accept different perspectives. My hope is that students

will begin to critically engage with others by listening and respecting views that are different

from their own. I will allow my students to drive the discussion, but towards the end I will ask

my class if anyone’s views have changed or if the discussion sparked any new questions for

them.

The next two weeks, November 9th - November 20th, students will be given a choice

while choosing which cultural region they would like to focus on for their Native American

research project. I began my own research project with a sub-question regarding the

implementation of choice and whether it drives students to think more critically and become

more involved and passionate in their learning. Through the research done in my literature
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review, my wonderings regarding choice were proven to be effective, so I am eager to see the

results within my student’s motivation.

Once students have chosen their cultural region I will provide them with primary and

secondary documents that provide information about the history, weather, artifacts, and current

lifestyles of these cultural regions and the Native American tribes within the regions. Students

will have two weeks to research, discuss with other students, and create their research project. In

addition to their own research, we will look at current stories, news articles, and photographs of

Native Americans living in today's world, and how they still uphold their cultures and celebrate

their past. Through these lessons we will discuss Columbus Day vs. Indigenous People’s Day

and which should be celebrated and why, which will lead directly into our upcoming unit on

European exploration. My hope is that through taking a closer look at Native American cultures

and their contemporary lives, as well as discussing with peers about what they are researching

about from the past, that students will begin to understand how learning about Native American

culture in social studies is relevant to their current lives. I also hope that through choice and

inquiry-based instruction students will be invested in their learning and passionate about their

findings, as well as come away with a greater understanding and appreciation of the past and

how it affects their decisions and views today.

The final week of my data collection, November 23rd, will conclude by giving my

students the opportunity to share their research projects with their classmates, as well as the other

social studies class. They will also complete the post-survey and participate in a class discussion

regarding the guiding question that began the unit, as well as the importance of learning about

the past, and how the past is still relevant today. Additionally, I will ask my students why it is

important for peoples’ cultures to be protected and celebrated, including their own. I hope this
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bridges the gap between the history they are learning about, as well as helps them begin to make

a connection to their own life by allowing them to see themselves as a part of history too.

Role and Issues

While balancing my role as a classroom teacher and inquirer, there will be a few

precautions I take. The first being the use of anonymity within the surveys I have my students

take, as I want to use their responses purely for data collection and future decisions I make while

shaping my social studies instruction. Secondly, I will not take time away from my students and

their learning to record observations in my professional journal, rather I will refer to my journal

during times that my students are not present, such as lunch or the end of the day. I do not want

my excitement of data collection to disrupt my role as their teacher, which is the most important

role I have throughout the day.

In regard to dealing with any ethical issues, I will continue to keep the surveys

anonymous, as will I use pseudonyms to protect my students’ ideas and work. Before beginning

any data collection, I was very transparent with families by informing them about my research,

the purpose of it, and how I planned to protect their child’s identity, as well as receiving written

permission for their child to participate in my research.

As I began writing about how I plan to implement and gather data I got increasingly more

apprehensive about the idea of being a researcher and teacher at the same time. I know that it is

something I can handle, and am eager to begin, but I worry that something will not go as

planned, or I will become overwhelmed with balancing the roles.

Data Analysis
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Procedures

As I sat down to analyze the data I had collected throughout the implementation of my

action research, I did not expect it to be as chaotic as it ended up being. Finding themes and

patterns across a plethora of data is a hard, but very rewarding task. Through my research and

findings, I have grown immensely, and have begun to refine my teaching practices in the content

area of social studies. To begin making sense of my data I simply laid it all out in front of me

(the pre/post surveys, professional journal notes, and student work and responses). It was awfully

overwhelming to look at, but as I began to sift through the data I decided to conduct this portion

of my research much like my literature review, through the use of taking thorough notes,

highlighting and coding recurring themes, and eventually compiling it all together into a table.

Creating a table allowed me to see which themes had emerged, what evidence I had to support

those themes, and where the data was found (Table 3).

Table 3: Data Analysis Chart

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I had to remind myself throughout this process that there is no right or wrong way to

determine the themes that emerged from my research, whether it be themes I was expecting (a

priori) or new themes (emergent). Additionally, I reminded myself that presenting this

information is a very individualized process, which will differ greatly from approaches used by

other researchers. Ultimately though, I analyzed my data using a combination of both a priori

themes and emergent themes.

While coding my data, through the use of different colored highlighters for each a priori,

or pre-determined theme, I was able to find a lot of evidence to support the ideas centered around

the sub-questions of my action research. As I continued this process, while looking at all three

data sources, I found a very unexpected theme begin to emerge. While my original three themes

focused on inquiry, discussion, and choice, I began to notice that through these avenues of

learning that empathy was evolving within my students. I especially found evidence for this

while looking at student work samples and responses, as well as reading through my professional

journal notes. As a social studies teacher, this was an exciting theme to watch unfold in my

classroom, as well as see through my students’ work and discussions. As I began this research I

was not intending for empathy to emerge within my students and their lens to the past, but it was

a happy surprise.

I fully intend on conducting member checks with my data, but have not yet gotten the

chance to do so due to the unexpected time constraints this school year has presented. I am eager

to share my findings with my students, as I have watched their love and passion for social studies

grow immensely over the past month. It will be exciting to share the themes I have concluded, as
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well as ask my students their thoughts on how their view of social studies has grown and

changed.

Findings

Throughout the duration of my data collection I was making informed decisions centered

around inquiry methods, the implementation of choice, and the opportunity for discussion, all to

help answer my overarching research question, “How can I shape my social studies instruction

so that it is meaningful, relevant, and long-lasting for my students?” I collected data in a variety

of ways during these three weeks, as well as composed an emerging claim that has begun to

shape the “why” of my social studies instruction, which is the notion of empathy and how it

guides students in their learning about the past and people unlike them. It was incredibly eye-

opening to watch the data unfold for each of my themes, whether they were a priori or emergent.

Inquiry-Based Instruction & The Implementation of Choice

The first a priori theme, “Inquiry-based instruction, with the incorporation of an

overarching unit question, drives students’ natural-born curiosities and provides a platform to

learn what they are most passionate about,” and the second a priori theme, “Infusing choice into

social studies instruction elicits individual passion and allows students to come away with a

greater understanding and appreciation of the past,” were confirmed through both student work

samples and responses, as well as through the professional journal notes. As researched in my

literature review, I knew the importance of taking a step back and acting more as a facilitator

who guides students’ thinking, rather than feeding them “answers” about the past, as well as

providing my students with choice. Knowing this, I decided to begin the unit by asking a

question to spark natural curiosity. The question was, “Why is it important to continue learning
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about Native American cultures in social studies class? How does it affect our lives?” Upon

asking this question many of my students immediately became passionate about the topic and

were eager to share their thoughts. Before allowing my students to participate in discussion I was

curious what their own thinking was, so I had students record their thoughts on paper. Below are

a few students’ responses:

Figure 1: Student A Response

Figure 2: Student B Response

Figure 3: Student C Response

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In previous units of study my students did not begin a unit as insightful, nor passionate

about the topic being studied. I saw a quick shift in my students’ mindset and motivation by

incorporating an inquiry question to drive the unit. It was as if my students were taking

ownership in the topic, and wanted to be a part of the research, rather than simply reading a book

and being told about the past. As the unit progressed I allowed my students to choose a specific

cultural region to study and create a research project about it. Knowing through the research

done in my literature review just how important and simple infusing choice into assignments, I

was eager to watch my students’ appreciation for the topic soar. I gave very little direction to my

students in terms of what they should research about their chosen cultural region, and how they

should present their findings, because I wanted them to gain their own appreciation and passion

for their work and the research being done. The only requirements I had for my students was to

look at specific cultural components of their region, such as food, clothing, houses, etc. I then

gave them a week, a piece of paper, and time to collaborate with other students researching the

same cultural region. I was well aware that this could absolutely blow up and become a complete

disaster, but I knew that regardless of the quality of work completed, that my students were

going to learn something and feel proud and excited to share it with their classmates and family

members, due to the ownership they had already taken on.

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Throughout their week of research, collaboration, and work time I listened in on

discussions, asked students about their findings, and truly sat back to watch the magic unfold.

While doing so, I took some notes in my professional journal. These were some of my notes

from the first day:

· Day 1: “Students' engagement is soaring due to being able to choose the

cultural region to study. Students are sharing new information with peers around

them with a lot of excitement and pride. They are making connections and

applying background knowledge from earlier in the unit – maybe they are doing

this because of the ownership they feel?”

Listed below are some of the comments I heard:

o “Wow! I learned that Native Americans in my region used every single

part of the buffalo… this is so interesting!”

o “Did you know that there was an important ceremony dance where men

wouldn’t eat for many days?!”

o “This reminds me so much of the other region we looked at last week as

a class (Eastern Woodlands).”

o “Wow! Europeans did really awful things to the people of my region

(the Southwest).”

While listening in on students’ discussions I was amazed at the passion I heard, as well as

the curiosity that filled the classroom walls. Their ownership and excitement was ten-fold

compared to previous units of study, which I attribute to the inquiry-based research activity and

the choice infused within the activity. It was apparent to me that students were fostering their

own sense of learning and were going to come away with long-lasting knowledge, which is one

of the most important components of my research question. I was convinced by the end of the
 23

unit that the claims made about the use of inquiry and choice were truly an important component

to social studies instruction when I received their final projects, and when I saw the pride each

student took in their project. Their projects were done with such integrity and passion compared

to those from previous units. Below are a few examples that I received:

Figure 4: Final Project #1

Figure 5: Final Project #2

 24

Figure 6: Final Project #3

Powerful and Meaningful Discussions

 25

The third a priori claim I anticipated finding, “Powerful and meaningful discussions

spark enthusiasm and allow students to delve deeper into historical content,” was supported in

student work samples, my professional journal, and in the student surveys. Through researching

for my literature review I learned a lot about the importance of meaningful discussions in the

social studies classroom, and the impacts they have on student learning and sense making of

difficult content. Throughout the three weeks of research I infused discussion into the majority of

the lessons. Whether the discussions were formal, as a whole-group, or informal, with peers

sitting near them, students consistently showed enthusiasm towards the topic. In addition to

enthusiasm, students learned how to listen carefully and critically to their peers, and partook in

productive disagreement.

The pre-survey (Figure 7) showed that only 61.1% of students believed their voice or

opinion was important when participating in a class discussion, but the post-survey reflected

93.9% (Figure 8). Upon reflecting on this data, I believe that students’ mindsets changed

regarding this question because by the end of the unit they appreciated and valued classroom

discussion more, thus believing their voice was important to be heard. The evidence I have for

this claim is through information gathered from my professional journal notes. On Day 3, a

student asked, “Can we discuss with our friends more often about what we are learning? I have

learned a lot more by talking to them than reading our textbook.” Quickly following this

student’s question another student chimed in to say, “I like talking about my cultural region with

other people because I feel like the teacher.” In reflecting on these student responses, I agree

with their thoughts, and it supports much of the research I have gathered around student

discussion. As I continue to allow my students to discuss with one another, ask each other
 26

questions, and share their new findings, I am allowing my students to take ownership of their

learning, as well as allowing their passion to propel them forward.

Figure 7: Pre-Survey Results

Figure 8: Post-Survey Results

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Developing Empathy for the Past

The final theme emerged through my data collection and analysis, and was truly the most

exciting one to come about, as I was not expecting it. This theme is, “Empathy develops within

students when they are presented with multiple perspectives on history, real-life stories, and are

given opportunities to discuss their thoughts.” I saw empathy emerge within my students far

more than I have in previous units, where we solely read our textbook, answer questions, and

take a test. It was eye opening to watch students empathize with people and events in the past in

a new way as they were exposed to multiple perspectives and involved in class discussions.

In addition to students’ individual research, we also took a look at picture books such as

Encounter, and read multiple non-fiction articles in Scholastic News, to better understand Native

American culture, their encounters with Europeans, and the lasting impact on these groups of

people. These activities served as additional research for students’ culminating projects, and an

opportunity to look at multiple perspectives on historical events and topics.

Through these whole-group learning experiences, and the formal and informal

discussions, I quickly saw empathy emerge through my students’ responses. I heard comments

such as, “How could the Europeans take their land without asking?” and “Don’t they know that

their culture is not more important than the Native Americans?” As students began asking these

types of questions, we began having tougher conversations, and truly leaning into the messy part

of history. Through these conversations students were better able to “put themselves in their

shoes'' and empathize with how people of the past were treated, rather than passively learning

historical content and not thinking or reflecting critically upon it. Additionally, through the use

of an inquiry question at the beginning of the unit, I saw students react and respond with more
 28

empathy than during previous units. One student wrote, “it is a tradition we must carry on

(Figure 9).” Another student wrote, “the reason we need to learn about this is so these tribes are

not forgotten. Also because we know what these Native Americans went through (Figure 10).”

We had many discussions concluding our unit about how we, as fifth graders, can keep these

Native American traditions alive and relevant in today's world. My students have shown a lot of

passion in sharing their findings with others’ and making sure history books continue teaching

students like them about Native American culture.

Figure 9: Student D Response

Figure 10: Student E Response

 29

As I reflect on my overarching research question, “How can I shape my social studies

instruction so that it is meaningful, relevant, and long-lasting for my students?” I am excited

about the themes that have emerged through my research, and supported by student work and

responses. It is apparent that incorporating meaningful student discussion, infusing student

choice, and using inquiry-led approaches to learning, ultimately drive students' natural-born

curiosities, spark enthusiasm, and elicit empathy within students in the social studies classroom. I

am excited to continue using these approaches to guide my students thinking and learning about

the past.

Conclusions & Discussion

Summary
 30

My initial research question asked about the ways I could ensure that my social studies

instruction was meaningful, relevant, and long-lasting for my students. Through research done in

my literature review, data collection, and a thorough review of my findings, I am feeling like a

brand new social studies instructor, with a multitude of new strategies for teaching and an

appreciation for these new approaches on fostering lifelong learning within my students. While

reviewing the data that was collected, and confirming overarching themes, I found much

evidence to support the sub-questions of my inquiry project. Additionally, I uncovered a new

theme and found evidence to support those new realizations and findings.

The first three themes I discovered were ultimately inspired through the learning done

within my literature review. These themes focused on inquiry-based instruction, choice, and

powerful and meaningful discussion. In the present study, I was able to gather evidence through

student work samples and my professional journal on the impacts of the implementation of these

strategies into my instruction. I found that presenting my students with an inquiry question to

begin a unit, rather than beginning a unit by asking students to open up to the “introduction”

page in their textbook, automatically sparked their curiosities and ignited passion in their

responses on the topic. Additionally, providing choice in their learning allowed students to take

ownership and place importance on their own interests, while continuing to engage their passion.

Lastly, the implementation of frequent discussion opportunities for students allowed them to

project their findings, take ownership in their learning, and further drive their passion toward

their content knowledge. These three central findings, which were informed and supported by the

instructional strategies stated in the a priori themes, sincerely allowed students to foster their

own sense of learning, which ultimately left them with meaningful and long-lasting knowledge.
 31

My students took proud ownership of their learning and immersed themselves fully into learning

about history, its impact, and the bias found in history.

The most exciting takeaway from my data collection emerged through student discussion

and was found in their student work. This was the emergent theme from my data analysis:

“Empathy develops within students when they are presented with multiple perspectives on

history, real-life stories, and are given opportunities to discuss their thoughts." I had not

anticipated, nor previously read about, the impact left on students through looking at multiple

perspectives of history and analyzing it critically. I expected students to leave with a greater

encompassing view on the complete picture of history, but I was not foreseeing my students to

elicit such intense empathy for those of the past. As this theme began to emerge, it immediately

began shaping who I was as a social studies teacher. I quickly came to the realization that there is

nothing more powerful than my students allowing themselves to feel for those that came before

us, and learn from the mistakes of others. Not only do my students have a deep understanding of

this historical content, they are now able to apply it to their own lives and discuss with their

peers how they would have felt living in those times. These discussions are not something I

believe they will quickly forget about, rather these discussions will shape their understanding and

lasting knowledge about this content moving forward.

Connections

Looking back at my literature review, most of my findings were supported by the

research I read about prior to conducting my inquiry project. My prior thoughts, as well as the
 32

data collected, confirmed what I read about through the books, articles, and studies from my

literature review analysis. It was exciting to see the research hold true and come to life in my

classroom. It was even more exciting to watch the theme of empathy unfold within my students,

and I wish I had read more about this idea through my literature review research and analysis.

Through the findings of Schmitt (2018) and Blanken (1999), I knew while designing my

inquiry project that it was vital that I stray away from solely using the textbook provided to my

students and instead incorporate a plethora of learning opportunities and a range of content

sources. The research done by Schmitt (2018) and Blanken (1999) discuss the ramifications of

relying merely on the textbook, specifically the lack of rich content infused in textbooks, the

density, and the rare opportunities for students to connect history to their present lives. As I

began incorporating inquiry-based instruction, as well as different learning opportunities and

sources, such as picture books, current event articles, and differing perspectives on history, I

noticed my students’ engagement and overall comprehension soar, thus providing them a more

meaningful experience in social studies. Students were not dreading social studies anymore;

rather they were finding meaning and passion in their learning. This idea was proven through

their final projects. The passion that unfolded through their projects was much more than I had

seen in previous projects.

The second idea explored in my literature review discussed the difference between “fun”

and challenging opportunities for learning in social studies instruction. DiCamillo (as cited in

Bauml, 2015) found positive impacts of “fun” activities on students’ opportunity to learn and

form meaningful connections. Additionally, Karabulut (2015) argues that to challenge students

you should incorporate controversial topics to push and challenge students thinking and learning.
 33

In the present study, I found that my students truly did learn more when they were exposed to,

and given an opportunity to discuss, controversial ideas and differing perspectives. My students

were engaging more with the content, and I no longer heard my students ask for “fun” and

“hands-on” activities. I believe this was due to their engagement being fulfilled by topics that

inspired their thinking. Students were now asking me for more information on the historical

content because they were curious and passionate to learn more and wanted to push their

thinking.

The idea of exposing students to controversial topics and incorporating open discussion

was closely supported by the work of Martinson (2005), Hess (2004), and Gehlbach (2011).

Their findings discuss the benefit of discussion in the social studies classroom, such as the

opportunity for students to push their thinking, see outside perspectives, and ultimately gain

empathy for others’ views on a topic. Discussion became my students favorite part of the day

and opened their minds up to new learning. I was able to record their discussions in my

professional journal. While reflecting on what had been said during discussions, my eyes opened

up to the positive impacts of discussion and multiple learning opportunities. Additionally, the

discussions in my classroom brought students together in a way that I had not seen before; giving

them a space to take ownership in their learning and share it with others. If discussion had not

been a vital part of my inquiry project I do not think my students would have remained as

passionate as they did, nor have elicited the empathy they did for the past.

From the very beginning I had anticipated that an inquiry approach, as well as the

opportunity for choice, would ultimately bring out my students’ curiosities, although I did not

expect it to deepen their engagement as much as it had, nor form them into passionate ten-year
 34

olds. Brophy, Alleman, and Halvorsen (2019) and Levstik and Barton (as cited in Babini, 2013)

thoroughly discuss the positive impacts of inquiry-based learning, specifically the idea that

allowing students to “drive” the learning and thinking will motivate them to dig deep and think

critically, while finding passion for the world around them. Taking this into account, I wanted to

take a step back as a teacher, and lead more as a facilitator. This allowed my students to find

passion in their projects, and take ownership for their own learning. The affordances of this

approach really came through in their final culminating projects. The passion was apparent, and

the ownership taken shone while students talked about their projects with their peers.

Implications

I have always felt a strong desire to form my social studies instruction in a way to engage

my students, as well as form them into open-minded, critical thinkers. Having the opportunity to

engage in action research allowed me to study, practice, and reflect on different strategies that

can push me in the direction I have always wanted to head towards. The most apparent change I

have come to realize in my teaching practices is the opportunity for students to lead the

discussion, as well as their own learning. Allowing students to tell you what is important for

them to learn about, within the standards, is the best way to elicit passion and create long-lasting

connections. Not only that, but it creates an environment of learning that provokes the idea that

“we’re all in this together.” My students no longer view me as the holder of information, rather

someone learning alongside them, and I believe that is incredibly important. In the past I have

limited myself to only teaching the curriculum, but I am quickly finding that this was the wrong

approach to follow. Allowing my students to guide their learning, with the implementation of

inquiry, choice and discussion, has allowed my students and I to uncover new information
 35

together, engage in discussion that does not always end with everyone agreeing, and ultimately

become open-minded, critical thinkers.

Moving forward, I will always guide my instruction with inquiry-based learning, while

incorporating choice and discussion. Additionally, I will continue to expose students to multiple

perspectives of historical inquiry, all while connecting information to the real world. In doing

this I am confident that my instruction will allow students to come away with a deeper

understanding of the past and a greater appreciation for differing views and perspectives.

Further Study

Reflecting on the last few months, I feel fortunate to have answered the sub-questions I

set out to answer. I have unfolded the impacts that inquiry-based instruction, choice, and

discussion have on my students’ learning, as well as supported it with evidence in my literature

review through studies done by other researchers. In regards to my overarching research

question, “How can I shape my social studies instruction so that it is meaningful, relevant, and

long-lasting for my students?’ I believe that the incorporation of the strategies discovered in my

sub-questions have begun to answer how I will shape my social studies instruction moving

forward, although I would like to continue researching new strategies as well.

Based on my research and findings, I began to question the traditional approach to

teaching social studies, as in reading the textbook, memorizing dates, and taking a test. Although

I know this is not the appropriate approach to take to ensure students are left with meaningful

connections, I also understand that they will be presented with standardized tests that will ask

them to list off random facts and dates. This leaves me wondering if leading with an inquiry-
 36

approach does a disservice to their future success on tests that weigh much of how they will do in

the future. The questions that have sparked are as follows:

1. How do teachers ensure students are engaged, left with meaningful content knowledge,

and find passion in their social studies instruction, all while ensuring students understand

important concepts and dates in history for future standardized tests?

2. Is an inquiry approach hindering their ability to gain important test-taking skills and

strategies that will help them in future endeavors?

Moving forward I plan to research how teachers have transitioned to an inquiry approach,

all while providing students with opportunities to practice their test taking skills. Additionally,

I’d like to consider having my students create culminating projects, in addition to taking tests, as

a way for students to show their knowledge in multiple forms.

Reflections

Through this action research project I have grown immensely and have begun to refine

my teaching practices in the content area of social studies. Engaging in this process has led me to

appreciate the work that goes into forming a research question, researching work that has already

been done in the area of focus, synthesizing information, and carrying out a systematic plan to

uncover new ideas based on data. This process has allowed me to appreciate the opportunity to

continue learning about importances I have in growing my teaching practice, as well as the

opportunity to reflect on how I have grown from the beginning of my action research to the end.

I have seen and heard my students place importance on their learning and form a love of

the past. It no longer feels like I am pushing historical events, dates, etc. on my students, rather I

am engaging in discussion with them and learning new things along the way. My students have
 37

pushed my thinking this year and I am excited for that to continue moving forward. Teaching

social studies also no longer feels like a linear process where I have every lesson and day of the

unit preplanned. Instead, I am comfortable with the unknown, knowing that my students may

want to discover and look further into certain events or ideas. I am allowing my students to drive

their learning, thus allowing myself to take a step back and learn with them.

Although the action research project is coming to an end, I do not intend on stopping

here. I am just starting to uncover what powerful and meaningful social studies instruction looks

and feels like in the classroom and I am fully committed to continue my learning, as well as use

that learning and knowledge to form and impact my instruction. As I stated earlier, I am hopeful

that by pursuing this research in my own classroom, I will be able to inspire colleagues in my

school, and/or district, to do the same with their students. Social studies does not deserve to be

placed on the backburner, nor do our students deserve to miss out on the opportunity to become a

part of history themselves by using their voice to become passionate, culturally aware, and

informed critical thinkers.

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References

A Vision of Powerful Teaching and Learning in the Social Studies: Building Effective Citizens.

(2008). Social Education,75(2), 227-280.

Babini, K. C. (2013). Has elementary social studies instruction become collateral damage of the

no child left behind act?Available from ERIC. (1773212616; ED561635). Retrieved from

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com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/docview/1773212616?accountid=12598

Bauml, M. (2016). Is it cute or does it count? Learning to teach for meaningful social studies in

elementary grades. The Journal of Social Studies Research,40(1), 55-69.

doi:10.1016/j.jssr.2015.02.001

Brophy, J., Alleman, J., & Halvorsen, A. (2013, 2007). Elementary Social Studies: What Is It?

What Might It Become? In Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students(3rd ed., pp.

11-13). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Brugar, K. A., & Whitlock, A. M. (2018). Social studies skills or something else? an analysis of

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instruction.Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 91(3),

111-117. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/10.1080/00098655.2017.1418129

Gehlbach, H. (2011). Making social studies social: Engaging students through different forms of

social perspective taking.Theory into Practice, 50(4), 311. Retrieved from

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Hess, D. E. (2004). Discussion in social studies: Is it worth the trouble?Social Education, 68(2),

151-155. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-

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Karabulut, U. S. (2015). Identifying instructional methods of teaching critical thinking: A

systematic review and analysis of three decades of literature. The Georgia Social Studies

Journal,5(2), 96-107.

Martinson, D. L. (2005). Building a tolerance for disagreement: An important goal in social

studies instruction.The Clearing House, 78(3), 118-122. Retrieved from

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Ponder, J., Veldt, M. V., & Lewis-Ferrell, G. (2011). Citizenship, curriculum, and critical

thinking beyond the four walls of the classroom: Linking the academic content with

service-learning.Teacher Education Quarterly, 38(4), 45-68. Retrieved from

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Powerful, Purposeful Pedagogy in Elementary School Social Studies. (2017). Retrieved

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