Yonghee Suh

Simple Yet Complicated: U.S. History Represented in South Korean History Textbooks

Framing history/social studies textbooks as a social construction designed to create a public memory of a national history and history of the Other, we investigated how U.S. history is represented in South Koreas social studies textbooks and what images and ideas of the United States are encouraged for South Korean students to take. To answer this question, we conducted a content analysis of the presentation of U.S. history in middle school social studies textbooks used in South Korean schools. Our findings show that (1) South Koreas textbook accounts of U.S. history predominantly portray the United States as a world leader in democracy and peace building; (2) the textbook accounts of U.S. history generally miss the events and figures that have historical significance for U.S. domestic contexts; and (3) the history of controversial U.S.–Korea relations as well as learning opportunities for historical thinking are also missing in the textbook accounts.

Knowledge Transmission versus Social Transformation: A Critical Analysis of Purpose in Elementary Social Studies Methods Textbooks.

Abstract In this article, the authors investigate the extent to which 9 elementary social studies methods textbooks present the purpose of teaching and learning social studies. Using Stanley’s three perspectives of teaching social studies for knowledge transmission, method of intelligence, and social transformation; we analyze how these texts prepare preservice teachers to plan, instruct, and assess social studies in the elementary grades. Findings from this study suggest that social studies methods textbooks hold divergent perspectives for teaching social studies and that the purposes presented in the texts generally determine how social studies teaching and learning is presented in the remainder of the texts.

Standardizing the Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes for Democratic Life: A Content Analysis of Virginia Standards of Learning and Social Studies Textbooks

This content analysis explored how Civics and Government textbooks and the Virginia Standards of Learning for Civics and Government courses reflect citizenship outcomes, specifically deconstructing the unique needs of marginalized students. The coding frame was constructed by using themes and categories from previous literature, specifically highlighting Kahne and Westheimers (2003) three Cs (Commitment, Connection, Capacity) framework. The findings support previous literature, which suggest that civics textbooks and state standards emphasize individual rights and a philosophy of liberalism, but deemphasize civic ideals of collectivism and a classical republicanism philosophy based on deliberation and community action. Furthermore, the findings illuminate the lack of content that provides authentic examples for marginalized students in the narrative of American democracy.