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

TLDR

The study examined contemporary social studies teachers’ views on citizenship education. The authors used Q‑technique on two small samples and analyzed a large national survey to identify and assess the prevalence and teacher characteristics of different citizenship education perspectives. Minnesota teachers endorsed cultural pluralism, communitarianism, and legalism, while nationally teachers endorsed critical thinking, legalism, cultural pluralism, and assimilationism, with implications for multicultural citizenship education discussed.

Abstract

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.