What Influences Whether the Social Studies Are Taught in Elementary Schools? A Mixed-Methods Study Investigating the Instructional Time for and the Impact of Educational Reform on Social Studies Instruction

This mixed-methods study was designed to understand the perceptions of K-5 elementary educators in regard to social studies, methods of instruction, and the amount of instructional time spent on social studies in relation to other core subjects. The descriptive study utilized a cross-sectional survey design to understand the perceptions of 153 K-5 elementary school teachers regarding social studies instruction. The results of the descriptive survey showed that social studies were considered the least important subject by 109 teachers when compared to language arts, mathematics, and science. The retrospective causal-comparative study design was conducted to determine whether a significant relationship existed between the fourth-grade students who were proficient on the 2014/15 Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS) for social studies and the amount of instructional time reported by 22 fourth-grade teachers. The results of the causal-comparative study showed a statistically significant relationship existed (p = .001) between how often social studies were taught and the results of the DCAS assessment. The qualitative study was conducted to gain in-depth descriptions of five fourth-grade teachers' perceptions of social studies. Teachers indicated instructional time has reduced, and there is a lack of professional development, training, and materials and resources. As a result of this mixed-methods study, it was concluded that social studies have been negatively impacted by educational reform requiring increased accountability in other core subjects and that it has been placed on the backburner in favor of tested subjects. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]