Scotland and South Korea are experiencing novel challenges in educating for and about migrant populations. Through a critical discourse analysis of these nations’ national curricula, we consider the guidance educators are offered in teaching about issues related to migration in increasingly diverse classrooms. Framed by theories of critical global citizenship, our analysis suggests that both curricula use ambiguous approaches to global citizenship education. These curricula acknowledge the presence of migrants without disturbing stable visions of Korean and Scottish national identities. Such (...) approaches are reflective of the challenges of integrating migrants into the civic life of South Korea and Scotland. (shrink)

Focusing on episodes of student-generated and -sustained talk during document-based disciplinary history discussions, this study explored what teacher candidates prioritize and value about social studies discussions, and how these priorities align with their actions and goals as facilitators. Using a complex systems-based model, we investigated candidates’ goals as they planned for, facilitated, and reflected upon student sensemaking relative to three common orientations for social studies discussions: disciplinary history, participatory civics, and critical literacy. Findings revealed that candidates employed elements from all (...) three orientations, yet without clear alignment to any particular approach. This misalignment reflected tensions between candidates’ stated goals, beliefs about student engagement, and instructional decisions. We draw implications for teacher education to support candidates in developing coherent practices for discussion facilitation that align with their instructional visions and sociocultural contexts. (shrink)

This exploratory mixed-methods study considers what motivates pre-service social studies teachers to pursue a career in teaching, and the extent to which those motivations are connected to a desire to promote democratic citizenship. We seek to put pre-service social studies teachers’ motivations into a broader context by comparing them to those of pre-service teachers in other certification areas. Using surveys and open-ended responses, we analyzed the motivational factors of 218 pre-service teachers using the FIT-Choice Scale and Westheimer and Kahne's categories (...) of citizen-types. Our findings suggest that being civically motivated is not a phenomenon unique to social studies teachers. However, participants’ responses to the open-ended prompts suggest a greater likelihood of pre-service social studies teachers articulating a more nuanced vision of “good” citizenship than their peers in other certification areas. Our findings offer implications that extend beyond social studies teacher education to the structure of teacher education programs more generally. (shrink)