Abstract

This research study emerged from the question of how disciplinary epistemologies in history and the social sciences might inform the pedagogical methods of practicing and pre-service secondary social studies teachers in the United States. Although research has been conducted on how students and historians develop “historical thinking,” there is a dearth of similar research for social science disciplines, such as economics, political science, anthropology, sociology, law, and geography. This project seeks to expand the existing body of literature on how students and scholars develop disciplinary thinking. From the observational, participatory, survey data collected during a pilot teacher education course on disciplinary approaches to pedagogy in the broad field of social studies, research questions and an interview protocol were developed. The interview protocol was then used with history and social science faculty at American University about how they have developed disciplinary ways of thinking and how they approach inquiry and teaching within their fields. This project intends to contribute new research to the field of teacher education and engage in ongoing cross-disciplinary conversations about teaching and learning among scholars in history and the social sciences.