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A Look Into The Problems That Students Have With Social Studies and How They can be
Improved

By: Chris Greenwood

EDUC 206
Sr. Mary Ann Jacobs
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Abstract

In this Essay, I will attempt so figure out “why don’t some students like Social

Studies”. I feel that the best way for me to answer this question is to look at past memories from

being a Social Studies Student at Salesian High School. In order to refresh my memory, I had a

conversation with my old High School History teacher to talk to him about stories he

remembered from my class, as well as incidents that he saw recently. I will also be including

insight from the time I spent at the International Leadership Charter High School in the Spring of

2018. Along with these, I will also look at research conducted by experts who have studies this

issue. This way, I will see what professionals have to say about this issue and their own insight

as to why some students don’t like Social Studies. After I have finished all this, I will come up

with a solution to this issue I hopes that It will inspire students to like Social Studies.
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Introduction-

Ever since a very young age, Social Studies has always been my favorite subject in

school. As I entered High School, my love for this subject did not fade away. However, despite

my love for Social Studies, some of my fellow High School classmates did not get the same

appreciation for it. In fact, there was much more of a diverse viewpoint on Social Studies among

my fellow High School classmates. Some thought of Social Studies as a very interesting subject,

due to the variety of interesting facts about different people and places, while others thought of it

as a useless subject, and one not worthy of much of their time and effort. Sometimes in class,

these students displayed their disinterest in the subject by ding other activities, like sleeping or

talking in class. When this happened, the teachers would remind the student(s) not paying

attention that it would negatively affect their grades. My memory from High School was that the

Social Studies teachers kept the students engaged by having them read quotes from historical

figures, or having them do a Do Now.

In order to refresh my memory on High School, I visited and interviewed Mr.

Federico, a U.S. history teacher I had in High School, and someone who I would consider one of

my greatest inspirations. As we talked, he discussed to me how his students felt about Social

Studies, and what he did to encourage students who he felt were not as interested as they should

be. One way in which he would do this is how he would speak with much enthusiasm, in hopes

that he would spark the student’s interest. Also, during the beginning of each lesson, he would

pick on a student at random and ask them to briefly talk about something that the class has

learned the day before. I think this is a good tactic because it would force the student to pay

attention to what was thought the day before, therefore helping them to remember. When my

time with him was soon over, I decided to finish up our conversation by asking him “Why do
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you think it is important for students to learn Social Studies”. He replied to me by enforcing the

idea that those who don’t understand Social Studies are unaware that it is “doomed to repeat

itself ”. I really appreciated this answer because it showed how in order for us to move forward,

we must learn about the mistakes that happened throughout history, so that we can strive to make

our society better.

As I did fieldwork at the International Leadership Charter High School, I noticed

many similarities between it and my old High School. In the classes I observed, there appeared

to be a mixed of students who both loved and hated Social Studies. I remember one specific

instance where one student put his head down, which seemed to be his way of showing that he

wasn’t interested in the lesson. Immediately, the teacher reminded the student to pick up his head

and to stay focused. While this was happening, I was thinking to myself why was it that this

student did not have an interest in Social Studies, and what would it have taken it to get him

interested.

Research-

While doing research, I came across an article called “Why Kids don’t Like Social

Studies” (1982) by Mark Shug. The main purpose of this article is to show what are the reasons

as to why some students don’t like Social Studies. In his study, Shug asked forty six students

what was their favorite subject in school. This study resulted in only seventeen percent of the

students answering Social Studies as their favorite subject. When asked why this was so, some

of the students responded by saying that it was “ too repetitious”, implying that it is a boring

subject. Due to what he found, Shug came to the conclusion that there needs to be more

instruction and opportunities for students to learn Social Studies. I feel that in order for this to
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occur, Social Studies teachers must be more engaged with their students learning and.attempt to

make the subject more interesting for the students.

The next piece of research I found was a book written by Keith Barton and Linda

Levstik called Social Sciences Today. In chapter 4 of this book, titled “ Why don’t more History

Teachers Engage Students in Interpretation”, In this chapter, it talks about the need for students

to be more engaged in the study of Social Studies. This chapter is implying that with a greater

level of engagement, students will enjoy Social Studies more because it will help them to their

own research on a certain topic. I, as a future Social Studies teacher feel that this is especially

true because I understand the importance of conducting research and how vital it is in further

understanding the topic.

Lastly, John Rossi’s article called “ In Depth in an Issue Oriented Social Studies

Classroom”, gives us another way in which Social Studies could be made more interesting. In

his article. Rossi tells us that in order to get students thinking about the Social Studies lesson,

the teacher must gather/ analyze data from the lesson in order to get the students thinking about

it. I feel that if the teacher is able to do this, he/she will be better organized when trying to teach

the Social Studies lesson. When information is gathered in an organized fashion, and the

students are given the freedom to analyze it themselves, I feel that it will not only be easier for

them, but will spark their interest as well. By analyzing information from the lesson, whether

independently or in groups, the student could think for his/herself about the facts and helps them

to be engaged with the subject more.

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Plan-

After gathering this research and studying the schools I have visited, I feel that I have a

plan that will surely make my future students more excited about Social Studies. I feel very

confident that it is the perfect plan for my future students. While creating my own plan, I took

ideas from the Research, as well as from the High Schools. The very first thing I would do is to

keep tract of who is least interested in the subject, this way I can be more engaged with the

student(s). The need for me to be engaged comes from Mark Shug’s book, which I feel is a very

helpful skill that every Social Studies teacher must follow. I also would take from Mr. Federico,

by making students remember information through memorization. However, I would also make

it more exciting by stimulating student’s, memorization through fun activities, or memorization

games. This way, it will be both fun and exciting for students. Because my plan is all about

student interaction with the subject, I feel that it will best suit them and keep them interested at

the same time.

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Resources-

Mark Schug (1982), “Why Kids Don’t Like Social Studies”

Keith Barton, Linda Levstik Social Studies Today,Chapter 4 “ Why don’t More History Teachers
Engage Students in Interpretation? Page 8

John Allen Rossi(2012), In Depth Study of an Issue-Oriented Social Studies Classroom, 88-120