{"id":{"repo_id":"uic","oai_identifier":"oai:figshare.com:article/31451623"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uic/oai:figshare.com:article/31451623","repository":{"repo_id":"uic","name":"University of Illinois - Chicago","base_url":"https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai"},"display":{"title":"Using Inquiry Learning to Shift Towards a Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Elementary Social Studies","abstract":"Prentice T. Chandler and Todd S. Hawley (2017) have poignantly noted that social studies instruction has traditionally “erased the histories and experiences” (p. 7) of students of color. This study addresses the question of how white teachers who teach students of color can use inquiry learning to shift traditional elementary social studies instructional practices towards a more culturally sustaining pedagogy. Elementary social studies instruction has traditionally been teacher-centric and rooted in a mono-perspective of historytelling that represents a dominant cultural narrative that often alienates and subtracts students of color from their learning (Valenzuela, 1999). Through a teacher inquiry community that incorporates six-week classroom-based inquiry units, structured participatory conversations, teacher interviews, and teacher artifact collection, this study argues that a shift towards inquiry learning that incorporates student-driven practices that promote building student agency and civic engagement, centering marginalized voices and counter-narratives, and cultivating inquisitive mindsets, is a more culturally sustaining pedagogy that reimagines elementary social studies “where diverse, heterogeneous practices are not only valued but sustained” (Alim and Paris, 2017).","abstract_html":"Prentice T. Chandler and Todd S. Hawley (2017) have poignantly noted that social studies instruction has traditionally “erased the histories and experiences” (p. 7) of students of color. This study addresses the question of how white teachers who teach students of color can use inquiry learning to shift traditional elementary social studies instructional practices towards a more culturally sustaining pedagogy. Elementary social studies instruction has traditionally been teacher-centric and rooted in a mono-perspective of historytelling that represents a dominant cultural narrative that often alienates and subtracts students of color from their learning (Valenzuela, 1999). Through a teacher inquiry community that incorporates six-week classroom-based inquiry units, structured participatory conversations, teacher interviews, and teacher artifact collection, this study argues that a shift towards inquiry learning that incorporates student-driven practices that promote building student agency and civic engagement, centering marginalized voices and counter-narratives, and cultivating inquisitive mindsets, is a more culturally sustaining pedagogy that reimagines elementary social studies “where diverse, heterogeneous practices are not only valued but sustained” (Alim and Paris, 2017).","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Shawn Reddy (23292004)"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12-01T00:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-12-01T00:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:34:28Z","subjects":["Education","Curriculum and Instruction"],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright","Open Access after 2028-01-01"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.25417/uic.31451623.v1","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Shawn Reddy (23292004)"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-12-01T00:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Using_Inquiry_Learning_to_Shift_Towards_a_Culturally_Sustaining_Pedagogy_in_Elementary_Social_Studies/31451623"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Education","Curriculum and Instruction"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright","Open Access after 2028-01-01"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10.25417/uic.31451623.v1"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Prentice T. Chandler and Todd S. Hawley (2017) have poignantly noted that social studies instruction has traditionally “erased the histories and experiences” (p. 7) of students of color. This study addresses the question of how white teachers who teach students of color can use inquiry learning to shift traditional elementary social studies instructional practices towards a more culturally sustaining pedagogy. Elementary social studies instruction has traditionally been teacher-centric and rooted in a mono-perspective of historytelling that represents a dominant cultural narrative that often alienates and subtracts students of color from their learning (Valenzuela, 1999). Through a teacher inquiry community that incorporates six-week classroom-based inquiry units, structured participatory conversations, teacher interviews, and teacher artifact collection, this study argues that a shift towards inquiry learning that incorporates student-driven practices that promote building student agency and civic engagement, centering marginalized voices and counter-narratives, and cultivating inquisitive mindsets, is a more culturally sustaining pedagogy that reimagines elementary social studies “where diverse, heterogeneous practices are not only valued but sustained” (Alim and Paris, 2017)."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Using Inquiry Learning to Shift Towards a Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Elementary Social Studies"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Shawn Reddy (23292004)"],"dc:date":["2025-12-01T00:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Prentice T. Chandler and Todd S. Hawley (2017) have poignantly noted that social studies instruction has traditionally “erased the histories and experiences” (p. 7) of students of color. This study addresses the question of how white teachers who teach students of color can use inquiry learning to shift traditional elementary social studies instructional practices towards a more culturally sustaining pedagogy. Elementary social studies instruction has traditionally been teacher-centric and rooted in a mono-perspective of historytelling that represents a dominant cultural narrative that often alienates and subtracts students of color from their learning (Valenzuela, 1999). Through a teacher inquiry community that incorporates six-week classroom-based inquiry units, structured participatory conversations, teacher interviews, and teacher artifact collection, this study argues that a shift towards inquiry learning that incorporates student-driven practices that promote building student agency and civic engagement, centering marginalized voices and counter-narratives, and cultivating inquisitive mindsets, is a more culturally sustaining pedagogy that reimagines elementary social studies “where diverse, heterogeneous practices are not only valued but sustained” (Alim and Paris, 2017)."],"dc:identifier":["10.25417/uic.31451623.v1"],"dc:relation":["https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Using_Inquiry_Learning_to_Shift_Towards_a_Culturally_Sustaining_Pedagogy_in_Elementary_Social_Studies/31451623"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright","Open Access after 2028-01-01"],"dc:subject":["Education","Curriculum and Instruction"],"dc:title":["Using Inquiry Learning to Shift Towards a Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Elementary Social Studies"],"dc:type":["Text","Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:34:28Z"}