Incorporating global perspectives into a social studies methods class: a case study

This dissertation is a case study examining the ways global perspectives are incorporated in a preservice teacher education program consisting of a social studies methods course and a practicum class. The goal is to reveal external and internal tensions student teachers and teacher educators experience when they try to implement global perspectives in their class and then to ultimately contribute to finding new kinds of teacher capacity in order to prepare preservice teachers as globally-well-prepared teachers. This study is based on three research questions: First, what images or narratives about the globalized world do preservice teachers and teacher educators bring into a preservice social studies methods class? Second, what kinds of global perspectives and tensions about global perspectives do preservice teachers and teacher educators experience in the social studies methods class? And, third, in what ways, do preservice teachers represent their interpretations about the globalized world in their students’ teaching practices? The first finding shows that student teachers have seen the world through limited and narrow perspectives on the globalized world based on their U.S.-centered schooling and personal experiences. The second and third findings reveal that behind the difficulties student teachers and teacher educators feel for incorporating global perspectives are many tensions (1) between existing topics as ‘explicit content’ and global topics as ‘inexplicit perspectives and examples’ in set curriculum, (2) between ‘manageable knowledge’ and ‘expanded knowledge,’ and (3) between the social studies methods class and student teaching in a school. These tensions reveal the conflict between the neoliberal standpoint and the radical standpoint, and between a traditional paradigm and a transformative paradigm.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Secondary & Continuing Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Kim, Jeesuk

Contributors dc:contributor

• Noffke, Susan E.
• Parsons, Marilyn A.
• Rizvi, Fazal
• Burbules, Nicholas C.

• Preservice teacher education
• teacher capacity
• globally-well-prepared teacher
• case study

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2012 Jeesuk Kim

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/42345

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/42345