A National Survey of U.S. Social Studies Teacher Educators’ Professional Habits and Preferences

Abstract

Social studies teacher educators represent a small subset of higher education faculty in the United States. However, within this small subset exist a great deal of diversity in terms of habits and preferences of social studies educators. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the types of research studies most commonly being conducted by social studies teacher educators, preferred research methods, professional organization affiliations, and preferred publication outlets. Findings revealed that social studies teacher educators in the U.S. most commonly conduct qualitative research studies focusing on the secondary (6-12) level. Additionally, insights are provided into which national organizations and journals are most popular among social studies teacher educators in the United States. This study will provide teachers, educators, and scholars from around the world with valuable information regarding the current state of social studies teacher educators’ professional preferences in the United States.