The Oral History for Citizenship Education

Abstract

To address the need for social studies methods course instructors to help preservice teachers make learning and teaching citizenship education relevant, a qualitative case study that took on a content and thematic data analysis approach involving supplementing the curriculum with an oral history inquiry-based project was conducted on 38 elementary preservice teachers in a South Florida university’s social studies methods course. By conducting an oral history with community members who shared first-hand knowledge and experience of past to present issues and events, preservice teachers were able to explore social and political realities (often deemed as controversial) through human perspective in dialogue and express how their interviewee’s stories impacted their knowledge of the topic, own lives, and future teaching of citizenship education. Through the voices of community members (primary sources), participants were able to recognize and fill the gaps that exist in textbook narratives. Though participants focused on events and issues that showcased local community citizens’ lived experiences, the topics were representative of what global citizens experience. As elementary preservice teachers help build the foundation of civic engagement for their future students, the oral history is an example of an endeavor that allowed participants to gain real-world citizenship education.