Instructional strategies for teaching about culture in grades six through eight

The purpose of this study was to examine the instructional strategies and cultural content within middle school social studies. classrooms. A survey of twenty-two multipart questions was mailed to ninety-four teachers and five intern teachers in grades six, seven, and eight of one urban system in East Tennessee. Respondents were asked to describe their educational preparation, personal backgrounds, and present school environment as well as specific instructional strategies used for teaching about other cultures.

The survey consisted of seven multipart questions with Likert-type responses, eleven multipart questions in which participants were asked to provide information regarding content instruction and educational preparation, and four qualitative questions. With the exception of the four qualitative questions, the data were treated quantitatively. Statistical analyses used to examine data were chi square, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and Pearson's regression analysis.The major findings included:(1) Teachers preferences for instructional strategies were directly related to their educational preparation.(2) Teachers were using the Tennessee social studies curriculum guide and textbook programs to the exclusion of other resources.(3) Teachers primarily used instructional strategies and content suggested by the Tennessee social studies curriculum guide..(4) Teachers tended to choose leader-oriented instructional strategies rather than student-oriented strategies.(5) Teachers agreed that culture should be taught as part of the social studies. They did, however, disagree about the content and time emphasis given to other cultures.(6) Factors such as school setting and personal background appeared to have no statistical effect on the choice of instructional strategies.