Developing Pre-Service Teachers’ Disciplinary Literacy Skills in Social Studies: An Inquiry-Based Project

This study examined how the infusion of an inquiry-based project, Their Story, influenced the disciplinary literacy skills of four elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs). Over the course of the four-week project, the PSTs demonstrated growth in their ability to engage with social studies content. The study identified varying levels of competency among the PSTs in the following areas: (a) reflective and epistemological thinking, (b) application of research strategies and data sources, (c) use of disciplinary language conventions and discourse and (d) integration of National Council for the Social Studies thematic strands. The PSTs’ personal, cultural, and social backgrounds played a key role in shaping their interpretation of history and approach to historical research. Implications for practice include the need for explicit, scaffolded instruction to address the teachers’ instructional needs, as well as paired course and field experiences to further develop their disciplinary literacy skills.