Constructing the Past: Assessment of Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Perception about History

The purpose of the study was to examine if and how elementary preservice teachers’ perceptions about history were changed upon their completion of a class project that engaged them in a discipline-specific inquiry as a method of teaching history. Surveys were administered to assess any changes in their perception of the history before and after they participated in the class project. The preservice teachers’ reflective writings were used to explore any themes that emerged about historical inquiry as well as to understand their development of pedagogical knowledge about teaching history. The study results provide implications for inquiry-based teaching in social studies education.