Using Scaffolded Approximations of Practice to Strengthen Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Confidence for Teaching Social Studies

Many elementary preservice teachers feel constrained or apathetic about teaching social studies long before they begin working in school systems where social studies is already undervalued. Lacking strong role models and self-efficacy for teaching about topics such as history, culture, and citizenship, is it any wonder that social studies continues to be a neglected subject in the early grades? This qualitative study explored how practice-based assignments in a methods course affected preservice teachers’ confidence for teaching social studies, revealing four distinct but overlapping influences: practice teaching, peer support, modeling, and teacher knowledge. This study draws attention to ways in which methods courses may bolster confidence—and potentially motivation—for teaching social studies through highly scaffolded approximations.