This article conveys the findings from 2 separate, but related, investigations designed to uncover students’ perceptions of reading and learning in middle school social studies as well as their engagement in this content area. Study 1 utilized semistructured interviews as an initial foray into understanding students’ perceptions of reading and learning in social studies after a content-area literacy intervention. This study revealed why students enjoyed learning about social studies, how they preferred to read and work in social studies, and their preferences for nonfiction texts. Findings from Study 1 were used to design the instrumentation in Study 2. Study 2 explored students’ perceptions of reading and learning in social studies, as well as student engagement in social studies, through the use of a Q sort, semistructured interviews, and surveys. This study illustrated how different profiles of learners preferred to read and learn in social studies, and how they reacted to small-group instruction. The results of the 2 studies reveal the complex perceptions of middle school students regarding reading and learning in social studies as well as their engagement in this content area. We advocate that multiple methods of data collection be utilized to study students’ perceptions and engagement in order to honor the complexity of the diverse student body in American public middle schools.
Beck et al. (Fri,) studied this question.