Preservice Social Studies Teachers’ Conceptions of and Experiences with Discussion as a Pedagogical Approach: A Case Study

An extensive body of empirical data emphasizes the numerous benefits of incorporating discussion into the social studies classroom. Therefore, it is necessary to better understand how educators view discussion and what experiences they have with in throughout their college courses. The authors conducted a single-case study at a large southeastern university that sought to explore how 12 preservice social studies teachers experience discussion in their college-level coursework. The study also sought to discover the extent to which the participants valued discussion within their coursework and whether they considered discussion as a practical approach for their own classroom. Findings suggest that the participants mostly experience lecture in their lower-level core curriculum courses as well as their teacher preparation coursework. Additionally, the study demonstrates that the participants valued discussion as a pedagogical approach, but they viewed it as a less practical strategy than more traditional forms of pedagogy such as lecturing.