Constitutional Principles of Curriculum Standards to Support Social Studies Teachers in Their Gatekeeping Roles : Theoretical Conversion of the NCSS Standards in the U.S.

Abstract

This paper aims to clarify the constitutional principles of the social studies curriculum standards and the characteristics of curriculum development based on these standards by comparing the original and revised editions of the NCSS standards. Based on the ideas of Wiggins & McTighe (2005), we classified views on curriculum design into two perspectives: macro design and micro design. Specifically, we focused on the micro designs that teachers use to design units or lessons and reconsidered the functions of the NCSS standards using the thematic strands. This paper derived two conclusions. First, the NCSS standards support social studies teachers in their role as gatekeepers. The original edition, in particular, supports teachers in integrating the perspectives that learners should be encouraged to explore. The revised edition supports teachers' decision making at every stage of curriculum development, for example, following the theory of backward design. Second, the function of the NCSS curriculum standards is to translate goals of any content standards into broader purposes in social studies to promote civic competence. The results indicate that developing curriculum standards to support social studies teachers in their gatekeeping roles is an important function of professional associations.