Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning

Major Professor

Bárbara C. Cruz, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Ann Cranston-Gingras, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Stephen J. Thornton, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Clarence V. Walker, Ph.D.

Keywords

Accommodations, Differentiated Instruction, General Education Classroom, Inclusive Education, Special Education

Abstract

This study was aimed towards investigating the extant research, best practices, and teacher preparation standards related to working with students with disabilities in the social studies classroom. The study was guided using three research questions: Are students with disabilities’ learning needs reflected in the National Council for Social Studies National Standards for the Preparation of Social Studies Teachers?; How do preservice social studies teacher programs prepare their candidates for teaching students with disabilities as evidenced by Social Science Education methods course syllabi?; and, What might a college-level course aimed towards social studies teaching methods centering around students with disabilities’ learning needs look like? The data analysis consisted of three components using deductive and structural coding: NCSS National Standards for the Preparation of Social Studies Teachers, selected Social Studies Teaching Methods Course Syllabi from participating state of Florida public universities, and critical reflection on my professional lived experience. The analysis revealed that overall, there is a lack of teacher preparation aimed towards students with disabilities in the general social studies classroom. In the case of the teacher preparation standards, although there are standards and objectives that can be interpreted as addressing students with disabilities’ academic needs, they would require sensitivity, applied knowledge, and a will on the part of social studies educators to enact these in the classroom. Based on these findings and using inclusive special education theory, I constructed a college-level social studies-specific teaching methods course centered around students with disabilities. This course uses the established foundation of effective teaching practices and builds upon it to improve social studies preservice teacher’s knowledge on how to support students withs disabilities in the general education social studies classroom. This course would improve preservice teachers’ knowledge of special education within the general education classroom building upon an established foundation of teaching practices taught in traditional methods foundation courses. As the proposed course will also focus on a marginalized group of students (students with disabilities), it would be one of the few preservice teacher courses that focuses on teaching marginalized groups within a disciplinary context.

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