Inquiry in social studies and social science: Linking teachers’ perspectives and classroom practice

Inquiry-oriented teaching has been central to social science education literature and curricula for years. However, few empirical studies, especially in the Nordic context, have examined such teaching practices across various contexts. This study drew on teacher interviews and video-recorded classroom observations in Norwegian lower and upper secondary social studies and social science to explore teachers’ perceptions and implementations of inquiry under a new national curriculum reform. We used a comparative approach, combining content analysis of interviews and the EDUCATE observation protocol, to identify the prevalence and characteristics of inquiry-oriented teaching practices in the classroom videos. Our findings suggest clear links between teachers’ perspectives on inquiry in social studies and social science and the teachers’ implementation of inquiry-oriented teaching practices. Most teachers viewed inquiry as inherent to the subject and implemented it in various ways in most lessons. Teachers largely understood inquiry as allowing students to seek information and develop answers independently; they emphasised the importance of scaffolding and differentiation; and while teachers discussed various social science topics, there was limited focus on research methods in the interviews. Using the EDUCATE observation protocol for inquiry-oriented teaching, we found that most lesson segments included inquiry-oriented practices; however, they primarily included the investigation phase, while preparation and consolidation of inquiry were observed to a lesser extent. The implications include specific suggestions for developing inquiry-oriented teaching in social studies and social science education.