why is social studies important essay

Tips for Online Students , Tips for Students

Why Is Social Studies Important? 8 Reasons To Study

Updated: December 7, 2023

Published: May 23, 2020

Social studies. We all have to take it, and teachers have to teach it. But why? What aspects of social studies make it so important that it is always included? Social studies is a discipline that includes humanities such as geography, history, and political science. Why is social studies important? Let’s explore why.

“The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.”

– National Council for Social Studies

What Is Social Studies?

Social studies can also be referred to as social sciences. It’s a field which deals with human behavior, relationships, resources, and institutions.

Specific topics within social studies that are studied in school coursework include geography, anthropology, economics , history , sociology , political science , and civics.

Photo by  NeONBRAND  on  Unsplash

Aim and purpose of social studies.

The main goal of teaching social studies is to teach students to become good citizens. We are living in a diverse society — one that requires knowledge of social studies to succeed. With a social studies background, children become adults that can participate civilly in our democratic society.

Social Studies In The 21st Century

Social studies connect students with the real world. In today’s interconnected world, students must be prepared to interact with people of all cultures and communities, and social studies prepares them for this.

The Importance Of Social Studies In The School Curriculum

All children who go through the school curriculum become something when they graduate. And no matter what that something is, they will need to interact with others from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Students must study how society works, and how people work in a society in order for it all to work once they enter society after graduation.

8 Reasons: Why Is Social Studies Important For Students?

Students learn skills through social studies that help them succeed in further education as well as life. Here are all the amazing ways learning social studies benefits kids and society together:

1. Better Reading And Learning

Social studies is one area in education where content integration is key. Students are given reading material that corresponds with the current learning topics. Giving reading materials in context helps students become better readers. They also become better learners because they are asked to use analysis, critical thinking , and writing to show understanding.

2. Citizen Responsibilities And Values

How can we expect young people to contribute positively to society, engage in discourse, and thrive in a democratic society if they are not exposed to the topics and aspects of history and life that made society the way it is? Students need an understanding of history, political science, culture, and all humanities to be able to understand why it is important to be a good citizen.

3. Cultural Understanding

Students should be exposed to cultures far beyond what they experience personally every day. Not every student has the opportunity to interact with other cultures on a daily basis. We need students to learn about, understand, and appreciate cultural differences if we expect them to have meaningful interactions with people of all backgrounds in the future.

4. Economic Education

Economics is a crucial part of social studies, whether studied on its own, or as a part of history, anthropology, or political science. By learning economics, young people understand how their financial decisions have an impact on their future, as well as the future of society.

Photo by  Element5 Digital  on  Unsplash

5. critical thinking.

Critical thinking is a part of social studies — students are taught to evaluate others’ decisions and make connections between influences and circumstances. Young people get the opportunity to learn from others’ mistakes through social sciences.

6. Real-World Understanding

Studying social sciences gives students an understanding of the real world around them. Students learn about places, cultures, and events around the world, what conspired to make them the way they are, and can make inferences about how the rest of the world works.

7. Political Skills

From social studies classes, students learn about government, political ideas, country economy and resources, and more. Students gain political skills by analyzing and evaluating existing systems and imaging the future of the place in which they live.

8. Respect History

History is what made the world the way it is, and it is essential that people study it in order to have an appreciation for and understanding of the way the world works. Learning about history is what makes it possible to learn from the past and plan for the future.

Making Sense of the World: Social Studies for Young Students

One of the reasons for teaching young people social studies is for them to be able to participate civilly in a democratic society. Children start as early as kindergarten to understand the world around them, and schools should follow suit and start teaching social studies concepts such as communication, critical thinking, and culture as early as possible.

Photo by  Hal Gatewood  on  Unsplash

Qualities of purposeful social studies, 1. meaningful.

Social studies should be meaningful to students. Teachers should embrace the natural interests of students and plan topics around those interests.

2. Integrative

Integrating all aspects of life is key to a successful social studies curriculum. Not only should current events and other classes be integrated, but also aspects of daily life as well. Every moment is a teachable moment.

3. Value-Based

Key values of democracy are opportunity, equality, justice, and freedom of speech. These values should be echoed throughout all parts of social studies.

4. Challenging

Teachers can challenge children in social studies classes in ways they aren’t or can’t be challenged in other classes. In-depth critical analysis should be implemented — getting students to think and reflect will help them engage and challenge them to care about what’s going on around them.

Get students active and engaged with debates, discussions , role playing, projects, and simulations. This is one area of school where kids should really get into it!

Teaching Teachers At University Of The People

Teaching social studies is a fun challenge, and is a way to really have an impact on the future of a generation. At University of the People , we teach teachers how to be the most effective and passionate teachers they can be. Even better, our degrees are complete online and tuition-free – meaning you can study wherever and whenever, without any worries.

So if you were wondering, “why is social studies important?” Now you have countless answers! Social studies helps students and societies be the best they can be.

Related Articles

One teacher's blog sharing about life, in and outside the classroom.

Education , Social Studies

What is Social Studies and Why It’s Important

As a social studies teacher, I often get asked “so you just teach history right?” WRONG. My teaching endorsement in social studies allows me to teach so many other subjects other than history. Social studies is often misunderstood because social studies teachers generally just teach history classes, but in these past few years, there’s been an increase in the number of classes being offered within social studies, and a higher interest in social studies teachers (yay!).

Social Studies Subjects

The well-known.

First, of course, there’s history . And this includes all forms of history – World History and United States History are the main two that are taught. But there are so many other uncommon studies of history – European History, Latin American History, Asian History, Women’s History, African History, African American History, Native American History and it just goes on! Typically, when teaching the two common history classes, there is a weaving of the uncommon studies into the larger overall subject.

The next fairly common subject associated with social studies is civics, government, or also called political science . When teaching civics, typically the focus is the founding documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Then there’s a breakdown of the three branches of government, voting, and other conversations about the U. S. federal government.

Another subject included is economics . I’ll be 100% honest – I don’t like economics. I took my classes and struggled through them, was bored through them, but I completed them. However, I do make sure to teach the basics – different economic systems. And because my AP class takes the exam about a month before school gets out, we do a personal finance unit, which requires a basic understanding of economics and encourages a super important life skill . So economics shows up in little ways, even if you dislike it!

Other subjects taught are psychology and sociology . These two go hand-in-hand. Psychology is the study of the brain. People are always interested in psychology, cause learning about why people behave the way they do is interesting. On the same side of learning about why people act the way they do, sociology does the same, but through studying society. So the norms, taboos, and how institutions are set up.

The Not-So-Well-Known

Another subject that isn’t commonly taught as a course anymore is geography . Geography is the study of the physical features of the world – deserts, oceans, countries, rivers, mountain ranges, and so many other land features for how the world is organized. I wish geography was taught as its own class at my school, but it’s not – not yet anyway!

One of my favorite lessons to get students thinking about countries around the world is my Countries in the News lesson !

The least common known subject is anthropology . I LOVE anthropology! It’s a subject that isn’t discussed at the high school level often, and because of that, I didn’t even hear of it until I went to college! The study of cultures is so fascinating. If you’ve never learned about anthropology, research it – it’s awesome!

If you want to see some example lessons of social studies, check out my post with over 20 lesson resources!

Social Studies Skills

Social studies develops so many skills through learning about the above subjects. Often times, these are the skills that teachers are focusing on to help students be productive citizens – as that’s the primary purpose of social studies!

Analyzing Sources

Often times, in social studies, we are looking at primary, or firsthand, sources, and secondary, or secondhand, sources. When analyzing sources, there are four different things to consider. The first is what is happening during that time period. The second and third are who the source is directed at and what is the point of view of the source, like how the author influences what is said in the source. The fourth and final analysis point is what is the purpose for the source. Analyzing sources is a major skill that is developed through social studies and one is that, in my opinion, is the most important!

Compare and Contrast

Comparing and contrasting is another skill that is developed through social studies. To see and understand the differences between major concepts about the world, you have to look at how they are similar and different.

Cause and Effect

Another major skill developed is understanding cause and effect. Through history, there is often a domino effect that leads to major conflicts, discoveries, and creations. Seeing how various events lead to others, which have their own effects as well, is so important to understand. In history classes, this skill is developed TONS!

Why Social Studies is Important

The skills that are learned through social studies subjects is part of what makes it so important – but there’s also more to its importance than just the skills.

Understanding the past leads to understanding the present. You often hear that history repeats itself – which is so true! Through learning about the past, we are able to understand why the world has developed the way that it has. Why that one country doesn’t like its neighbor, why there is war in that region of the world, and other current events that we hear on the news. Social studies helps us understand the world that we live in – through learning about different cultures, studying the past, investigating our minds and society, and understanding how government works.

Do you enjoy any of the social studies subjects? Tell me which ones below!

You may also like.

8 Ways to Keep Up With Grading

The Importance of Citing Your Work: Why Should I Care About Citations?

2020 spring break reflection.

Love this! As a homeschooling mom, this is excellent! Especially for parents who are now having to homeschool!

We are a homeschooling family and my kids love history and social studies! This is great info!

I love social studies! I didn’t appreciate it as much until I started taking more classes in college. I think it’s great that you point out the little known social study topics. I totally wish I’d taken anthropology! This post really helps people get a better understanding of social studies and why these topics are so important.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

• What Is Social Studies

Lesson Plans

• Social Studies Activities
• Social Studies

What is Social Studies?

What is social studies? It is a subject frequently studied in school. It is also the broad academic field that covers human beings and their interactions within society. It also includes how people have interacted with each other and formed communities, nations, and states.

Social studies is the study of social interactions among people, social institutions, social phenomena, and social settings. Social sciences are about how society operates and its effects on people. What does this mean for you? It means that social studies can help you understand why societies function as they do - or don't function at all! 

One of the most important things social studies can do for students is help develop empathy. We can't solve social problems if we don't understand them. And, we can't understand them if we don't have a basic understanding of social studies! I have always hoped to assist students in developing empathy for others, especially others whom they would consider to be of a different culture or point-of-view. Knowledge alone will not develop empathy, but empathy is difficult to develop in the face of ignorance.

So, what is social studies? As you can see, it's a broad and important subject that covers everything from history to social issues. It helps us to understand the world we live in and our place within it. If you're interested in making a difference in the world, social studies is a great place to start!

The History of Social Studies

The history of social studies education can be traced to the social and economic conflicts that emerged in the decades before the Civil War. At this time, the answer to the question what is social was that it was a subject most often associated with elementary schooling and consisted of lessons on moral education and social order.

Social studies became more prevalent during the 20th century. The social textbooks of the post-World War I period were heavily influenced by social Darwinism and eugenics. The first social studies curriculum guidelines, developed in 1919, outlined five themes: geography, civic ideals, movements of people across space and time, human society, and social problems.

In the 1930s, social studies education was influenced by Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal and the Great Depression. The social studies curriculum shifted to emphasize democracy and social justice. During World War II, social studies education focused on the war effort and patriotic education.

Since the 1970s, social studies education has been increasingly influenced by cultural relativism and social constructionism. In 1994, the social studies framework was revised to place an increased focus on critical thinking and social activism. 

What is Social Studies: The Social Sciences

In social science education, "historical thinking" refers to the ability to chronologically order events and to synthesize past experiences into a coherent and meaningful whole. The following branches of social studies may be taught in grades K-12:

Geography students study social systems, history, politics and human relations; the environment; administration of land; regional planning; resource development and utilization (including such topics as energy use); social problems (such as poverty and crime); the effects of natural and human-made disasters on social systems; and world organizations. 

Economics students study economic concepts and theories; the economic organization of society, including the nature of markets, production, distribution, consumption, and investment; money and banking; international trade and finance; social welfare programs; labor unions and business organizations; foreign economic policies of the United States and other countries; international social problems related to economic development, money and debt. 

Sociology students study social institutions, social organization, social stratification, social change, social problems (such as poverty, child abuse, or homelessness). Social psychology is sometimes included in sociology instruction. 

Political science students study the principles of government, the making and administration of public policy, international relations, and comparative government. 

Civics education is instruction in the nature and workings of government. It is not synonymous with social studies, although social studies may be a component of civics education.

Students learn about social problems in social studies so that they can identify these problems and work to find solutions. In social studies, students also learn about their rights and responsibilities as citizens. They develop the skills needed to be effective participants in a democracy.

History education is the study of the human past. It includes the study of events, people, places, and things from all times and all parts of the world. 

So, another answer to the question what is social studies is that it is a broad field encompassing history, geography, civics and government, economics, and sociology.

What is Social Studies: 10 Thematic Strands

The National Council for the Social Studies  (NCSS) has identified 10 Thematic Strands that should be a part of social studies education. These 10 strands are

• Time, Continuity, and Change
• People, Places, and Environments
• Individual Development and Identity
• Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
• Power, Authority, and Governance
• Production, Distribution, and Consumption
• Science and Technology
• Global Connections
• Civic Ideals and Practices

A quality social studies education, according to NCSS addresses all of these strands across the K-12 curriculum. These 10 Themes demonstrate the varied objectives of social studies .

Why Social Studies?

Understanding what is social studies is important, but it is equally important to understand why social studies . Social studies education helps students understand how the world works and prepares them to be responsible and active participants in society. It provides a foundation of knowledge in economics, geography, history, political science, and sociology. Students learn to think critically and problem-solve so that they can make informed decisions about the issues that affect their lives. Social studies education also helps students develop empathy for others and a sense of global citizenship.

You might like these

The Objectives of Social Studies: Purposes & Key Goals | PDF

The objectives of social studies include transmitting knowledge and preparing for citizenship. Social studies objectives also promote democratic ideals and social justice.

Branches of Social Studies: Exploring the Different Types

The 4 main branches of social studies are history, geography, civics and government, and economics. Other types of social studies include anthropology, sociology, and culture.

New! Comments

What's New? Blog

Recent articles.

Teaching Social Studies: A Free Newsletter

Dec 30, 21 05:41 PM

Copyright  © 2021-2022 SocialStudiesHQ.com | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy  | Contact  | Newsletter

Teaching Social Studies: Reasons and Goals Essay

Social studies may often be seen in the list of school courses that are the most disliked by students without regard to their age and grade. The possible reason for such attitude to the subject may be in failing to understand the significance of social studies and why it should be taught throughout the whole process of obtaining school education. In this essay, I will try to persuade that social studies is one of the most significant school courses along with math and languages.

There are numerous reasons for which children do not like this course. For example, they might find reading textbooks boring or dislike not the very necessity of reading a lot but the manner of teaching and presenting the materials during the classes. What is more, teachers often think that the subject is not as important as for, example, math or languages and that the students need too much time to study it that they might have spent on more significant disciplines (Gibson, 43, 47-48). So, I believe that the major cause of such children’s attitude towards the discipline is that the tutors themselves fail to realize the need for teaching it. It should be noted that the researches have shown that when the teachers are dedicated to the whole process and find the ways to make the students believe that this subject is vital together with possessing a clear vision of the educational objectives, children are more likely to show interest in the social studies course (Gibson 44).

The most important step in defining the importance of social studies in school education is to understand the phenomenon of this discipline because it has many dimensions and ignoring some might lead to missing the whole purpose of the subject. That said, social studies is:

The study of people in relation to each other and to their world [that] is an issues-focused and inquiry-based interdisciplinary subject that draws upon history, geography, ecology, economics, law, philosophy, political science and other social science disciplines [and] fosters students’ understanding of and involvement in practical and ethical issues that face their communities and humankind. (“Alberta Social Studies Program of Study: Kindergarten to Grade 12” 1)

It is a school course that is obligatory to all students starting from kindergarten to graduating, i.e. from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The purpose of and the vision for teaching the discipline are outlined in the Social Studies Program of Study. That said, the primary objective of including the subject to school curriculum is that “social studies provides opportunities for students to develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge that will enable them to become engaged, active, informed and responsible citizens” (“Alberta Social Studies Program of Study: Kindergarten to Grade 12” 1). In fact, it is what is often misunderstood by students because, in most cases, they believe that the goal of the discipline is to gain knowledge about culture, history, geography, government, politics or the latest events in the world (Gibson 43). Of course, these are some of the underlying reasons for teaching it, but I would like to stress one more time that they are just some, and they are subjacent.

Because the course of social studies has many elements and is taught from kindergarten to grade 12, some might really believe that it is about giving children knowledge that they will not need in the future with the goal of meeting the requirements regarding the number of school classes. However, if you look closer at the Social Studies Program of Study, you will see that it is a kind of step-by-step plan to developing different patterns of thinking. The curriculum is designed in the way that the youngest discover the simplest facts and with every subsequent year the information that is covered by it becomes more comprehensive and helps develop historical, critical, geographic, and creative thinking (“Alberta Social Studies Program of Study: Kindergarten to Grade 12” 8-9).

One might wander how is it even possible to develop thinking skills by studying social studies. The answer to this question is not as evident as you might want it to be. However, thorough studying of the discipline during all years of obtaining school education will help the students develop the skills of problem-solving and decision-making because they absorb the wisdom of the ages. Moreover, they gain an opportunity to develop a unique way of solving the problems because they know how people from different countries occupying different positions and living during the different time in history dealt with similar issues. Together with that, having the knowledge about various cultures around the world may help people reach a higher level of self-awareness. Besides, it adds to the understanding of the fundamentals of society, as children discover special features of living under other political regimes and in times of extreme situations such as warfare or other disasters.

If these reasons for teaching social studies are not enough, one might want to consider the impact the discipline has on developing skills that will help in obtaining further education. Social studies is a school course that implies conducting many researches and reading many textbooks, and that makes students deal with vast amounts of information. That said, it might be useful for learning how to find necessary material and analyze it quickly and effectively, how to express the thoughts because it is one way of fulfilling tasks required by the course, and even make forecasts about the future because the course provides the learners with the adequate level of historical background (“Alberta Social Studies Program of Study: Kindergarten to Grade 12” 10).

Aside from that, the contribution of social studies to the cultural development of the individual cannot be underestimated. I believe that the most obvious purpose of learning it thoroughly is that one will always find what to say in any situation thus filling up awkward pauses and, in general, craft his or her image as a smart person who is interesting to have a small talk with.

In the conclusion I would like to say that even though there are numerous reasons for teaching social studies at school, the primary is still helping the students develop the skills and knowledge that would make them responsible and active citizens who would want to change their society for the better by being engaged in the democratic process and, most significantly, help them realize what it is like to be a good citizen by “enabling students to develop an understanding of who they are, what they want to become and the society in which they want to live” (“Alberta Social Studies Program of Study: Kindergarten to Grade 12” 1).

Works Cited

Alberta Social Studies Program of Study: Kindergarten to Grade 12. 2005. Web.

Gibson, Susan. “Why Do We Learn This Stuff? Students’ Views on the Purpose of Social Studies.” Canadian Social Studies 45.1 (2012): 43-58. Print.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2020, May 10). Teaching Social Studies: Reasons and Goals. https://ivypanda.com/essays/teaching-social-studies-reasons-and-goals/

"Teaching Social Studies: Reasons and Goals." IvyPanda , 10 May 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/teaching-social-studies-reasons-and-goals/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Teaching Social Studies: Reasons and Goals'. 10 May.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Teaching Social Studies: Reasons and Goals." May 10, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/teaching-social-studies-reasons-and-goals/.

1. IvyPanda . "Teaching Social Studies: Reasons and Goals." May 10, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/teaching-social-studies-reasons-and-goals/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Teaching Social Studies: Reasons and Goals." May 10, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/teaching-social-studies-reasons-and-goals/.

• Effects of Full-day Kindergarten on Achievement
• Education: Bilingual Kindergarten
• Pre-Schooling Before Kindergarten Admission
• Comparing Kindergarten Programs in the US to the UK
• The Superkids Reading Program in the Kindergarten
• Services for Students Who Are Transitioning Into Kindergarten
• Phonemic Awareness and Word Recognition in Kindergarten
• Benefits of Bilingualism Among Kindergarten Children
• Lead Exposure in Pre-Kindergarten Children
• Weather and Climate for Kindergarten
• Diversity and Affirmative Action in Education
• Science Academy and School
• Motivation Importance in an Educational Environment
• What Is Character and Equity in Education?
• Successful Study Habits for College Students

Communication

What is a Social Science Essay?

[Ed. – We present this article, adapted from a chapter of Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide , as a resource for Academic Writing Month.]

There are different types of social science essay, and essays of different lengths require slightly different approaches (these will be addressed later). However, all social science essays share a basic structure which is common to many academic subject areas. At its simplest, a social science essay looks something like this:

Title | Every essay should begin with the title written out in full. In some cases this will simply be the set question or statement for discussion.

Introduction | The introduction tells the reader what the essay is about.

Main section | The main section, or ‘body’, of the essay develops the key points of the argument in a ‘logical progression’. It uses evidence from research studies (empirical evidence) and theoretical arguments to support these points.

Conclusion | The conclusion reassesses the arguments presented in the main section in order to make a final statement in answer to the question.

List of references | This lists full details of the publications referred to in the text.

What is distinctive about a social science essay?

As you are no doubt aware, essay writing is a common feature of undergraduate study in many different subjects. What, then, is distinctive about essay writing in the social sciences? There are particular features that characterize social science essays and that relate to what is called the epistemological underpinning of work in this area (that is, to ideas about what constitutes valid social scientific knowledge and where this comes from). Among the most important of these characteristics are:

• the requirement that you support arguments with evidence, particularly evidence that is the product of systematic and rigorous research;

• the use of theory to build explanations about how the social world works.

Evidence is important in social scientific writing because it is used to support or query beliefs, propositions or hypotheses about the social world. Let’s take an example. A social scientist may ask: ‘Does prison work?’ This forms an initial question, but one that is too vague to explore as it stands. (This question might be about whether prison ‘works’ for offenders, in terms of providing rehabilitation, or re-education; or it might be about whether it ‘works’ for victims of crime who may wish to see retribution – or any number of other issues.) To answer the question in mind, the social scientist will need to formulate a more specific claim, one that can be systematically and rigorously explored. Such a claim could be formulated in the following terms:

‘Imprisonment reduces the likelihood of subsequent reoffending’. This claim can now be subjected to systematic research. In other words, the social scientist will gather evidence for and against this claim, evidence that she or he will seek to interpret or evaluate. This process of evaluation will tend to support or refute the original claim, but it may be inconclusive, and/or it may generate further questions. Together, these processes of enquiry can be described as forming a ‘circuit of social scientific knowledge’. This circuit can be represented as in this figure.

Undergraduates may sometimes be asked to conduct their own small-scale research, for instance a small number of interviews, or some content analysis. However, the focus of social science study at undergraduate level, and particularly in the first two years of study, will be largely on the research of others. Generally, in preparing for writing your essays, the expectation will be that you will identify and evaluate evidence from existing research findings. However, the principle holds good: in writing social science essays you will need to find evidence for and against any claim, and you will need to evaluate that evidence.

Theory is important in social scientific writing because the theoretical orientation of the social scientist will tend to inform the types of question she or he asks, the specific claims tested, the ways in which evidence is identified and gathered, and the manner in which this evidence is interpreted and evaluated. In other words, the theoretical orientation of the social scientist is liable to impact upon the forms of knowledge she or he will produce.

Take, for example, the research question we asked above: ‘Does prison work?’ A pragmatic, policy-oriented social scientist may seek to answer this question by formulating a specific claim of the sort we identified, ‘Imprisonment reduces the likelihood of reoffending’. She or he may then gather evidence of reoffending rates among matched groups of convicted criminals, comparing those who were imprisoned with those who were given an alternative punishment such as forms of community service. Evidence that imprisonment did not produce significantly lower rates of reoffending than punishment in the community may then be interpreted as suggesting that prison does not work, or that it works only up to a point. However, another social scientist might look at the same research findings and come to a different conclusion, perhaps that the apparent failure of prison to reduce reoffending demonstrates that its primary purpose lies elsewhere. Indeed, more ‘critically’ oriented social scientists (for example, those informed by Marxism or the work of Michel Foucault) have sought to argue that the growth of prisons in the nineteenth century was part of wider social attempts to ‘discipline’, in particular, the working class.

The issue here is not whether these more ‘critical’ arguments are right or wrong but that a social scientist’s theoretical orientation will inform how she or he evaluates the available evidence. In fact, it is likely that a ‘critical’ social scientist of this sort would even have formulated a different research ‘claim’. For example, rather than seeking to test the claim, ‘Imprisonment reduces the likelihood of reoffending’, the critical social scientist might have sought to test the proposition, ‘Prisons are part of wider social strategies that aim to produce “disciplined” subjects’. The point for you to take away from this discussion is, then, that the theories we use shape the forms of social scientific knowledge we produce (see Figure 2).

There is considerable debate within the social sciences about the exact relationship between theory and evidence. To simplify somewhat, some social scientists tend to argue that evidence can be used to support or invalidate the claims investigated by research and thereby produce theoretical accounts of the social world that are more or less accurate. Other social scientists will tend to argue that our theoretical orientations (and the value judgements and taken-for-granted assumptions that they contain) shape the processes of social scientific enquiry itself, such that we can never claim to produce a straightforwardly ‘accurate’ account of the social world. Instead, they suggest that social scientific knowledge is always produced from a particular standpoint and will inevitably reflect its assumptions.

What you need to grasp is that essay writing in the social sciences is distinguished by its emphasis on: the use of researched evidence to support arguments and on theory as central to the process by which we build accounts of social worlds. Your own writing will need to engage with both elements.

Common errors in essays

Having identified what distinguishes a social science essay we can return to the more practical task of how to write one. This process is elaborated in the chapters that follow, but before getting into the details of this, we should think about what commonly goes wrong in essay writing.

Perhaps the most common mistakes in essay writing, all of which can have an impact on your marks, are:

• failure to answer the question;

• failure to write using your own words;

• poor use of social scientific skills (such as handling theory and evidence);

• poor structure;

• poor grammar, punctuation and spelling; and

• failure to observe the word limit (where this is specified).

Failing to answer the question sounds easy enough to avoid, but you might be surprised how easy it is to write a good answer to the wrong question. Most obviously, there is always the risk of misreading the question. However, it is frequently the case that questions will ‘index’ a wider debate and will want you to review and engage with this. Thus, you need to avoid the danger of understanding the question but failing to connect it to the debate and the body of literature to which the question refers. Equally, particularly on more advanced undergraduate courses, you are likely to be asked to work from an increasing range of sources. The dangers here include failing to select the most relevant material and failing to organize the material you have selected in a way that best fits the question. Therefore, make sure that you take time to read the question properly to ensure that you understand what is being asked. Next, think carefully about whether there is a debate that ‘lies behind’ the question. Then be sure to identify the material that addresses the question most fully.

Writing in your own words is crucial because this is the best way in which you can come to understand a topic, and the only way of demonstrating this understanding to your tutor. The important point to remember is that if you do plagiarize, your essay risks receiving a fail grade, and if you plagiarize repeatedly you risk further sanctions. You must therefore always put arguments in your own words except when you are quoting someone directly (in which case you must use the appropriate referencing conventions). The positive side of what might seem like a draconian rule is that you will remember better what you have put in your own words. This ensures that you will have the fullest possible understanding of your course. If there is an end-of-course exam, such an understanding will be a real asset.

Social science essays also need to demonstrate an effective use of social scientific skills. Perhaps the most obvious of these skills is the ability to deploy theory and evidence in an appropriate manner (as you saw in the previous section, this is what distinguishes social scientific essay writing). However, particularly as you move on to more advanced undergraduate courses, you should also keep in mind the need to demonstrate such things as confidence in handling social scientific concepts and vocabulary; an awareness of major debates, approaches and figures in your field; the ability to evaluate competing arguments; and an awareness of potential uncertainty, ambiguity and the limits of knowledge in your subject. These are important because they indicate your ability to work creatively with the tools of the social scientist’s trade.

An effective structure is important and pragmatic because it helps the person who marks your essay to understand what is going on. By contrast, a list of unconnected ideas and examples is likely to confuse, and will certainly fail to impress. The simplest way to avoid this is to follow the kind of essay writing conventions briefly outlined above and discussed in later chapters of this guide. Chapter 8, on the main body of the essay, is particularly relevant here, but you will also need to keep in mind the importance of a well-written introduction and conclusion to an effectively structured argument.

The ability to spell, punctuate and use grammar correctly is, generally speaking, something you are expected to have mastered prior to embarking on a degree-level course. This is really a matter of effective communication. While it is the content of your essay that will win you the most marks, you need to be able spell, punctuate and use grammar effectively in order to communicate what you have to say. Major problems in this area will inevitably hold down your marks, so if this is an issue in your work, it will be a good idea to seek further help.

Finally, observing the word limit is important – and, as you probably realize, more difficult than it sounds. The simplest advice is always to check whether there is a word limit and what this is, and then to be ruthless with yourself, focusing only on the material that is most pertinent to the question. If you find that you have written more words than is allowed, you will need to check for irrelevant discussions, examples, or even wordy sentence construction. Too few words may indicate that you haven’t provided the depth of discussion required, or that you have omitted essential points or evidence.

In the light of the above, we can identify four golden rules for effective social scientific essay writing.

Rule 1: Answer the question that is asked.

Rule 2: Write your answer in your own words.

Rule 3: Think about the content of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good social scientific skills.

Rule 4: Think about the structure of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good writing skills, and observing any word limit.

Why an essay is not a report, newspaper article or an exam answer

This section has mainly focused on what is distinctive about a social science essay, but there is something distinctive about essays in general that is worth keeping in mind. Many students come from professional backgrounds where report writing is a common form of communication. For other students a main source of information is newspapers or online websites. These are all legitimate forms of writing that serve useful purposes – but, apart from some of the content on academic websites, they just aren’t essays. There are exam conventions that make exam writing – even ‘essay style’ exams – different from essay writing.

In part, this is to do with ‘academic register’ or ‘voice’. Part of what you will develop as you become a stronger essay writer is a ‘voice’ that is your own, but that conforms to the conventions of academic practice. For social scientists, as we have noted above, this practice includes the use of evidence to support an argument and providing references that show where your ideas and evidence have come from. It also includes the ability to write with some confidence, using the vernacular – or language – of your subject area. Different forms of writing serve different purposes. The main purpose of academic writing is to develop and share knowledge and understanding. In some academic journals this can take the form of boisterous debate, with different academics fully and carefully defending, or arguing for, one position or another. For students of social science, however, there may be less at stake, but essays should nevertheless demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a particular issue or area. Conforming to some basic conventions around how to present ideas and arguments, helps us more easily to compare those ideas, just as conforming to the rules of a game makes it easier for one sports team to play against another: if one team is playing cricket and the other baseball, we will find there are similarities (both use bats, have innings, make runs), but there will also be lots of awkward differences. In the end, neither the players nor the spectators are likely to find it a very edifying experience. The following looks at other forms of serious writing that you may be familiar with, but that just aren’t cricket.

Report writing

Reports take a variety of forms, but typically involve: an up-front ‘executive summary’, a series of discussions, usually with numbered headings and subheadings. They are also likely to include ‘bullet points’ that capture an idea or argument in a succinct way. Professional reports may include evidence, arguments, recommendations and references. You may already have spotted some of the similarities with essays – and the crucial differences. Let’s begin with the similarities. Reports and essays both involve discussion, the use of evidence to support (or refute) a claim or argument, and a list of references. Both will have an introductory section, a main body and a conclusion. However, the differences are important. With the exception of very long essays (dissertations and the like), essays do not generally have numbered headings and subheadings. Nor do they have bullet points. They also don’t have executive summaries. And, with some notable exceptions (such as essays around areas of social policy perhaps), social science essays don’t usually require you to produce policy recommendations. The differences are significant, and are as much about style as they are about substance.

Journalistic writing

For many students, journalistic styles of writing are most familiar. Catchy headlines (or ‘titles’) are appealing, and newspapers’ to-the-point presentation may make for easier reading. News stories, however, follow a different set of requirements to essays – a different set of ‘golden rules’. In general, newspaper and website news articles foreground the ‘who, what, where, when and why’ of a story in the first paragraph. The most important information is despatched immediately, with the assumption that all readers will read the headline, most readers will read the first paragraph, and dwindling numbers will read the remainder of the article. Everyday newspaper articles often finish with a ‘whimper’ for this reason, and there may be no attempt to summarize findings or provide a conclusion at the end – that’s not the role of news journalists. (Though there is quite a different set of rules for ‘Op Ed’ or opinion pieces.) Student essays, by contrast, should be structured to be read from beginning to end. The introduction should serve to ‘outline’ or ‘signpost’ the main body of the essay, rather than cover everything in one fell swoop; the main body should proceed with a clear, coherent and logical argument that builds throughout; and the essay should end with a conclusion that ties the essay together.

Exam writing

Again, exam writing has similarities and differences with essay writing. Perhaps the main differences are these: under exam conditions, it is understood that you are writing at speed and that you may not communicate as effectively as in a planned essay; you will generally not be expected to provide references (though you may be expected to link clearly authors and ideas). Longer exam answers will need to include a short introduction and a conclusion, while short answers may omit these. Indeed, very short answers may not resemble essays at all as they may focus on factual knowledge or very brief points of comparison.

Peter Redman and Wendy Maples

Peter Redman is a senior lecturer in sociology at The Open University. With Stephen Frosh and Wendy Hollway, he edit the Palgrave book series, Studies in the Psychosocial and is a former editor of the journal, Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society . Academic consultant Wendy Maples is a research assistant in anthropology at the University of Sussex. Together they co-authored Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide (Sage, 2017) now in its fifth edition.

Related Articles

Second Edition of ‘The Evidence’ Examines Women and Climate Change

New Funding Opportunity for Criminal and Juvenile Justice Doctoral Researchers

Economist Kaye Husbands Fealing to Lead NSF’s Social Science Directorate

Did the Mainstream Make the Far-Right Mainstream?

Addressing the United Kingdom’s Lack of Black Scholars

In the UK, out of 164 university vice-chancellors, only two are Black. Professor David Mba was recently appointed as the first Black vice-chancellor […]

The Use of Bad Data Reveals a Need for Retraction in Governmental Data Bases

Retractions are generally framed as a negative: as science not working properly, as an embarrassment for the institutions involved, or as a flaw in the peer review process. They can be all those things. But they can also be part of a story of science working the right way: finding and correcting errors, and publicly acknowledging when information turns out to be incorrect.

Using Forensic Anthropology to Identify the Unknown Dead

Anthropology is the holistic study of human culture, environment and biology across time and space. Biological anthropology focuses on the physiological aspects of people and our nonhuman primate relatives. Forensic anthropology is a further subspecialty that analyzes skeletal remains of the recently deceased within a legal setting.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Webinar: How to Do Research in a Digital World

Webinar: how to write and structure an article’s front matter, webinar: how to get more involved with a journal and develop your career, science of team science 2024 virtual conference, webinar: how to collaborate across paradigms – embedding culture in mixed methods designs, american psychological association annual convention, societal impact of social sciences, humanities, and arts 2024.

Customize your experience

Select your preferred categories.

• Announcements
• Business and Management INK

Higher Education Reform

Open access, recent appointments, research ethics, interdisciplinarity, international debate.

• Academic Funding

Public Engagement

• Recognition

Presentations

Science & social science, social science bites, the data bulletin.

Social, Behavioral Scientists Eligible to Apply for NSF S-STEM Grants

Solicitations are now being sought for the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, and in an unheralded […]

With COVID and Climate Change Showing Social Science’s Value, Why Cut it Now?

What are the three biggest challenges Australia faces in the next five to ten years? What role will the social sciences play in resolving these challenges? The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia asked these questions in a discussion paper earlier this year. The backdrop to this review is cuts to social science disciplines around the country, with teaching taking priority over research.

Testing-the-Waters Policy With Hypothetical Investment: Evidence From Equity Crowdfunding

While fundraising is time-consuming and entails costs, entrepreneurs might be tempted to “test the water” by simply soliciting investors’ interest before going through the lengthy process. Digitalization of finance has made it possible for small business to run equity crowdfunding campaigns, but also to initiate a TTW process online and quite easily.

AAPSS Names Eight as 2024 Fellows

The American Academy of Political and Social Science today named seven scholars and one journalist as its 2024 fellows class.

Apply for Sage’s 2024 Concept Grants

Three awards are available through Sage’s Concept Grant program, which is designed to support innovative products and tools aimed at enhancing social science education and research.

Kaye Husbands Fealing, an economist who has done pioneering work in the “science of broadening participation,” has been named the new leader of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences.

New Podcast Series Applies Social Science to Social Justice Issues

Sage (the parent of Social Science Space) and the Surviving Society podcast have launched a collaborative podcast series, Social Science for Social […]

Big Think Podcast Series Launched by Canadian Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences

The Canadian Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences has launched the Big Thinking Podcast, a show series that features leading researchers in the humanities and social sciences in conversation about the most important and interesting issues of our time.

The We Society Explores Intersectionality and Single Motherhood

In a recently released episode of The We Society podcast, Ann Phoenix, a psychologist at University College London’s Institute of Education, spoke […]

The second issue of The Evidence explores the intersection of gender inequality and the global climate crisis. Author Josephine Lethbridge recounts the […]

New Report Finds Social Science Key Ingredient in Innovation Recipe

A new report from Britain’s Academy of Social Sciences argues that the key to success for physical science and technology research is a healthy helping of relevant social science.

Too Many ‘Gray Areas’ In Workplace Culture Fosters Racism And Discrimination

The new president of the American Sociological Association spent more than 10 years interviewing over 200 Black workers in a variety of roles – from the gig economy to the C-suite. I found that many of the problems they face come down to organizational culture. Too often, companies elevate diversity as a concept but overlook the internal processes that disadvantage Black workers.

A Social Scientist Looks at the Irish Border and Its Future

‘What Do We Know and What Should We Do About the Irish Border?’ is a new book from Katy Hayward that applies social science to the existing issues and what they portend.

Brexit and the Decline of Academic Internationalism in the UK

Brexit seems likely to extend the hostility of the UK immigration system to scholars from European Union countries — unless a significant change of migration politics and prevalent public attitudes towards immigration politics took place in the UK. There are no indications that the latter will happen anytime soon.

Brexit and the Crisis of Academic Cosmopolitanism

A new report from the Royal Society about the effects on Brexit on science in the United Kingdom has our peripatetic Daniel Nehring mulling the changes that will occur in higher education and academic productivity.

Interorganizational Design for Collaborative Governance in Co-Owned Major Projects: An Engaged Scholarship Approach

Large projects co-owned by several organizations with separate, perhaps competing, interests and values are characterized by complexity and are not served well […]

Uncharted Waters: Researching Bereavement in the Workplace

To me, one of the most surprising things about bereavement is its complexity and that it can last far longer than expected. This is challenging to navigate at work where, unless it was a coworker’s death, no one else’s world has changed.

The Power of Fuzzy Expectations: Enhancing Equity in Australian Higher Education

Having experienced firsthand the transformational power of education, the authors wanted to shed light on the contemporary challenges faced by regional and remote university students.

2024 Holberg Prize Goes to Political Theorist Achille Mbembe

Political theorist and public intellectual Achille Mbembe, among the most read and cited scholars from the African continent, has been awarded the 2024 Holberg Prize.

Edward Webster, 1942-2024: South Africa’s Pioneering Industrial Sociologist

Eddie Webster, sociologist and emeritus professor at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, died on March 5, 2024, at age 82.

Charles V. Hamilton, 1929-2023: The Philosopher Behind ‘Black Power’

Political scientist Charles V. Hamilton, the tokenizer of the term ‘institutional racism,’ an apostle of the Black Power movement, and at times deemed both too radical and too deferential in how to fight for racial equity, died on November 18, 2023. He was 94.

National Academies Seeks Experts to Assess 2020 U.S. Census

The National Academies’ Committee on National Statistics seeks nominations for members of an ad hoc consensus study panel — sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau — to review and evaluate the quality of the 2020 Census.

Will the 2020 Census Be the Last of Its Kind?

Could the 2020 iteration of the United States Census, the constitutionally mandated count of everyone present in the nation, be the last of its kind?

Will We See A More Private, But Less Useful, Census?

Census data can be pretty sensitive – it’s not just how many people live in a neighborhood, a town, a state or […]

The processes of mainstreaming and normalization of far-right politics have much to do with the mainstream itself, if not more than with the far right.

Free Online Course Reveals The Art of ChatGPT Interactions

You’ve likely heard the hype around artificial intelligence, or AI, but do you find ChatGPT genuinely useful in your professional life? A free course offered by Sage Campus could change all th

The Importance of Using Proper Research Citations to Encourage Trustworthy News Reporting

Based on a study of how research is cited in national and local media sources, Andy Tattersall shows how research is often poorly represented in the media and suggests better community standards around linking to original research could improve trust in mainstream media.

Research Integrity Should Not Mean Its Weaponization

Commenting on the trend for the politically motivated forensic scrutiny of the research records of academics, Till Bruckner argues that singling out individuals in this way has a chilling effect on academic freedom and distracts from efforts to address more important systemic issues in research integrity.

What Do We Know about Plagiarism These Days?

In the following Q&A, Roger J. Kreuz, a psychology professor who is working on a manuscript about the history and psychology of plagiarism, explains the nature and prevalence of plagiarism and the challenges associated with detecting it in the age of AI.

Webinar: iGen: Decoding the Learning Code of Generation Z

As Generation Z students continue to enter the classroom, they bring with them a host of new challenges. This generation of students […]

Year of Open Science Conference

The Center for Open Science (COS), in collaboration with NASA, is hosting a no-cost, online culminating conference on March 21 and 22 […]

“How to Collaborate Across Paradigms: Embedding Culture in Mixed Methods Designs” is another piece of Sage’s webinar series, How to Do Research […]

Exploring ‘Lost Person Behavior’ and the Science of Search and Rescue

What is the best strategy for finding someone missing in the wilderness? It’s complicated, but the method known as ‘Lost Person Behavior’ seems to offers some hope.

New Opportunity to Support Government Evaluation of Public Participation and Community Engagement Now Open

The President’s Management Agenda Learning Agenda: Public Participation & Community Engagement Evidence Challenge is dedicated to forming a strategic, evidence-based plan that federal agencies and external researchers can use to solve big problems.

Returning Absentee Ballots during the 2020 Election – A Surprise Ending?

One of the most heavily contested voting-policy issues in the 2020 election, in both the courts and the political arena, was the deadline […]

Using Translational Research as a Model for Long-Term Impact

Drawing on the findings of a workshop on making translational research design principles the norm for European research, Gabi Lombardo, Jonathan Deer, Anne-Charlotte Fauvel, Vicky Gardner and Lan Murdock discuss the characteristics of translational research, ways of supporting cross disciplinary collaboration, and the challenges and opportunities of adopting translational principles in the social sciences and humanities.

Survey Suggests University Researchers Feel Powerless to Take Climate Change Action

To feel able to contribute to climate action, researchers say they need to know what actions to take, how their institutions will support them and space in their workloads to do it.

Three Decades of Rural Health Research and a Bumper Crop of Insights from South Africa

A longitudinal research project project covering 31 villages in rural South Africa has led to groundbreaking research in many fields, including genomics, HIV/Aids, cardiovascular conditions and stroke, cognition and aging.

Why Social Science? Because It Makes an Outsized Impact on Policy

Euan Adie, founder of Altmetric and Overton and currently Overton’s managing director, answers questions about the outsized impact that SBS makes on policy and his work creating tools to connect the scholarly and policy worlds.

A Behavioral Scientist’s Take on the Dangers of Self-Censorship in Science

The word censorship might bring to mind authoritarian regimes, book-banning, and restrictions on a free press, but Cory Clark, a behavioral scientist at […]

Infrastructure

A new collaboration between the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the U.S. National Science Foundation has founded the Graduate Research Fellowship […]

To Better Forecast AI, We Need to Learn Where Its Money Is Pointing

By carefully interrogating the system of economic incentives underlying innovations and how technologies are monetized in practice, we can generate a better understanding of the risks, both economic and technological, nurtured by a market’s structure.

There’s Something in the Air, Part 2 – But It’s Not a Miasma

Robert Dingwall looks at the once dominant role that miasmatic theory had in public health interventions and public policy.

The Fog of War

David Canter considers the psychological and organizational challenges to making military decisions in a war.

A Community Call: Spotlight on Women’s Safety in the Music Industry 

Women’s History Month is, when we “honor women’s contributions to American history…” as a nation. Author Andrae Alexander aims to spark a conversation about honor that expands the actions of this month from performative to critical

Philip Rubin: FABBS’ Accidental Essential Man Linking Research and Policy

As he stands down from a two-year stint as the president of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences, or FABBS, Social Science Space took the opportunity to download a fraction of the experiences of cognitive psychologist Philip Rubin, especially his experiences connecting science and policy.

How Intelligent is Artificial Intelligence?

Cryptocurrencies are so last year. Today’s moral panic is about AI and machine learning. Governments around the world are hastening to adopt […]

Why Don’t Algorithms Agree With Each Other?

David Canter reviews his experience of filling in automated forms online for the same thing but getting very different answers, revealing the value systems built into these supposedly neutral processes.

A Black History Addendum to the American Music Industry

The new editor of the case study series on the music industry discusses the history of Black Americans in the recording industry.

When University Decolonization in Canada Mends Relationships with Indigenous Nations and Lands

Community-based work and building and maintaining relationships with nations whose land we live upon is at the heart of what Indigenizing is. It is not simply hiring more faculty, or putting the titles “decolonizing” and “Indigenizing” on anything that might connect to Indigenous peoples.

Jonathan Breckon On Knowledge Brokerage and Influencing Policy

Overton spoke with Jonathan Breckon to learn about knowledge brokerage, influencing policy and the potential for technology and data to streamline the research-policy interface.

Research for Social Good Means Addressing Scientific Misconduct

Social Science Space’s sister site, Methods Space, explored the broad topic of Social Good this past October, with guest Interviewee Dr. Benson Hong. Here Janet Salmons and him talk about the Academy of Management Perspectives journal article.

NSF Looks Headed for a Half-Billion Dollar Haircut

Funding for the U.S. National Science Foundation would fall by a half billion dollars in this fiscal year if a proposed budget the House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee takes effect – the first cut to the agency’s budget in several years.

NSF Responsible Tech Initiative Looking at AI, Biotech and Climate

The U.S. National Science Foundation’s new Responsible Design, Development, and Deployment of Technologies (ReDDDoT) program supports research, implementation, and educational projects for multidisciplinary, multi-sector teams

Digital Transformation Needs Organizational Talent and Leadership Skills to Be Successful

Who drives digital change – the people of the technology? Katharina Gilli explains how her co-authors worked to address that question.

Six Principles for Scientists Seeking Hiring, Promotion, and Tenure

The negative consequences of relying too heavily on metrics to assess research quality are well known, potentially fostering practices harmful to scientific research such as p-hacking, salami science, or selective reporting. To address this systemic problem, Florian Naudet, and collegues present six principles for assessing scientists for hiring, promotion, and tenure.

Book Review: The Oxford Handbook of Creative Industries

Candace Jones, Mark Lorenzen, Jonathan Sapsed , eds.: The Oxford Handbook of Creative Industries. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015. 576 pp. $170.00, […]

Daniel Kahneman, 1934-2024: The Grandfather of Behavioral Economics

Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, whose psychological insights in both the academic and the public spheres revolutionized how we approach economics, has died […]

Canadian Librarians Suggest Secondary Publishing Rights to Improve Public Access to Research

The Canadian Federation of Library Associations recently proposed providing secondary publishing rights to academic authors in Canada.

Webinar: How Can Public Access Advance Equity and Learning?

The U.S. National Science Foundation and the American Association for the Advancement of Science have teamed up present a 90-minute online session examining how to balance public access to federally funded research results with an equitable publishing environment.

• Open Access in the Humanities and Social Sciences in Canada: A Conversation

Five organizations representing knowledge networks, research libraries, and publishing platforms joined the Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences to review the present and the future of open access — in policy and in practice – in Canada

A Former Student Reflects on How Daniel Kahneman Changed Our Understanding of Human Nature

Daniel Read argues that one way the late Daniel Kahneman stood apart from other researchers is that his work was driven by a desire not merely to contribute to a research field, but to create new fields.

Four Reasons to Stop Using the Word ‘Populism’

Beyond poor academic practice, the careless use of the word ‘populism’ has also had a deleterious impact on wider public discourse, the authors argue.

The Added Value of Latinx and Black Teachers

As the U.S. Congress debates the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, a new paper in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences urges lawmakers to focus on provisions aimed at increasing the numbers of black and Latinx teachers.

A Collection: Behavioral Science Insights on Addressing COVID’s Collateral Effects

To help in decisions surrounding the effects and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the the journal ‘Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ offers this collection of articles as a free resource.

Susan Fiske Connects Policy and Research in Print

Psychologist Susan Fiske was the founding editor of the journal Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences. In trying to reach a lay audience with research findings that matter, she counsels stepping a bit outside your academic comfort zone.

Mixed Methods As A Tool To Research Self-Reported Outcomes From Diverse Treatments Among People With Multiple Sclerosis

What does heritage mean to you?

Personal Information Management Strategies in Higher Education

Working Alongside Artificial Intelligence Key Focus at Critical Thinking Bootcamp 2022

SAGE Publishing — the parent of Social Science Space – will hold its Third Annual Critical Thinking Bootcamp on August 9. Leaning more and register here

Watch the Forum: A Turning Point for International Climate Policy

On May 13, the American Academy of Political and Social Science hosted an online seminar, co-sponsored by SAGE Publishing, that featured presentations […]

Event: Living, Working, Dying: Demographic Insights into COVID-19

On Friday, April 23rd, join the Population Association of America and the Association of Population Centers for a virtual congressional briefing. The […]

Connecting Legislators and Researchers, Leads to Policies Based on Scientific Evidence

The author’s team is developing ways to connect policymakers with university-based researchers – and studying what happens when these academics become the trusted sources, rather than those with special interests who stand to gain financially from various initiatives.

Involving patients – or abandoning them?

The Covid-19 pandemic seems to be subsiding into a low-level endemic respiratory infection – although the associated pandemics of fear and action […]

Public Policy

Jane M. Simoni Named New Head of OBSSR

Clinical psychologist Jane M. Simoni has been named to head the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research

Canada’s Federation For Humanities and Social Sciences Welcomes New Board Members

Annie Pilote, dean of the faculty of graduate and postdoctoral studies at the Université Laval, was named chair of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences at its 2023 virtual annual meeting last month. Members also elected Debra Thompson as a new director on the board.

Britain’s Academy of Social Sciences Names Spring 2024 Fellows

Forty-one leading social scientists have been named to the Spring 2024 cohort of fellows for Britain’s Academy of Social Sciences.

National Academies Looks at How to Reduce Racial Inequality In Criminal Justice System

To address racial and ethnic inequalities in the U.S. criminal justice system, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine just released “Reducing Racial Inequality in Crime and Justice: Science, Practice and Policy.”

Survey Examines Global Status Of Political Science Profession

The ECPR-IPSA World of Political Science Survey 2023 assesses political science scholar’s viewpoints on the global status of the discipline and the challenges it faces, specifically targeting the phenomena of cancel culture, self-censorship and threats to academic freedom of expression.

Report: Latest Academic Freedom Index Sees Global Declines

The latest update of the global Academic Freedom Index finds improvements in only five countries

The Risks Of Using Research-Based Evidence In Policymaking

With research-based evidence increasingly being seen in policy, we should acknowledge that there are risks that the research or ‘evidence’ used isn’t suitable or can be accidentally misused for a variety of reasons. 

Surveys Provide Insight Into Three Factors That Encourage Open Data and Science

Over a 10-year period Carol Tenopir of DataONE and her team conducted a global survey of scientists, managers and government workers involved in broad environmental science activities about their willingness to share data and their opinion of the resources available to do so (Tenopir et al., 2011, 2015, 2018, 2020). Comparing the responses over that time shows a general increase in the willingness to share data (and thus engage in Open Science).

Unskilled But Aware: Rethinking The Dunning-Kruger Effect

As a math professor who teaches students to use data to make informed decisions, I am familiar with common mistakes people make when dealing with numbers. The Dunning-Kruger effect is the idea that the least skilled people overestimate their abilities more than anyone else. This sounds convincing on the surface and makes for excellent comedy. But in a recent paper, my colleagues and I suggest that the mathematical approach used to show this effect may be incorrect.

Maintaining Anonymity In Double-Blind Peer Review During The Age of Artificial Intelligence

The double-blind review process, adopted by many publishers and funding agencies, plays a vital role in maintaining fairness and unbiasedness by concealing the identities of authors and reviewers. However, in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, a pressing question arises: can an author’s identity be deduced even from an anonymized paper (in cases where the authors do not advertise their submitted article on social media)?

Hype Terms In Research: Words Exaggerating Results Undermine Findings

The claim that academics hype their research is not news. The use of subjective or emotive words that glamorize, publicize, embellish or exaggerate results and promote the merits of studies has been noted for some time and has drawn criticism from researchers themselves. Some argue hyping practices have reached a level where objectivity has been replaced by sensationalism and manufactured excitement. By exaggerating the importance of findings, writers are seen to undermine the impartiality of science, fuel skepticism and alienate readers.

Five Steps to Protect – and to Hear – Research Participants

Jasper Knight identifies five key issues that underlie working with human subjects in research and which transcend institutional or disciplinary differences.

New Tool Promotes Responsible Hiring, Promotion, and Tenure in Research Institutions

Modern-day approaches to understanding the quality of research and the careers of researchers are often outdated and filled with inequalities. These approaches […]

There’s Something In the Air…But Is It a Virus? Part 1

The historic Hippocrates has become an iconic figure in the creation myths of medicine. What can the body of thought attributed to him tell us about modern responses to COVID?

Alex Edmans on Confirmation Bias 

n this Social Science Bites podcast, Edmans, a professor of finance at London Business School and author of the just-released “May Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics, and Studies Exploit Our Biases – And What We Can Do About It,” reviews the persistence of confirmation bias even among professors of finance.

Alison Gopnik on Care

Caring makes us human.  This is one of the strongest ideas one could infer from the work that developmental psychologist Alison Gopnik is discovering in her work on child development, cognitive economics and caregiving.

Tejendra Pherali on Education and Conflict

Tejendra Pherali, a professor of education, conflict and peace at University College London, researches the intersection of education and conflict around the world.

Gamification as an Effective Instructional Strategy

Gamification—the use of video game elements such as achievements, badges, ranking boards, avatars, adventures, and customized goals in non-game contexts—is certainly not a new thing.

Harnessing the Tide, Not Stemming It: AI, HE and Academic Publishing

Who will use AI-assisted writing tools — and what will they use them for? The short answer, says Katie Metzler, is everyone and for almost every task that involves typing.

Immigration Court’s Active Backlog Surpasses One Million

In the first post from a series of bulletins on public data that social and behavioral scientists might be interested in, Gary Price links to an analysis from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

Webinar Discusses Promoting Your Article

The next in SAGE Publishing’s How to Get Published webinar series focuses on promoting your writing after publication. The free webinar is set for November 16 at 4 p.m. BT/11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT.

Webinar Examines Open Access and Author Rights

The next in SAGE Publishing’s How to Get Published webinar series honors International Open Access Week (October 24-30). The free webinar is […]

Ping, Read, Reply, Repeat: Research-Based Tips About Breaking Bad Email Habits

At a time when there are so many concerns being raised about always-on work cultures and our right to disconnect, email is the bane of many of our working lives.

New Dataset Collects Instances of ‘Contentious Politics’ Around the World

The European Research Center is funding the Global Contentious Politics Dataset, or GLOCON, a state-of-the-art automated database curating information on political events — including confrontations, political turbulence, strikes, rallies, and protests

Matchmaking Research to Policy: Introducing Britain’s Areas of Research Interest Database

Kathryn Oliver discusses the recent launch of the United Kingdom’s Areas of Research Interest Database. A new tool that promises to provide a mechanism to link researchers, funders and policymakers more effectively collaboratively and transparently.

Watch The Lecture: The ‘E’ In Science Stands For Equity

According to the National Science Foundation, the percentage of American adults with a great deal of trust in the scientific community dropped […]

Watch a Social Scientist Reflect on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

“It’s very hard,” explains Sir Lawrence Freedman, “to motivate people when they’re going backwards.”

Dispatches from Social and Behavioral Scientists on COVID

Has the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic impacted how social and behavioral scientists view and conduct research? If so, how exactly? And what are […]

Contemporary Politics Focus of March Webinar Series

This March, the Sage Politics team launches its first Politics Webinar Week. These webinars are free to access and will be delivered by contemporary politics experts —drawn from Sage’s team of authors and editors— who range from practitioners to instructors.

New Thought Leadership Webinar Series Opens with Regional Looks at Research Impact

Research impact will be the focus of a new webinar series from Epigeum, which provides online courses for universities and colleges. The […]

• Impact metrics
• Early Career
• In Memorium
• Curated-Collection Page Links
• Science communication
• True Crime: Insight Into The Human Fascination With The Who-Done-It
• Melissa Kearney on Marriage and Children
• Raffaella Sadun on Effective Management

Why Is Social Studies Important In School: Know 11+ Best Reasons 

Why Is Social Studies Important In School? Most of the searching for this and want to know the reasons behind that. Are you looking for the same? Social studies is an important subject in school. It’s not just about memorizing facts and dates; it’s about understanding the world around us.

In this blog, we’ll explore more than 11 reasons why social studies is important for students in school. From learning about how governments work to understanding different cultures, social studies helps shape you into a well-informed and responsible citizen. Let’s dive into the world of social studies and why it matters.

Must Read: 10 Reasons Why Mental Health Is Important – A Complete Guide

Social Studies Definition

Table of Contents

Social studies is a broad and interdisciplinary field of education that encompasses the study of various aspects of human society, including its history, geography, economics, politics, culture, and the interactions among these elements. It is an educational subject that focuses on helping students understand the world in which they live, the societies they are part of, and the issues that affect them as citizens.

In social studies, students typically explore topics such as government and civics, world and national history, geography, economics, sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies. The goal of social studies education is to promote civic literacy, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of the social, cultural, and political dynamics that shape our world. It also prepares students to be responsible and informed citizens capable of participating in a democratic society.

Why Is Social Studies Important In School: Know 11+ Best Reasons 

These are the following best and good reasons for Why Is Social Studies Important In School.

1. Understanding How Society Works

Social studies teaches you how your society functions. You’ll learn about the rules, laws, and systems that keep everything in order. This knowledge helps you become a responsible member of your community.

2. Becoming a Good Citizen

Good citizens know their rights and responsibilities. Social studies helps you understand what it means to be a good citizen and how you can make a positive impact on your community.

3. Developing Critical Thinking

Social studies challenge your brain. It encourages you to think critically, ask questions, and find solutions to real-world problems. This skill is valuable in many aspects of life.

4. Learning About Different Cultures

The world is a diverse place. Social studies introduces you to various cultures, traditions, and viewpoints. This helps you appreciate and respect people from all walks of life.

5. Discovering History’s Lessons

By studying history, you can learn from the past. You’ll understand how events and decisions shaped the world we live in today. History teaches you important lessons.

6. Thinking Globally

In our interconnected world, knowing about other countries and global issues is vital. Social studies gives you a global perspective, helping you understand how the world works beyond your neighborhood.

7. Understanding Economics

Economics might sound complicated, but it’s essential. Social studies helps you grasp how money, businesses, and economies function. This knowledge is valuable in managing your own finances and understanding the world of work.

8. Improving Social Skills

Social studies often involves teamwork and discussions. You’ll learn to work with others, communicate your ideas, and respect different opinions – skills that are handy in life.

9. Problem-Solving Abilities

Social studies presents real-world problems. You’ll get the chance to think critically and come up with creative solutions to these problems.

10. Preparing for Future Careers

If you dream of becoming a lawyer, politician, social worker, or teacher, social studies is a great foundation. It prepares you for careers that involve understanding people and society.

11. Polishing Communication Skills

Good communication is important in almost every job. Social studies helps you improve your writing, speaking, and presentation skills.

12. Navigating the Information Age

In today’s digital world, it’s essential to know how to find reliable information and distinguish it from fake news. Social studies teaches you media literacy skills.

Top 10 Best Social Studies Games 2024

These are the following best Social Studies Games for students.

• Settlers of Catan – History Edition
• Pandemic: Hot Zone – North America
• Ticket to Ride: Europe
• Squeebles Geography
• History Quest

In a nutshell, social studies is not just another subject in school; it’s a key to unlocking the doors of understanding the world around you. It equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to be an informed and responsible citizen. Whether you’re learning about history, different cultures, or how the world’s economies work, social studies helps you connect the dots and see the bigger picture. So, next time you study social studies, remember it’s more than just textbooks; it’s your passport to becoming a well-informed, critical thinker, and a valuable member of society. Embrace the world of social studies and the valuable lessons it brings.

Similar Articles

How To Do Homework Fast – 11 Tips To Do Homework Fast

Homework is one of the most important parts that have to be done by students. It has been around for…

How to Write an Assignment Introduction – 6 Best Tips

In essence, the writing tasks in academic tenure students are an integral part of any curriculum. Whether in high school,…

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Skip to main content
• Skip to secondary menu
• Skip to primary sidebar

Curious Desire

Quench Curiosity

15 Reasons Why Social Studies Is Important?

September 16, 2023 by Aatka Azhar

The importance of Social Studies is not just limited to knowing the world, but it also increases awareness and empowers students with knowledge that can be used to improve society .

Social studies is an analytical and critical study of society and how different changes and developments around them influence human behavior. Here are fifteen reasons why social studies is important.

Table of Contents

15 Benefits Of Social Studies For Students

Social studies offer a wide range of benefits for students. It teaches them to be organized with their time , manage their resources, works in teams, keep personal affairs in order , and also improve academic performance. Social studies can help develop leadership skills in students which would come in handy in their future careers.

Furthermore, social studies help students learn how to be more open-minded about other people’s ideas, opinions, and cultures. Social studies also encourage students to express their views on current matters intelligently which would help them throughout their lives.

Following are the benefits of social studies for students.

1. Social Studies Helps Develop Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking is at the very foundation of social studies. It entails analyzing different issues, evaluating them according to certain standards, formulating informed opinions and decisions based on the assessment, drawing conclusions from the information gathered, making inferences when required, and taking responsible actions.

It enables students to place themselves in the shoes of people belonging to different backgrounds and understand their views and perspectives.

2. Social Studies Enhances Comprehension Of The World

Social studies equip students with knowledge and understanding of the world and how it operates. With a better understanding of different cultures, traditions, norms, and practices different societies follow, students can use this information to understand why people do what they do in certain situations.

3. Social Studies Promotes Empathy

Social studies teach students to empathize with other people’s situations and circumstances. It makes them realize that there are other people out there who might be facing the same problems as they do, or even worse.

They come to understand how certain events or certain emergencies affect entire communities and cultures.

4. Social Studies Increases Awareness About The World’s Problems

Social studies provide students with knowledge about different social issues prevalent around the world today. For instance, it gives students a better understanding of the problems faced by those belonging to different ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, or gender.

 Social studies also help students learn about the impact human actions have on animals and plants as well as the planet at large.

Reference Video – Why Study Social Studies

5. Social Studies Teaches Better Decision Making

Since social studies provide students with a better understanding of the world, it helps them make better decisions in life because they know what consequences their actions might have. They learn to be considerate and empathetic towards other people’s feelings and circumstances before making any decision that affects them or others around them.

6. Social Studies Helps In Problem Solving

To resolve any social issue, it is important to first identify and understand the problem. Social studies help students do just that by giving them a better perspective of the world and all its complexities.

It also teaches students how to analyze data and information critically to come up with practical solutions to various social problems.

7. Social Studies Develops Leadership Skills

Social studies provide students with valuable insight on how to deal with different social issues. Students learn to take responsibility for their actions and decisions, which helps them become future leaders in their communities.

Social studies also enable students to make informed choices since they know the effects of certain actions beforehand. Many great leaders of the world have had a strong foundation in social studies. Hence, social studies can help develop leadership skills in students which would come in handy in their future careers.

8. Social Studies Builds Organization Skills

Social studies teach students how to prioritize tasks according to certain conditions, set deadlines for completing tasks, manage time efficiently so that they can complete tasks well in the given time frame.

It also helps students learn how to work in teams and understand their roles within a group . As a result, social studies can help develop essential skills which would come in handy for students while doing homework or projects after school hours.

9. Social Studies Teaches Responsibility

Social studies instill in students a sense of responsibility towards their communities and the world at large. It makes them realize that they have an important role to play in making the world a better place.

They come to understand that they can make a difference in their communities, how events from the past shape the future and their own lives, and how their actions can have a positive or negative impact on society as a whole.

10. Social Studies Teaches How To Respond To Change

Change is a major factor in social studies, and it teaches students to respond effectively to different situations which require them to be flexible and adaptable. Hence, those who are involved in social studies develop better problem-solving skills which would come in handy in their professional and personal lives.

11. Social Studies Builds Background Knowledge

When students study social studies, they learn about the important historical milestones which have shaped different nations and cultures. They also get to know more about geographical landforms, local traditions, and customs, religions, etc.

All this knowledge helps improve their communication skills because it enables them to connect with people from different backgrounds more easily. It helps to build background knowledge by studying social studies.

12. Social Studies Builds Cultural Awareness

Social studies not only teach students about the history and traditions of their own country but also those of others around the world. This knowledge helps them develop a better understanding and appreciation of other cultures as well as their importance in shaping our future as a global community .

When people are aware of different cultures, they are less likely to discriminate against others or engage in any form of racism or xenophobia .

13. Social Studies Helps In Improving Academic Performance

When students study social studies, they apply what they learn to their daily lives. They can analyze information critically, which makes it easier for them to understand certain topics better. Social studies also help students acquire the right skills and mindset needed for effective learning .

Students can use that knowledge to improve their grades in all other subjects as well because of the transferable skills social studies has to offer. Research has shown that students who are involved in social studies perform much better academically.

This is because they gain a better perspective of the world and develop critical thinking skills, both of which enable them to think more analytically about problems and come up with practical solutions.

14. Social Studies Builds Mathematics Skills

Social studies involve a lot of data analysis , and this helps students develop their mathematics skills . They learn how to collect and interpret data, make graphs and charts, and so on. This would come in handy when they pursue a career in fields such as statistics , accounting , marketing , etc.

15. Social Studies Is Fun

Despite being one of the most important subjects, social studies are also fun because of the creative teaching methods used. It helps develop problem-solving skills in students and encourages them to think critically about issues that are relevant to us today.

 Moreover, the information presented through multimedia such as films, games , etc., makes it particularly interesting for young learners!

Importance Of Social Studies – Conclusion 

As can be seen, social studies are a very important subject that offers a range of benefits to students. It helps them learn about their communities and the world at large, develop essential skills, become more responsible and adaptable to change, etc.

So, if you are looking for a subject that would help your child excel academically and socially, the social study is a great choice !

• https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/why-is-social-studies-important/
• https://classroom.synonym.com/importance-social-studies-education-5135.html
• https://athlosacademies.org/social-studies/

Hello, I am Aatka Azhar. I have done bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Writing articles is my passion through which I explore so many things. So, I am using my passion by working here and it will be the source of knowledge for the readers.

We use cookies to enhance our website for you. Proceed if you agree to this policy or learn more about it.

• Essay Database >
• Essay Examples >
• Essays Topics >
• Essay on Sociology

Why Is The Study Of Social Sciences Important For Education Essay Samples

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Sociology , Study , World , Social Studies , Students , Economics , Education , History

Published: 02/25/2020

ORDER PAPER LIKE THIS

Introduction

Starting from the time the No Child Left Behind was passed in 2001 the importance of social sciences has not been carefully considered as has been other studies such as mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics among other science studies and languages. The No Child Left Behind initiative had all its prominence on languages and mathematics thus making several states to reduce their needs for social studies in the curriculums of these states. This move has greatly reduced the emphasis that was laid on social sciences before thus leading to most stakeholders not appreciating the value of social sciences in our Education System. However with the guidance of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) several states have joined in the process that seeks to establish Common Core Standards that will strive to make social studies to be an integral form of any school’s curriculum together with other studies such as math, science and languages.

Importance of Social Studies

The study of social sciences is very important in our society today because this study is very important in helping us explain and understand our world today and everything that is going on around us. Just the same way science studies educates the children to be keen on the physical aspects of life, social studies inspires its students to concentrate on the numerous places people hail from on this world. Social sciences do not only educate us on the physical geography, but it enables students to acquire knowledge regarding different issues and places and explanations to several natural happenings all over the world. Social sciences are also important in the sense that it enables the students to learn about the various differences culturally of the world’s different inhabitants by studying sociology and anthropology. With students learning on the cultural differences among different people they are able to come to the realization that most of these cultures exhibit a level of similarity in one way or another.

A Sense of History

The study of social studies is very important for students to try to find out the roles that are required of them in community and their contribution towards history. When these students study about the past it empowers them to understand how modernization has led to the change in institutions, traditions and ideals of the society over time. It enables them to learn in what way the cause and effect inspires relationships existing among people, groups and countries. With these students maturing over a period of time, the learning of history offers them the opportunity to develop and enhance their research expertise and improve on how to think critically and creatively. A sense of history offers students a better background knowledge and understanding as they learn different subjects like literature and many others.

Citizenship

Making a Living It has been observed that economic themes are often encountered in the curriculum of most social studies in a many ways. Ranging from the study of want and its relation to a need that is imparted in primary schools to cutting-edge concepts like global policy on economics deliberated in a high school class of current events, economics is an important section of social studies. Since students are able to study on the factors of production that includes labor, land, capital and entrepreneurship, it enables them to come to the realization of how these studies help in determining the type of goods and services present for the consumers. Social sciences enables students to learn trends in economics as they learn history to better their understanding of current events like recessions that has been witnessed in this country lately. Personally the study of economics educates students the necessities of managing their personal finances and assists them develop their career goals that are in line with their characters. Conclusion

Works Cited

Denise Brown, Demand Media “The Importance of Social Studies Education” Available at http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/importance-social-studies-education-5135.html (Accessed 14th December 2013) Walter Parker (ed) Social Studies Today, Routledge, New York, NY, 2010.

Cite this page

Share with friends using:

Removal Request

Finished papers: 2759

This paper is created by writer with

ID 262027727

If you want your paper to be:

Well-researched, fact-checked, and accurate

Original, fresh, based on current data

Eloquently written and immaculately formatted

275 words = 1 page double-spaced

Get your papers done by pros!

Other Pages

Essay on profession, growth opportunities essay, comparing fences troy maxon and jackie robinson research paper, contribution of entity theory to accounting practice essay, essay on harlem renaissance poetry, example of the jeffrey dahmer case case study, should the us government require all americans to have health insurance argumentative essay examples, good thesis proposal on practical proposal, free technology management essay sample, good essay about economics, how a bill becomes a law research proposals example, free einstein latter essay example, good personal statement about educational leadership, serial killer research papers, florence nightingale research papers, nba research papers, experience thesis proposals, tile critical thinkings, rally critical thinkings, coyote critical thinkings, self awareness critical thinkings, tenure critical thinkings, animation essays, instagram essays, events essays, climate essays, a hunger artist essays, workforce essays, perfume essays, allegory essays, 3d printing essays, humanities essays, alternative energy essays, biomedical engineering essays, street art essays, adam and eve essays, chen shui bian essays, magic johnson essays, quincy jones essays, valrico essays.

Password recovery email has been sent to [email protected]

Use your new password to log in

You are not register!

By clicking Register, you agree to our Terms of Service and that you have read our Privacy Policy .

Now you can download documents directly to your device!

Check your email! An email with your password has already been sent to you! Now you can download documents directly to your device.

or Use the QR code to Save this Paper to Your Phone

The sample is NOT original!

Short on a deadline?

Don't waste time. Get help with 11% off using code - GETWOWED

No, thanks! I'm fine with missing my deadline

Improving writing skills since 2002

(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Why social studies is important for children.

• Word Count: 831
• Approx Pages: 3
• View my Saved Essays
• Downloads: 33
• Problems? Flag this paper!

            Social Studies is important for elementary school students to be familiar with because it is a way to connect children with the past and relate it to the future. Linda Levstik wrote a book called "Doing History" that explains how to teach Social Studies in a classroom. This book focuses on what teachers should teach, how to go about doing it, what are the best strategies, how to assess children, and guidelines for teachers to follow. This book taught me that it is important for students to personalize history so they can relate it to current events. I also have learned that it is important to have a strong literature based Social Studies program so that children can deepen their understanding of the topic and integrate it into other areas of study. In this paper I will discuss what I found useful in this textbook and how I will utilize the information learned in my classroom.              One of the major issues I found important was the idea of diverse perspectives. It is important for children o know that there are a wide variety of cultures, opinions, and ideas. It is necessary to look at all the different angles of an idea and then draw your own conclusion. Children need to be exposed to a wide variety of literature in order to be able to find out more about different time periods. In chapter twelve Levstik writes, "Children often think that people in the Colonial Era lived in log cabins or that everyone in the 1800's dressed in formal clothes all the time. Such perspectives are hardly surprising given that students are rarely exposed to differences within a given time period"(158). As a teacher it is important to remember that children need to be exposed to a variety of different ideas. Teachers cannot focus in on one issue without giving multiple viewpoints or ideas. This way, children will be able to form their own opinions based on multiple perspectives. .              Another chapter in this book that I found extremely important was chapter 5.

• Page 1 of 3

Essays Related to Why Social Studies Is Important For Children

1. social networking sites and children under 13.

Studies show that children who are on social media sites show signs of behavioural problems. ... Another reason, arguably the most important, is the dangers children face whilst being on the internet. ... I believe this is the main reason as to why young children shouldn't be given access to social networking sites. ... This is another extremely important reason as to why young children should not be allowed on social media sites. ... There are many reasons as to why I believe young children should not be allowed on these sites. ...

• Word Count: 967
• Approx Pages: 4

2. Childhood Social Phobia

Childhood Social Phobia There were two goals presented in this study. ... Studies show that social phobia is more common among age groups from 7-14 years old. ... The results of the study show that the cognitive-behavioral approach treatment showed improvement in the social skills of the children. ... The treatment does conclude that parental involvement is vitally important in helping the child. ... I think that the experiment was a good way of examining how and why children are so socially lacking. ...

• Word Count: 1326
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

3. Social Media Addiction

This is why parents must learn to trust and not be afraid to have these conversations with their children and provide comfort for the child if they are ever placed in a similar situation. It is important for children to know they can come to their parents for help and safety if they encounter such problems. An important aspect for parents to learn is to become familiar with the interactions their children are making in social groups and especially in school. ... Having children know their parents are there for them for any circumstance is an important guideline for children to know. ... That ...

• Word Count: 3174
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Worldview effects social studies teaching

The first being: "Social studies provides a forum for children to learn about an practice democracy." (1994.pp.5). ... The second point Ellis makes is: "Social studies is designed to help children explain their world." (1994.pp.6). ... Ellis's third point is: "Social studies can help children along the road to positive self-development." ... Ellis's final point is "Social studies ought to promote in children a genuine sense of the social fabric." ... Haycock expresses the feeling of many teachers "Social studies is social studies, isn't it, regardless of where you teach it, so ...

• Word Count: 1490
• Approx Pages: 6

5. Concepts of Social Facilitation

He instructed the children to wind the fishing line quickly. ... There are a variety of reasons why, but main reasons include our natural competitive drives, desire for recognition and social acceptance, and desire to reach our highest potential. ... Another reason as to why we perform better in the presence of others is another topic in social facilitation which is called the "audience effect.... Social facilitation tells us a lot about how and why we perform. Perhaps the most important part of social facilitation, in regards to striving for optimal performance, is that we can use it to...

• Word Count: 956

6. Children Interacting With Tv

Our empirical research includes studies in contemporary advertising techniques, changes in children's television viewing preferences, and the relationship to childhood development. ... Television affects social and emotional behavior, creativity and language skills, and school achievement. ... (Better Business Bureau) The purpose of CARU is to maintain a balance between controlling the message children receive from advertising, and promoting the important information to children through advertising. ... Realizing that children are imaginative and that make-believe play constitutes an impo...

• Word Count: 6964
• Approx Pages: 28

7. Endorsements and Social Learning

The Social Learning Theory, proposed by Albert Bandura in 1977, states that children acquire behavior through observing models in their social environment, encoding these behaviors, and later imitating them. ... A number of studies have shown this to be true. ... One of the reasons I feel this phenomenon strongly exemplifies the Social Learning Theory is because of a study published in the Journal of Promotion Management. ... The Social Learning Theory can be used to explain exactly why this is. ... These endorsements are by no means a bad thing, but it is important to form our own opinions, r...

• Word Count: 1391

8. Social Inequality

In the following paper I will explain to you about the inequality in our country and why it occurs. ... For example, you do not often encounter children from Manhattan families playing with children from Harlem. ... Free education for all children in public school. ... In the Estate system power was the most important factor of social rank, followed by class and status. ... In the caste system in India, status is the deciding factor of social stratification. ( Koponen, 366) Race is also an important factor that leads to inequality. ...

• Word Count: 1944
• Approx Pages: 8

9. Why Children Need Stable Families

Moreover, the most important aspects that build a home environment for a child are the parents or caregivers of the child, and the stability of the environment in terms of noise levels, finances, and others. ... "It is important for the overall development of children that parents be present enough to support them, and this support fosters confidence and growth in many areas"(Murphy, 2014). ... "An important factor in the emotional development of children is how warm caregivers are, and studies have been done to find the effects of depressed mothers on the emotional development ...

• Word Count: 2813
• Approx Pages: 11

• International

Israel-Hamas war

University protests

SCOTUS hears abortion case

Second day of testimony wraps in Trump hush money trial

From CNN's Jeremy Herb, Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell in the courthouse

Trump posts from the courthouse about gag order and calls for judge to recuse himself

Donald Trump has posted on Truth Social about the gag order following the gag order hearing, calling for Judge Juan Merchan to recuse himself.

Trump alleges he is "not allowed" to defend himself, but he has indicated he is willing to take the stand to testify .

Trump and his attorney are looking through a stack of papers he brought to court

As we wait for the judge to return to the bench, Trump has resumed chatting with his attorney Todd Blanche. They are looking at the stack of papers Trump brought in with him.

Trump and his attorney are whispering before judge enters courtroom

Attorney Todd Blanche and Trump were whispering before Judge Juan Merchan entered the courtroom.

He and Blanche were leaning in close to each other to talk. Trump then veered to his right to talk to attorney Emil Bove, who in now sitting in the first chair.

Trump back in courtroom

Former President Donald Trump has reentered the courtroom. He is holding a stack of papers, some held together by binder clips.

Analysis: This was a "disaster for the defense," CNN legal analyst says of gag order hearing

From CNN's Antoinette Radford

CNN’s Chief Legal Correspondent Paula Reid has described the outcome of today’s gag order hearing as a “disaster for the defense.”

During the hearing, Judge Juan Merchan questioned whether Donald Trump recognized that he had breached the gag order, even asking him to take the stand and swear under oath that he did not know he had done so.

Merchan went as far as to tell Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, that he was “losing all credibility with the court.”

Reid said that was a “disaster” for how Trump’s team had hoped to tackle the hearing.

“This just went completely off the rails because while they wanted to do the macro big-picture, the judge wanted to go post-by post through each of these alleged violations of the gag order that in many instances, are indefensible.”

“I knew this wasn’t going to go well legally for the team… but this was much worse than I could’ve expected.”

Defense says Trump is "very careful" with gag order arguing he is allowed to respond to political attacks 

From CNN's Kaanita Iyer

Donald Trump's attorney Todd Blanche faced a tough task Tuesday morning as he sought to avoid a maximum fine for his client for violating a gag order.  

Under the order, Trump is barred from publicly discussing witnesses or jurors in the case and prosecutors have pointed to eight social media posts and two campaign website posts to argue that “going after Michael Cohen is a recurring theme in these posts.” The prosecution is seeking $1,000 per violation — the maximum fine.  

But Blanche argued that specific attacks from Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, and adult film star Stormy Daniels prompted the former president to respond, but he has yet to point to specific attacks by them despite several requests to do so from Judge Juan Merchan.  

"I keep asking you over and over again for a specific answer, and I’m not getting an answer," Merchan said to Blanche.   But Blanche later told Merchan: "President Trump is being very careful to comply with your order.”  

The former president was not visibly reacting to any of the proceedings at the time, according to journalists in the courtroom, but did talk to his attorneys at least twice.  

Analysis: Why David Pecker is an important witness in the prosecutor's quest to prove criminal intent

From CNN's Elise Hammond

David Pecker will be back on the stand on Tuesday to continue testimony in the hush money trial against former President Donald Trump. Not only is he the first witness to answer questions from the prosecution, but he is also a critical piece of how the state is trying to prove criminal intent, one former federal prosecutor said.

Criminal intent means that “not just an act happened, but an act happened for a purpose,” said Elliot Williams, a CNN legal analyst. “The defendant did something wrong to carry out some criminal purpose.”

As the then-chairman of American Media Inc., which publishes the National Enquirer, Pecker was involved in numerous “catch-and-kill” schemes he orchestrated on behalf of Trump, and he allegedly helped broker the deal with adult film star Stormy Daniels which is at the center of  the case.

“It’s not just the catch-and-kill payments, but catch-and-kill payments for the purpose of concealing information from voters in the context of an election,” Williams explained, referring to the 2016 presidential election. 

Williams said it’s likely that prosecutors will focus much of their questioning trying to uncover what was discussed in meetings between Pecker and Trump. The question at the heart of the argument, Williams said, is if the payments were intended to conceal information from voters, “or was it just Donald Trump saying, ‘Well, you know, this is embarrassing to my wife and my kids, I really want to keep this hidden.’”

Prosecution argues Trump deliberately violates gag order in hearing, seeks max fine

Before witnesses can continue to offer testimony in the historic criminal hush money trial of Donald Trump, Judge Juan Merchan held a hearing on whether the former president violated the gag order in the hush money case.  

Under the order, Trump is barred from publicly discussing witnesses or jurors in the case.  

The prosecution has pointed to eight social media posts and two campaign website posts where Trump was primarily sharing commentary about expected trial witness Michael Cohen, and prosecutor Chris Conroy is seeking a $1,000 fine for each post — the max fine. 

Conroy made the case that Trump “knows about the order” and “knows what he’s not allowed to do” but violates it anyway. The prosecutor has also called the defense’s argument that the former president can respond to attacks by Cohen as an attempt to “muddy the waters,” and said those 10 posts “pose a very real threat” to the proceedings.  

Prosecutors also want the judge to remind Trump that “future violations of this Court’s restrictions on his extrajudicial statements can be punished not only with additional fines but also with a term of incarceration of up to thirty days.” 

Trump was not visibly reacting to the accusations, according to CNN’s reporters in the courtroom.  

Judge says court will go from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. straight after short break

As court was breaking, Judge Juan Merchan said he plans to go from 11 a.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET straight with the jury.

Please enable JavaScript for a better experience.