| Overview: Social
studies is not a popular area of the curriculum at either year
4 or year 8, with only 3 – 6% of the students listing
it as one of their top three favourite subjects. Additionally, there
is a strong decline from previous assessments in how much students
think they are learning about social studies. However, students are
positive about learning or doing more social studies as they get
older. They are particularly interested in learning about other places
in the world and how people live there, and learning about living
in the future.
|
Students’ attitudes,
interests and liking for a subject have a strong relationship to their
achievement. The Social Studies Survey sought information from students
about their curriculum preferences and perceptions of emphases in their
school social studies programmes. The questions were the same for year
4 and year 8 students. The survey was administered to the students
in an independent session (four students working individually on tasks,
supported by a teacher). The questions were usually read to year 4
students, and also to individual year 8 students who requested this
help. Writing help was available if requested.
The survey included 21 items which asked students to record a rating
response by circling their choice, and two items which invited students
to write comments. The results of the latter two items are not reported
here.
|
| Percentages
of Students Rating Subjects Among Their Three Favourites |
year
4
|
year
8 |
2009
('05) ['01] {'97} |
2009
('05) ['01] {'97}
|
physical
education/sport |
53
(53) [49] {47} |
71
(68) [62] {57} |
| mathematics |
44
(48) [42] {42} |
30
(28) [26] {35} |
| reading |
32
(28) [33] {30} |
21
(18) [18] {16} |
| visual
art |
28
(31) [64] {68} |
21
(23) [52] {43} |
| music |
25
(24) [27] {27} |
25
(25) [22] {25} |
| writing |
23
(26) [31] {19} |
16
(16) [13] {13} |
| science |
20
(20) [20] {22} |
16
(19) [25] {23} |
| drama |
17
(14) [-] {-} |
16
(21) [-] {-} |
| dance |
17
(13) [-] {-} |
13
(13) [-] {-} |
| technology |
15
(11) [9] {10} |
45
(44) [46] {30} |
| Mäori |
11
(11) [8] {9} |
9
(7) [6] {11} |
| social
studies |
3
(5) [4] {5} |
6
(7) [13] {16} |
| speaking |
2
(4) [3] {4} |
4
(4) [8] {9} |
| health |
1
(3) [1] {3} |
4
(3) [4] {3} |
|
| The
students were first asked to select their three favourite school
subjects from a list of 14 subjects. The results are shown adjacent,
together with the results from the surveys in 2005, 2001 and 1997.
Dance
and drama were introduced into the survey from 2003, with art relabelled
visual art. This affected the apparent popularity of (visual) art.
Social Studies was the twelfth most popular option for both year
4 students and year 8 students. Its popularity declined markedly
at year 8 level between 1997 and 2009, but this may in part be due
to the addition of dance and drama as new options in the survey.
Another consideration is that social studies is often embedded in
theme work and not easily identified as “social studies”,
but this factor probably cannot account for the decline across time
at year 8 level.
Responses
to the 21 rating items are presented on pages 45–46, in separate
tables for year 4 and year 8 students. The first five items in each
table have comparative results from 2005, 2001 and 1997, while the
remaining 16 items have comparative results only from 2005 and 2001.
On
question 2, “How much do you think you learn in social studies
at school?”,
27% fewer year 4 students chose the most positive rating in 2009 than in 1997.
This is a large reduction. The results for question 4 indicate that less than
50% of year 4 students thought that their class did really good things in social
studies “heaps” or “quite a lot”. While 70% of year 4
students were very keen to learn about living in the future (question 13), 27%
said that they “never” learned about this in social studies
at school (question 21). Nevertheless, about 80% of year 4 students
were positive about doing social studies at school (question 1) and
about learning or doing more social studies as they got older (question
5).
On question 2, “How much do you think you learn in social studies at school?”,
the trend for year 8 students is similar to that for year 4 students. The percentage
choosing “heaps” has decreased from 29% in 1997 to 8% in 2009, with
a 9% reduction also in students choosing “quite a lot”. Like their
year 4 counterparts, almost two thirds of year 8 students were very keen to learn
about living in the future (question 13), but only 30% said that they learned
about this “heaps” or “quite a lot” in social
studies at school. Despite these concerns, three quarters of year 8
students were positive about doing social studies in school (question
1) and learning or doing more social studies
as they got older (question 5), essentially unchanged since 1997. |
Year
4 : Social Studies Survey 2009 (2005) [2001] {1997}
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| 1. How much do you like doing social studies at school? |
| |
38
(40) [36] {41} |
41
(40) [42] {38} |
14
(12) [15] {12} |
7
(8) [7] {9} |
|
|
heaps |
quite
a lot |
some |
very
little |
|
| 2.
How much do you think you learn in social studies at school? |
| |
23
(31) [30] {50} |
38
(38) [38] {35} |
28
(25) [28] {12} |
11
(6) [4] {3} |
|
| |
more |
about
the same |
less |
|
|
| 3.
Would you like to do more, the same or less social studies at school? |
| |
35
(36) [34] {36} |
45
(45) [48] {46} |
20
(19) [18] {18} |
|
|
| |
heaps |
quite
a lot |
sometimes |
never |
|
4.
How often does your class do really good things in social studies?
|
| |
16
(17) [15] {18} |
27
(30) [27] {30} |
47
(47) [53] {48} |
10
(6) [5] {4} |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| 5.
How do you feel about learning or doing more social studies as
you get older? |
| |
52
(53) [46] {51} |
29
(27) [31] {27} |
11
(11) [15] {12} |
8
(9) [8] {10} |
|
 |
| How
much do you like learning about these things in social studies? |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
6.
The way people work together and do things in groups.
|
| |
49
(56) [51] |
35
(31) [34] |
12
(10) [11] |
4
(3) [4] |
|
7.
Other places in the world, and how people live there.
|
| |
46
(48) [44]
|
35
(37) [40] |
11
(10) [11] |
4
(5) [5] |
|
8.
Other places in New Zealand, and how people live there.
|
| |
52
(61) [56]
|
32
(27) [31] |
12
(9) [11] |
4
(3) [2] |
|
9.
The work people do and how they make a living.
|
| |
44
(46) [47] |
36
(35) [33] |
16
(13) [14] |
4
(6) [6] |
|
10.
Why people have different ideas.
|
| |
54
(51) [51]
|
32
(33) [30] |
10
(11) [13] |
4
(5) [6] |
|
11.
What is happening now – in New Zealand and other countries.
|
| |
45
(49) [43]
|
32
(30) [27] |
15
(13) [16] |
8
(8) [14] |
|
12.
How people lived in the olden days.
|
| |
47
(51) [43]
|
24
(24) [26] |
16
(13) [17] |
13
(12) [14] |
|
13.
Living in the future.
|
| |
70
(74) [73] |
19
(13) [15] |
6
(8) [7] |
5
(5) [5] |
|
|
| How
often do you learn about these things in social studies at school? |
|
| |
heaps |
quite
a lot |
sometimes |
never |
|
| 14.
The way people work together and do things in groups. |
| |
22
(24) [25] |
32
(36) [28] |
39
(36) [42] |
7
(4) [5] |
|
| 15.
Other places in the world, and how people live there. |
| |
22
(24) [22] |
30
(33) [32] |
39
(37) [39] |
9
(6) [7] |
|
| 16.
Other places in New Zealand, and how people live there. |
| |
26
(28) [25] |
26
(28) [28] |
37
(37) [39] |
11
(7) [8] |
|
| 17.
The work people do and how they make a living. |
| |
23
(25) [22] |
24
(28) [29] |
38
(36) [38] |
15
(11) [11] |
|
| 18.
Why people have different ideas. |
| |
27
(29) [24] |
27
(30) [34] |
31
(29) [29] |
15
(12) [13] |
|
| 19.
What is happening now – in New Zealand and other countries. |
| |
25
(32) [31] |
33
(30) [30] |
29
(30) [31] |
13
(8) [8] |
|
| 20.
How people lived in the olden days. |
| |
25
(25) [21] |
24
(24) [29] |
32
(36) [34] |
19
(15) [16] |
|
| 21.
Living in the future. |
| |
33
(31) [31] |
13
(15) [15] |
27
(25) [30] |
27
(29) [24] |
|
|
Year
8 : Social Studies Survey 2009 (2005) [2001] {1997}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1.
How much do you like doing social studies at school? |
|
13
(11) [14] {19} |
61
(61) [54] {52} |
21
(21) [25] {23} |
5
(7) [7] {6} |
|
|
heaps |
quite
a lot |
some |
very
little |
|
| 2.
How much do you think you learn in social studies at school? |
|
8
(12) [16] {29} |
45
(49) [53] {54} |
40
(35) [28] {14} |
7
(4) [3] {3} |
|
| |
more |
about
the same |
less |
|
|
| 3.
Would you like to do more, the same or less social studies at school? |
| |
14
(12) [14] {16} |
65
(68) [63] {67} |
21
(20) [23] {17} |
|
|
| |
heaps |
quite
a lot |
sometimes |
never |
|
4.
How often does your class do really good things in social studies?
|
|
6
(4) [7] {5} |
21
(29) [30] {30} |
64
(61) [54] {59} |
9
(6) [9] {6} |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| 5.
How do you feel about learning or doing more social studies as
you get older? |
| |
24
(19) [22] {26} |
51
(55) [47] {50} |
17
(20) [23] {19} |
8
(6) [8] {5} |
|
|
| How
much do you like learning about these things in social studies? |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
6.
The way people work together and do things in groups.
|
|
27
(25) [29] |
53
(58) [49] |
19
(15) [17] |
1
(2) [5] |
|
7.
Other places in the world, and how people live there.
|
|
41
(41) [36] |
46
(45) [45] |
11
(11) [16] |
2
(3) [3] |
|
8.
Other places in New Zealand, and how people live there.
|
| |
29
(29) [34] |
51
(47) [43] |
18
(21) [19] |
2
(3) [4] |
|
9.
The work people do and how they make a living.
|
| |
22
(20) [23] |
51
(53) [43] |
24
(23) [27] |
3
(4) [7] |
|
10.
Why people have different ideas.
|
| |
23
(25) [26] |
51
(44) [39] |
23
(24) [28] |
3
(7) [7] |
|
11.
What is happening now – in New Zealand and other countries.
|
| |
42
(41) [43] |
39
(41) [35] |
14
(14) [15] |
5
(4) [7] |
|
12.
How people lived in the olden days.
|
| |
38
(41) [35] |
33
(30) [33] |
23
(18) [21] |
6
(11) [11] |
|
13.
Living in the future.
|
| |
62
(66) [67] |
26
(23) [23] |
9
(8) [6] |
3
(3) [4] |
|
|
| How
often do you learn about these things in social studies at school? |
|
|
heaps |
quite
a lot |
sometimes |
never |
|
| 14.
The way people work together and do things in groups. |
| |
9
(9) [10] |
34
(30) [34] |
50
(55) [47] |
7
(6) [9] |
|
| 15.
Other places in the world, and how people live there. |
| |
11
(12) [15] |
42
(46) [41] |
41
(39) [40] |
6
(3) [4] |
|
| 16.
Other places in New Zealand, and how people live there. |
| |
13
(13) [14] |
32
(36) [33] |
47
(44) [45] |
8
(7) [8] |
|
| 17.
The work people do and how they make a living. |
| |
7
(8) [8] |
29
(26) [26] |
54
(53) [53] |
10
(13) [13] |
|
| 18.
Why people have different ideas. |
| |
10
(8) [10] |
28
(25) [25] |
47
(48) [45] |
15
(19) [20] |
|
| 19.
What is happening now – in New Zealand and other countries. |
| |
21
(20) [23] |
42
(39) [42] |
31
(37) [31] |
6
(4) [4] |
|
| 20.
How people lived in the olden days. |
| |
11
(11) [10] |
27
(28) [27] |
46
(44) [48] |
16
(17) [15] |
|
| 21.
Living in the future. |
| |
10
(10) [12] |
20
(13) [14] |
43
(38) [41] |
27
(39) [33] |
|
|
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