This guide suggests resources and strategies for researching social studies education across the full span of the K-12 curriculum.

Background Information  |  Facts & Figures  |  Find Articles  |  Find Books  |  Criticism & Reviews  |  Primary Sources  |  People  |  Organizations  |  Web Resources  |  Additional Resources 

Encyclopedias and other reference works are an excellent place to start a research project or simply learn more about a particular topic.  They provide topic summaries, context, and bibliographies for further reading.

Encyclopedia of Education	R 370.3 En192 2003
World Education Encyclopedia	R 370.321 W893 2002
Encyclopedia of American Education	R 370.97303 Un311 2001

Use dictionaries, statistical works, atlases, handbooks and similar works to find and check facts about topics, people, or events.

The Almanac of American Education	R 370 Al62
Handbook of Research on Teaching	R 371.107072 H191 2001
Historical Dictionary of American Education	R 370.9 H62939

Search indexes, abstracts, and databases to find journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.  For a complete list of Kent Library's online indexes and databases, see the Find: articles page (http://library.semo.edu/find/articles.asp).

To find historical/source materials, use the following print sources which are located in the Indexes/Abstracts area:

Education Index
Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature
International Index
Social Sciences and Humanities Index
Social Sciences Index

To find recent articles and scholarly/peer-reviewed articles use the following online databases:

ERIC
America:  History and Life
Historical Abstracts
JStor
Project Muse
Wilson Omnifile
 

Use the Kent Library Catalog (http://library.semo.edu/find/books.html) to find books, periodicals (journals, magazines, & newspapers), videos, government documents and other materials.

Keyword searches allow you to use your own words as search terms.
Subject heading searches use Library of Congress subject headings. Printed volumes of these headings are located near the Reference Desk on the main floor.  Broad subject headings include, but are not limited to:

Social sciences--study and teaching
Anthropology--study and teaching
Economics--study and teaching
History--study and teaching
Political science--study and teaching
Sociology--study and teaching
 

Browse the shelves by call number.  Use the Dewey Decimal chart (http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/fi_books_dd_list.htm) to get you in the right subject areas or try the following:

 

300 Social Science 310 General statistics 320 Political science 330 Economics 340 Law 350 Public administration 360 Social problems & services 370 Education 380 Commerce, communications, transport 390 Customs, etiquette, folklore

900 Geography & history 910 Geography & travel 920 Biography, genealogy, insignia 930 History of the ancient world 940 General history of Europe 950 General history of Asia (Far East) 960 General history of Africa 970 General history of North America 980 General history of South America 990 General history of other areas

Learn about important people, such as authors, researchers & historical figures related to this topic or field.

Directory of American Scholars	R 923.7 D628
National Faculty Directory	R 923.773 N213

 

Professional organizations and/or societies often provide very useful topic related information.

American Historical Association
    http://www.historians.org/
National Council for the Social Studies
    http://www.ncss.org/
National Women's Studies Association
    http://www.nwsa.org/
 

American Historical Association:  Resources for Teachers at All Levels
    http://www.historians.org/teaching/index.cfm
Ben's Guide
    http://bensguide.gov/
The Center for Civic Education
    http://www.civiced.org/
Lesson Plans and Teaching Strategies
    http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/plans.html
PBS TeacherSource for Social Studies
    http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/soc_stud.htm
Social Studies School Service
    http://www.socialstudies.com/
Social Studies for Kids
    http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/
Sites for Teachers
    http://www.sitesforteachers.com/index.html
 

For a list of Web searching tools, see the Find: web resources page (http://library.semo.edu/find/webpages.html).

Awesome Library
    http://www.awesomelibrary.org/