Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Rambosk, Peggy Dawson
URN	etd-04082011-112641
Title	Florida Pre-Service Teachers' and their Attitude towards the use of Controversial Issues
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Department	Teacher Education, School of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Bruce Grindal Committee Member Edward Wynot Committee Member Helge Swanson Committee Member John P. Lunstrum Committee Member
Keywords	Social Studies Methods Classes Controversial Issues Florida Preservice Teachers
Date of Defense	2011-01-31
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract The purpose of this attitudinal study is to investigate the role that social studies methods courses in Florida play in examining controversial issues with their pre-service teachers’. Five research questions established the parameters for the investigation of pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward the use of controversial issues through the utilization of a survey instrument, the Florida Pre-Service Teachers’ Controversial Issues Questionnaire (FPTCIQ). The FPTCIQ was mailed to 435 pre-service teachers enrolled in social studies methods courses at the Florida State University, the University of North Florida, and the University of South Florida. Of the 435 pre-service teachers’ in social studies methods courses, 203 respondents returned the FPTCIQ with a 47% response rate. The FPTCIQ is comprised of questions that asked respondents to rank the controversiality of thirty issues. The FPTCIQ also measured pre-service teachers’ awareness of issues taught in their social studies methods courses, pre-service teachers’ willingness to discuss issues in their future classrooms, pre-service teachers’ reasons for not discussing issues, and pre-service teachers’ belief in traditional socio-political values. Pre-Service teachers’ were asked questions about how much time they spent examining controversial issues in their social studies methods course, and should pre-service teachers’ participate in the discussion of controversial issues in these courses. Demographic characteristics of respondents’ included gender, religious affiliation, ethnicity, and region/locale of the university attending were also recorded. Respondents rank gay/lesbian rights as the most controversial issue. In addition, pre-service teachers’ were less willing to teach about creationism than other issues and listed external pressures as the primary reason. Only 32% of the respondents discussed controversial issues in their social studies methods course. After the findings were statistically analyzed and cross-sectioned with the research questions, the demographic characteristics comprising all participants in this study was correlated and analyzed.
Files	Filename       Size       Approximate Download Time (Hours:Minutes:Seconds)     28.8 Modem   56K Modem   ISDN (64 Kb)   ISDN (128 Kb)   Higher-speed Access    Rambosk_P_Dissertation_2011.pdf 1.74 Mb 00:08:02 00:04:08 00:03:37 00:01:48 00:00:09