A CITATION ANALYSIS OF THE HANDBOOK OF RESEARCH ON SOCIAL-STUDIES TEACHING AND LEARNING

This study evaluated the characteristics of the knowledge included in The Handbook of Research on Social Studies Teaching and Learning with a view toward better understanding the sources of the discourse and th e epistemology of the field. The method used was citation analysis. Ta llies were computed for the most frequently cited authors, single piec es of scholarship, and journal citations. We found that the field larg ely relies upon its own scholarship, rather than drawing upon the soci al sciences for its knowledge base. We also found found that new appro aches to research focusing on critical, multicultural, and gender-base d perspectives have not been widely incorporated into the research bas e. Overall, it was concluded that the field appears to remain unclear regarding its purpose(s), traditional in its view regarding knowledge construction, and inward looking in its attempt to develop its knowled ge base.