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University of California Riverside UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Examining Teacher Decision Making in Teaching About the Civil War Era in Middle School Classrooms A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education by Wayne Jason Shapiro December 2011 Dissertation Committee: Dr. John S. Wills, Chairperson Dr. Margaret A. Nash Dr. Judith Haymore Sandholtz Copyright by Wayne Jason Shapiro 2011 The Dissertation of Wayne Jason Shapiro is approved: ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside Acknowledgements As I complete my dissertation, I want to take a moment to thank the friends and family members who helped along the way. First, I need to express my gratitude to my parents, Roz and Phil Shapiro, for their love and support throughout my life but especially during my graduate school career. Their encouragement as I made my journey from coursework through the writing of the dissertation has meant the world to me, and although I don’t say it enough, I love you both more than I could ever express. I consider myself so fortunate to have you as my parents. My sister Jennifer’s belief in me always boosted my spirits. Spending time with my brother Brian, his wife Regina, and my nieces Alexandra and Julia reenergized me throughout the writing process. Conversations with my niece Felicia kept me grounded along the way. In addition, I want to thank Regina’s parents Bella and Rafail Lyando for their interest in my graduate studies. Having a chance to talk about my research was always a fun and frequently enlightening experience. When I entered graduate school, I never thought that I would meet the love of my life. Elizabeth, your love, sense of humor, and perspective have enriched me in ways beyond words. My father in law Robert Lyons frequently enquired about my research and writing. Our conversations were a source of encouragement. My late mother in law Paulaann Lyons’ courage throughout her fight against cancer was simply an inspiration. Whenever I doubted myself, I thought of her strength. In addition to my family, I want to thank the members of my dissertation committee. Judith Sandholtz, thank you for staying on my committee even after moving on to UC Irvine. Your courses in research on teaching opened my eyes to the complex and iv important work teachers do on a daily basis and influenced my thinking about teacher decision making. Margaret Nash, your encouragement was above and beyond the call of duty. Furthermore, I want to thank you for pushing me to think more deeply as I wrote and reflected on the meaning of my research. Additionally, your classes in educational history gave me the first opportunity to undertake research related to teaching and learning about the Civil War. For that, I am grateful. The History Writing Group provided support and a place to explore my thinking. Finally, John Wills—adviser, chairman, mentor—your guidance, support, and patience throughout this undertaking served as a model of extraordinary teaching. In the words of the late Rex Barney, the Baltimore Orioles announcer, “Thank y-o-o-o-u-u-u-u-u.” Throughout my childhood and into early adulthood, I frequently saw one or both of my grandfathers reading books, magazines, or the newspaper. Their quest for knowledge was never satiated. Their curiosity about their community, their country, and the world has always inspired me to keep on learning. It is in their memory that I dedicate this study. v To the memory of my grandfathers Martin Shapiro and Joseph Julius Wiener life long learners vi ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Examining Teacher Decision Making in Teaching About the Civil War Era in Middle School Classrooms by Wayne Jason Shapiro Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate School of Education University of California, Riverside, December 2011 Dr. John S. Wills, Chairperson This study investigated the influence of teachers’ historical perspectives, their beliefs about instructional methods, and the impact of contextual factors in shaping the enacted curriculum and the instructional methods utilized by three middle school teachers in teaching about the Civil War era. Data gathered included interviews with teacher- participants, administrators, and non-participant teachers, field notes from classroom and school-wide observations, and curricular, departmental, and faculty documents. These data were analyzed to understand the factors that influenced teacher decision making regarding their representations of actors and events in the antebellum period, the Civil War, and Reconstruction and their choice of instructional methods. Analysis of the enacted curriculum indicated significant differences in the three teachers’ representations of the antebellum period, the Civil War, and Reconstruction as a result of their varied vii perspectives on these historical events. However, the importance of slavery as one cause of the Civil War was evident in all three teachers’ accounts of the Civil War. Analysis of teachers’ decisions regarding instructional methods indicated that all three teachers viewed direct instruction as the most appropriate method for teaching history to their students, although this was also informed by the need to conform to the district’s pacing guide for 8th grade history and to convey historical content to their students as efficiently as possible. In this way the pacing guide, a subtle yet important influence on all three teachers’ practice, demonstrated the significance of high stakes accountability as a context that shaped teachers’ curricular and instructional decisions. Main findings include the significance of all three teachers’ presentation of the complex nature of Reconstruction as the extension and then denial of rights to African Americans, which served to reinforce the idea that the Civil War was tragic and provided a context to better understand the Civil Rights Movement of the mid twentieth century. Additionally, all three teachers’ use of direct instruction resulted in presenting history as factual and inevitable. The absence of contingency, the notion that historical events could have had alternative outcomes, represented the history of the Civil War era as part of a preordained narrative of progress. viii Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction The Importance of Teaching about the Civil War Era 1 Overview of the Findings 6 Outline of the Dissertation 14 Chapter 2: Literature Review Introduction 17 Toward a Complex Interpretation of the Civil War 19 Teaching about the Civil War 26 Understanding Teacher Practice in History-Social Studies Education 36 Context of the School 43 Teacher Profiles 45 Study Design 48 Factors that Shaped their Pedagogy 51 Chapter 3: What the Teachers Taught about the Antebellum Period Introduction 60 Mr. Hobart: States’ Rights to Control Slavery 64 Ms. Newbury: Inhumane and Immoral Slavery 77 Mr. Gaines: The Injustice of Slavery 91 Discussion 102 ix Chapter 4: What the Teachers Taught about the Civil War Introduction 114 Mr. Hobart: Key Battles of the Civil War 116 Ms. Newbury: Civil War Soldiers 129 Mr. Gaines: Political Differences 141 Discussion 151 Chapter 5: What the Teachers Taught about Reconstruction Introduction 167 Mr. Hobart: Reconstruction as the Creation of African American Rights 170 Ms. Newbury: Reconstruction as a Tragic Time for African Americans 178 Mr. Gaines: Reconstruction was Worse than Slavery 184 Discussion 190 Chapter 6: Conclusion Introduction 204 What Counts as History 205 Different Historical Perspectives Result in Different Historical Content 220 Suggestions for Further Research 238 References 240 x Chapter 1: Introduction History educators such as James Loewen (1995) and Patrick Rael (2006) along with historians like David Blight (2002) and James Oliver Horton (2006) have argued that teaching students about the Civil War era can be a valuable tool for understanding racial issues both historical and in the present. In fact, Horton has made the case that one must understand the history of slavery before one can discuss race matters in twenty-first century America. Related to this, Holt (1990) has claimed that the African American experience is a central part of the nation’s history; therefore, it is imperative that students have some understanding of African Americans’ participation in the events of the mid- nineteenth century in order to appreciate the severity of the conflict between the nation’s ideals and reality that existed since the founding and was resolved, to some extent, through the events of the Civil War and its aftermath. The Importance of Teaching about the Civil War Era In addition to advocating the benefits of teaching about the Civil War era, these same history educators and historians along with many others have suggested both particular curriculum and instructional approaches designed to aid teachers in providing their students with the historical content that will help them to better understand racial issues in the United States. For example, Sobottke (2010), Loewen (1995, 2010), and McPherson (2007) promote students learning how the institution of slavery created conflicts both moral and political between the North and South. Sobottke goes so far as to claim that, as an act of moral principle, contemporary historians must proclaim 1 slavery’s central role in causing the Civil War so that it is no longer disputed.1 Although Sobottke’s assertions may seem an
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