A Systematic Review

Abstract

This systematic literature review explored the intersection of elementary school social studies instruction and the disciplinary literacy framework. As educators seek ways to increase the quantity and quality of social studies instruction, it's important to teach students about the literacy practices implemented by professionals in the fields of history, economics, geography, and political science. Disciplinary literacy is an approach being recommended to help students develop critical thinking skills, content knowledge, and discipline-specific vocabulary, but little is known about its impact on student learning. The authors conducted a comprehensive search of empirical research published between 2013 and 2023. They identified types of texts and sources, disciplinary literacy practices, and teaching strategies and methods that teachers can use to teach students to develop these literacy tools. Findings indicate that there is benefit to teaching discipline-specific literacy practices. However, more research and studies that include student data and participant demographics are needed.