Using video-stimulated recall to understand the reflections of ambitious social studies teachers

Abstract

This multiple-case study sought to understand what ambitious history teachers focus their reflections on throughout a unit of study. Through video-stimulated recall methodology, reflective interviews were conducted with participants in four different schools within the same high-poverty public school district. The study built upon findings from research on ambitious teachers and found that teachers fixated on a range of problems while reflecting, among them: students’ historical thinking, cultural relevant pedagogy, and their framing of history through essential questions. That the teachers focused on these issues could be linked to their values and broader educational aims.