Credible Subject Or Callow Intruder? Social Studies in the Secondary School

After a chequered history, social studies is now developing a higher profile and greater credibility in secondary schools, the defining factor being its inclusion for national qualifications since 2002. This article links the progress of social studies in New Zealand secondary schools to the three stage subject development model postulated by Layton in England. It is argued that Layton’s descriptors of a mature subject have mostly been achieved, despite predictions to the contrary by Openshaw and Archer (1992) and Barr (2000). However, there is still much work to be done to sustain and enhance the status and credibility of the subject.