LITERATURE REVIEW-DOMAIN C 1

Literature Review - Domain C

Making Social Studies Social: Engaging Students Through Different Forms of
Social Perspective Taking
Katelynn Estrada
National University
LITERATURE REVIEW-DOMAIN C 2

Abstract

Student engagement in social studies is a challenge for educators. Helping make social studies

content relevant to students while also maintaining their interest and enthusiasm in learning

requires thoughtful preparation. Additionally, providing students with opportunities to have

meaningful collaboration with their peers while also satisfying individual student needs presents

additional challenges.
LITERATURE REVIEW-DOMAIN C 3

Literature C

Engaging students with different personalities, interests and preferred modes of learning can

seem like an impossible task for educators. An additional challenge for educators is that many

students find social studies to be less interesting and important. Finding one way to motivate

students is an impossible challenge but the paper by author Hunter Gehlbach explores the

benefits of analyzing perspectives as a way to facilitate student engagement.

Social Perspective Taking is “a process through which a perceiver attempts to discern the

thoughts, feelings, motivations and/or point of view of one of more targets.”(Gehlbach, 2011, p.

312). Social perspective taking or SPT takes many forms in the classroom. As described by

Gelbach, social perspective taking can be interpersonal or academic. These differences may

manifest themselves differently in students. For example, one student may better engage when

connecting a social perspective from the past to those of the present. A student who engages this

way, expressing his own opinion or learning the opinion of his peers can be a motivating activity.

Anotherr student may engage more when comparing the social perspectives of different people

in the past. This student may need to refer to primary and secondary sources in order to

understand various perspectives.

Though interpersonal or academic social perspective taking have substantial differences,

they do share some common traits. According to Gelbach “As the definition of SPT indicates,

both involve discerning the cognitions and emotions of targets as a means to better understand

their values, motivations and behaviors.”(Gelbach, 2011, p. 313). Both forms of SPT require

students to determine the emotions of a target in order to understand their values and

motivations. Both approaches to SPT also require students to form theories regarding the

thoughts, emotions and motivations of the targeted invidual whether they are in the past or
LITERATURE REVIEW-DOMAIN C 4

present. Both forms of processing social perspectives can also be susceptible to an array of biases

that can interfere with ones ability to make accurate inferences. Additionally, students may

incorrectly perceive the target unless they have the appropriate context or background

knowledge. For example, a student might conclude that the policy of appeasement is weak and ill

advised unless one knew the truly severe circumstances facing politicians in Britain at this time.

Both interpesental and academic SPT’s provide an opportunity for students to relate to

others. According to author Gehlbach, it is this “sense of social connectedness that allows

teachers to engage students simultaneously.”(Gehlbach, 2011, p. 315). Both forms of social

perspective taking also foster social connectedness amongst students which in turn fosters

engagement. Gehlbach explains that due to the importance of social relationships to people,

providing them with opportunities to socially engage taps into intrinisic motivations.

There are many ways of incorporating social perspective taking in the classroom.

Reflecting on social perspectives with peers can be beneficial for students as it allows students to

consider multiple hypothesis. Students who prefer either interpersonal or active social

perspective taking can both benefit from collaborative activities. Another strategy is to

“humanize” history. Providing details beyond somple facts and dates for a figure or event can

increase student interest and engagement. “Although the historical relevance of one particular

interchange may be minimal, the study of human history is, at its foundation, the understanding

of of the actions and reactions of people. If humans are to understand the actions of

historicalfigures, they must understand the figures themselves.”(Gehlbach, 2011, p. 316). As

srudents gain a sense of the person beyond just their role in history, students are more likely to

engage.
LITERATURE REVIEW-DOMAIN C 5

Though interpersonal and active learning vary, both can be used by teachers to facilitate

student engagement in social studies. “In today’s rapidly globalizing world, social studies

teachers, must facilitate their students’ understanding and appreciation of the ideas, values,

beliefs and motivations of people from different cultures and/or historical time

periods.”(Gehlbach, 2011, p. 318). Students today will interact with people more than any other

generation and therefore must be able to communicate and understand the views of others. The

ability of students to understand individuals is impacted by social studies teachers abiltiies to

foster social perspective taking skills.

LITERATURE REVIEW-DOMAIN C 6

References:

Gehlbach, Hunter( 2011). Making Social Studies Engaging Students Through Different Forms of
Social Perspective Taking. Theory Into Practoce, The College of Education and Human Ecology,
The Ohio State University. Pages 311-318.