The state of Canadian Studies in Canada's schools

Gibbons, Joanne (2003) The state of Canadian Studies in Canada's schools. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The main objective of the thesis is to assess the degree to which grades one to twelve students across the country are given the opportunity to study Canada in their social studies courses. Concerns about the sufficiency of Canadian content taught in the schools may be traced back to 1968 when the National History Project released A.B. Hodgetts' study What Culture? What Heritage? The study, among other things, outlined the deplorable conditions of civic education in this country and that there was little in the form of Canadian studies offered in the schools. Since Hodgetts' study there has been an unprecedented interest in Canadian studies throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and even in the 1990s. For the most part, research has reinforced Hodgetts' findings. -- The thesis does a province-by-province assessment of the current state of Canadian studies across the country. The assessment is divided into three sections- elementary (grades one to six), intermediate (grades seven to nine), and senior high (grades ten to twelve). The provinces and territories are compared and evaluated within each section according to the content focus and quality of their Canadian material. The thesis argues that there are sufficient Canadian studies courses available to students across the country. -- The study's province-by-province assessment of the current state of Canadian studies has reached a number of conclusions. First, contrary to the picture painted by national reports, there is a sufficient amount of Canadian studies in elementary and secondary schools across the country. Second, individual provinces differ in the quantity of national content found in their social studies programs. Third, graduation requirements may hinder students' ability to take Canadian studies courses. Fourth, the large the number of Canadian studies courses offered to students the more in-depth the national content focus. Fifth, the majority of provinces emphasize a strong national identity in their social studies curricula. Sixth, national history is offered to all students across the country.

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