Designing critical social studies curriculum : how the synthesis of critical theories, curricular frameworks, and teacher practice generated the P.O.W.E.R. Framework
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This dissertation examines how five core dimensions of criticality identified in critical scholarship functioned and evolved when put into practice by teachers designing and enacting K–5 social studies curriculum. The study unfolded through a two-year critical participatory ethnography (Carspecken, 1996; Madison, 2020; Paris & Winn, 2014) in a small progressive district within a conservative Midwestern state. In response to teachers' expressed need for a comprehensive critical framework to guide their curriculum design, the author utilized Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2021) to synthesize the central components of 38 critical theories and 105 critical curricular frameworks, thereby generating an initial conceptual model. Through crystallization (Ellingson, 2009), this paper traces how the initial model--when enacted in practice--underwent iterative refinement and emerged as a more theoretically grounded and pedagogically usable critical framework for teachers called the P.O.W.E.R. Framework, which stands for Presence & Personhood, Oppression & Opposition, Wisdom & Wit, Entanglements & Empowerment, and Relevance & Responsibility. Findings conceptualize criticality as a relational moral architecture that sequences affirmation before harm, pairs injustice with resistance, balances heaviness with joy, illuminates complexities within systems, and culminates in meaningful student-led action grounded in solidarity and reflexivity. Engaging with the P.O.W.E.R. Framework enabled teachers to design a critical social studies curriculum with greater confidence and coherence. Rather than replacing identity-specific frameworks, P.O.W.E.R. functioned as an overarching schema that rendered other critical frameworks more accessible and applicable, demonstrating that making criticality intelligible and usable is itself an act of social justice and care. Implications underscore the need for curriculum designers and district leaders to cultivate the structural and relational conditions necessary for the coherent and sustainable development of critical social studies curriculum and instruction. The study calls for expanded critical participatory ethnographic research designs and further examinations into how the critical dimensions of P.O.W.E.R. operate across diverse contexts. Finally, it urges scholars, practitioners, and leaders to collaboratively address the field's fragmented infrastructure so that teachers can spend less time cobbling materials and more time empowering students.
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Ed. D.