Congratulations to Greg Fredricks who on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, successfully defended his dissertation proposal.
The title of Greg's dissertation is, "CIVIC READINESS: SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS' CONCEPTUALIZATION OF CIVICS AND CITIZENSHIP AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SEAL OF CIVIC READINESS."
The abstract of this study follows:
Overview of Problem: Civics education in the United States of America is occurring within an increasingly polarized political and educational environment, creating challenges for teachers implementing civic learning initiatives. Although New York State’s Seal of Civic Readiness (SOCR) promotes civic knowledge, participation, and action, little is known about how teachers’ conceptualizations of civics and citizenship influence its implementation.
Research Purpose: This qualitative study examines how New York State high school social studies teachers understand citizenship and civics, and how those conceptualizations shape their pedagogical decisions and the implementation of the Seal of Civic Readiness. Westheimer and Kahne’s (2004) three conceptions of citizenship provide the theoretical framework of this study.
Research Design: An interpretive inquiry methodology using a qualitative research design will explore teachers’ beliefs, experiences, and instructional decision-making related to the implementation of the Seal of Civic Readiness.
Sample: Participants will be tenured, certified New York State high school social studies teachers who teach in districts implementing the Seal of Civic Readiness and are directly involved in supporting students earning the Seal.
Data Collection: Data will be collected through semi-structured interviews with social studies teachers across New York State. Interview data will be analyzed for themes related to teachers’ conceptions of citizenship, civic instruction, and the influence of those beliefs on implementation of the Seal of Civic Readiness.
Dissertation Chair:
Dr. Susan Iverson
Dissertation Committee Members:
Dr. John Shekitka
Dr. Jennifer Hauver
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