ABSTRACT
THE GOALS OF SOCIAL STUDIES What is social studies? What is the purpose of social studies? Like many questions, the answer is not always clear or simple. Within the field of social studies the questions are not the issue, but instead it is the answers to the questions that are the issue. These two questions or the answers to these two questions have contributed to social studies literature and its identity or lack of one. Social studies is a unique field. It is a field that has been searching for a clear and cohesive identity. The search for this cohesive identity has been challenged by the various definitions and rationales for social studies.
