ABSTRACT
Grounded in Marri’s theory of Classroom-based Multicultural Democratic Education (CMDE) and Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge theory, this chapter investigates the Utah High School Social Studies Content Standards to assess if any of these standards encourage cultural pluralism in classrooms. It also addresses student and teacher perspectives on cultural pluralism, representation, and CMDE experiences. A content analysis of the curriculum, questionnaires, and interviews were used to collect data. A convenience sample of 227 students and five teachers in the researcher’s school participated. This study argues that CMDE and cultural pluralism in the classroom can favorably affect students’ learning environment in the content area of social studies (SS). Additional professional development for teachers in these areas and a deeper analysis of how to implement state standards could expand the inclusion of culturally pluralistic teaching and content in SS courses.
