From field to classroom: Developing inquiry and integrative thinking skills among pre-service social studies teachers through place-based education

Abstract

This study examines how a four-year scaffolded Place-Based Education (PBE) program supports the development of inquiry skills, integrative thinking, and pedagogical reasoning among pre-service Social Studies teachers. A qualitative case study with a cross-sectional, multi-cohort design was conducted during the 2025 academic year with 200 students across four-year levels: Year 1 (n = 59), Year 2 (n = 55), Year 3 (n = 54), and Year 4 (n = 32). Data were drawn from pre-trip research outputs, preparatory inquiry notes, field journals, post-trip knowledge maps, academic presentations, focus group discussions, and semi-structured interviews with 32 purposively selected students. Thematic analysis identified three interrelated mechanisms. First, epistemic responsibility emerged when students understood that the accuracy and depth of their preparation directly affected their peers’ learning. Second, multi-strand cognitive integration developed as students connected geographical, historical, economic, cultural, and civic perspectives to interpret places as interconnected social systems rather than as separate bodies of content. Third, experiential–pedagogical translation occurred when students transformed field experiences into curriculum ideas, learning activities, and teaching resources. Knowledge maps played an important mediating role by helping students organize field evidence and connect emerging interpretations with pedagogical intentions. The findings suggest that field-based learning is most effective when it is deliberately sequenced across a teacher education curriculum rather than offered as an isolated activity. The study provides a four-year curriculum framework that may inform the design of Place-Based Education in other Social Studies teacher education contexts.