Characteristics, background and teaching methodologies of advanced placement United States history teachers

The purpose of this research is to identify and explore the background and teaching methods that characterize Advanced Placement U.S. History teachers. It answered these questions: (1) Who are the Advanced Placement U.S. History teachers that are currently teaching the course? (2) What teaching strategies and methodologies are employed by advanced placement U.S. History Teachers? (3) In what ways are the pedagogical practices used in AP and non-AP history classes the same and/or different from each other?;The subjects used in this study included a sample population of advanced placement U.S. History teachers who were randomly generated by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The AP teacher survey asked demographic, academic and pedagogical questions relating to the teacher's AP experience. It searched for the application and use of specific language and phrases associated with higher order thinking skills as defined in Bloom's (1956b) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, and Shulman's (1987) Model of Pedagogical Reasoning and Action, among AP U.S. History teachers participating in the study.;These data were obtained by using a questionnaire developed specifically for this study. Standard analytical techniques were used to analyze the responses of the AP teachers. It was intended that this study and its subsequent data measured the relationship among the teaching methodologies of Advanced Placement U.S. History teachers, teacher self-perception and student success.;The findings of this research indicate that many AP U.S. History teachers employ common teaching methods and standards in all of their classes. Yet, differences were found in terms of: questioning, evaluation, assignments, pacing and behavior management.