Research Of American Citizenship Education Curriculum Models

America is one of the earliest countries which implemented citizenship education. Generally, citizenship education deeply roots in formal school education, and takes curriculum teaching as the main supporter. In U.S, systematic citizenship education curriculum mainly endures in elementary and secondary education phases, when the child and youngster usually form ethnic and behavior in a foundational way, is also the key period to cultivate a good citizen.Nowadays American citizenship education curriculum has been developing for more than one hundred years. The curriculum form has developed from history, civics in19th century, to social studies formed at the beginning of20th century. The curriculum structure tends more complicated, mainly from single-subject from a multi-subject and a comprehensive one. The curriculum function tends blended, from patriotism education, social sciences education to civic abilities education. The development of American citizenship education is the process of fusion between education theory and social reality, competitive game between federal willingness and state power, rather than evolution in a natural way. Until today, American citizenship education has already accumulated rich experience, in field of educational idea, teaching content system and a methodology, which embraces much research value both in theoretical and practical fields.From long-term perspective, the paper divides the historical development of American citizenship education curriculum into three phases, according to the key points of American citizenship education idea change and curriculum reforms:(1) from1776-1916, during this period American school implementes citizenship education in a narrow way. In order to promote the new-born country unity and political identity from people, the curriculums are devoted to inherit Anglo-Saxon ethnic culture or pass on Capitalism political culture. Around the target, the curriculum focuses on patriotism and national identity education. But Forms of the curriculum are such single-subjects as history, English literacy and civics. Content of the curriculum mainly is historical knowledge and Puritan ethics, mainly concerns about historical events and heroes during the founding era. Teaching methods relies on cram-teaching in limited education condition.(2)From1916-1980, driven by progressive education movement, school education begins to concern social need and consolidate human social attributes. Social studies as the main citizenship education curriculum in school, is an umbrella-like multi-subject covering history, geography, civics, economy knowledge, and provides an systematic understanding in society. Promoted by national education committee, social studies is widely implemented in American schools, and becomes the main citizenship education curriculum. After the Second World War, dominated by cold-war thought, federal government promotes the "New Social Studies movement", which drives involving research and sponsorship into social studies teaching, in order to improve school citizenship education curriculum, and aim to cultivate "war-time citizen"with national identity and build up human resource reserve in social sciences fields in an effective way. During the period, outcome of the movement is not obvious. Generally speaking, structure of American citizenship education curriculum tends more rational, teaching methodology starts to focus on training in cognitive ability to study knowledge.(3) From1980until today, American citizenship education curriculums have changed a lot. American civil rights movement inspires civic awareness and enthusiasm into social and political engagement, and leads large-scale and institutional political engagement frequently, which affect the stability of capitalism system and society. The shift drives the citizenship education idea to change, from passive or submissive to initiative citizenship education. The Initiative citizenship education educates students to master abilities of dialogue and cooperation, to engage in public life in an active way. After standard education reform in1990s, America has already built up curriculum standards in of nation and state levels, and national curriculum evaluation system, by through legislation and funding allocation, in order to realize aim of national citizenship education. The national standard of social studies curriculum points out:"The key of citizenship education is civic ability. In this democratic and multi-cultural society, citizenship education aims to promote the willingness of students to protect common good, and corresponding civic action in a informative and rational way." During this period, functional objective of citizenship education curriculums have shifted to cultivate modern citizen who is willing to participate public life. The content has been expanded to cover cognitive, participative and ethic diamensions, including history, civics and government, geography, economy and natural sciences knowledge. The teaching methodologies pay more attention to students'self-experience and social practice competency, by methods as service learning, problem discussion, cooperative study through approch of "school-family-community".Using research methods of model research, historical and text analysis, the paper describes effectively the functional objective, theoretical foundation, curriculum content and structure, methodologies, educational supporting environment etc. in the three phases, and then refines respectively the main thematic characteristics of American citizenship education. Model is knowledge system refined from experience and fact, and curriculum model expresses the entity and elements of curriculum in a brief and abstract way. American citizenship education curriculum possesses distinctive theme features, functions and structures, which comprehensively reflect the value orientation, educational theory and practice. Accoding to the above-mentioned, the paper summarizes three phases named"cultural transmission","social study"and "iniative citizen" of American citizenship curriculum models. From perspective of citizenship theory, the paper deeply analyzes history and development logic of American citizenship education curriculum. The paper insists that liberalism and republicanism are two main branches of theory explaining American citizenship, and develop through classical liberalism, modern liberalism and republicanism, which dominate the ideas of citizenship education. With historical development, the views of citizen in American society shifts from passive, submissive to initiative view of citizen. As a consequence, the theory and teaching practice of the citizenship curriculum undergo corresponding change, push the models of American citizenship education curriculum forwards.The paper includes six parts.In the first chapter, the paper explains reasons to choose curriculum models of American citizenship education as the research topic. The chapter summarizes and analyzes current involving research achievement data, including historical data, theoretical date, teaching practices and analysis framework of American citizenship curriculum. Based on the data analysis, the paper states the theoretical and practical research significance, and then explains the research objective, thinking and methods. Finally clarifies the potential creative points.In the second chapter, the paper discusses the research foundation of American citizenship education curriculum. First discuss the basic conception and theory, including citizen, citizenship, American citizenship education and social studies. Then according to historical key points, divide historical development of American citizenship education curriculum into three phases, respectively from1776to1916, from1916to1980, from1980to today. Finally, the paper analyzes the research framework of American citizenship education curriculum models.In the third chapter, the paper discusses the curriculum model of American citizenship education since1776-1916. Mainly explains the citizenship theory, functional objective, teaching content and structure, teaching methodologies and model characteristics. The paper finds out positive functions of the curriculum model in process of ethnic and political culture transmission, by Americanization and national identity education. Subsequently, the paper clarifies the model of American citizenship education is "culture transmission".In the fourth chapter, the paper clarifies the curriculum model of American citizenship education since1916-1980. In1916American citizenship education made significant progress. In this year, the new social studies curriculum embraces history, English literacy and civics as a multi-subject. The paper explains the forming background of social studies, mainly includes involving theoretical debate and new social studies reform, and points out that social studies proposes to educate understanding in human society, to build up human society attributes, in order to meet the social needs. Besides, after analysis of the "new social studies movement", the chapter thoroughly discusses theoretical foundation, teaching content and methodologies etc., and summarizes the theme of the curriculum model as "Social study".In the fifth chapter, the paper researches the curriculum model of American citizenship education from1980s to today. Firstly, the paper states republicanism provides a beneficiary resource to substitute defects of liberalism, explains the influences of republicanism citizenship onto idea and practice of American citizenship education, and then points the initiative view of citizen proposed by republicanism is very constructive. As the main curriculum of citizenship education, social studies aims to cultivate comprehensive civic ability, and encourage student to participate public life and learn knowledge and ethic involving of rational civic engagement based on public good. Social studies curriculum covers three dimensions of civic cognitive, participative skills and civil moral, which includes history, geography, civic and economy etc.. Besides, curriculum methodology of citizenship education focuses on social practices teaching, including service learning, volunteering service etc. In addition, the paper finds out that application of national citizenship education curriculum standard relects government willingness which obtains legal foundation for democracy political system from civic engagementFinally, the chapter points the characteristics of iniative citizenship curriculum since1980are fusion in content, tolence in culture teaching, and integrity in ability education.In the sixth chapter, the paper discusses the historical logic of American citizenship education curriculum, and explains the influence of American citizenship theory on ideas and practices of school citizenship education curriculum. The paper insists American citizenship theory dominate functional objective, teaching contents and methodologies, and governmental policies about citizenship curriculum. With development of civic right, citizenship tends to be democratic, national or multi-cultural directions, which have great impact on citizenship curriculum. Finally, the paper analyzes the the rationalities and limitations of American citizenship education curriculum.