The Sociology Literacy Framework and Students’ Views of Learning in Introductory Sociology

Abstract

Discussions of the core in sociology have focused on faculty members’ perspectives regarding what should be taught in introductory sociology courses. Because the development of curricula is and should be a social process, we argue that students’ perceptions of learning outcomes also should be considered when curricula are developed. This study utilizes a content analysis of 461 student-authored, end-of-semester reflective essays concerning the most memorable learning that occurred in an introductory sociology course. Collected between 2006 and 2015, the assignment was utilized in each of 12 introductory sociology course sections taught by the same instructor at two universities. We then map student essay topics onto the Sociological Literacy Framework (SLF) to identify the themes most memorable to students, comparing responses of online, regional campus students with residential campus students. Results suggest the instructor placed the greatest emphasis on the SLF Sociological Eye theme and the least emphasis on the SLF Social Change and Reproduction theme. Students found topics within the SLF Socialization theme most memorable and rarely cited the SLF Social Change and Reproduction theme.