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Cited by 8Educator Training and Historical PedagogyEducation and Technology IntegrationEducational Technology in Learning

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 56 of the 56 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Crash Course in the Classroom: Exploring How and Why Social Studies Teachers Use YouTube Videos

Open access
Miles, James, Compton, Allyson, Herold, Eve·2024·The Journal of Social Studies Research
DOI 10.1177/23522798241238666
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Abstract

This article explores how the Crash Course video series are being used as a content-focused resource in the social studies classroom. It argues that the Crash Course series, alongside its YouTube competitors, has significantly stepped in to fill a vacuum left by criticisms and the unpopularity of lectures, textbooks, and feature films. With over 15 million subscribers and accumulated views over 1.9 billion, Crash Course has become an important and ubiquitous force in history and social studies classrooms and represents a new genre of educational media found on YouTube. However, the dramatic rise in the popularity of educational videos online has not coincided with a growth in educational research, particularly in social studies and history education. This article explores the findings of a mixed-methods study that examines how and why history and social studies teachers are using Crash Course videos in their teaching and planning. In particular, it analyses descriptive statistics derived from the results of a teacher survey ( n = 181) and semi-structured interviews with seven social studies teachers who have used Crash Course in their classrooms. The authors found that teachers in the study are regularly using the Crash Course video series to deliver content which is clearly meeting a need many social studies teachers have. The videos–short, easily accessible, and fun–fit nicely with demands to keep students engaged, reduce reliance on textbooks, and explore new content that teachers have little time to learn themselves. This study also found that rarely, if ever, are teachers inviting students to evaluate or assess the content, trustworthiness, or perspective of Crash Course videos. This article discusses what is gained and what are the risks of embracing Crash Course in the social studies and history classroom.

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Crossref · 10.1177/23522798241238666

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Anderson C. M. L. (2020). A crash course in liberal education: An analysis of civically engaged edutainment videos [Unpublished Master’s thesis]. Clemson University. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/3309/
  2. Fyfield M. (2020). Selection and use of instruction videos by secondary teachers: Knowledge and content [PhD thesis, Monash University].
  3. Mark G. (2023). Attention span: A groundbreaking way to restore balance. Harper Collins.
  4. Miles J., Thind R. (2022). Comparing Historical Injustices. In Harris L., Sheppard M., Levy S. (Eds.), Teaching difficult histories in difficult times: Stories of practice (pp. 129–141). Teachers College Press.
  5. Talbot M. (2014, June 2). The teen whisperer: How the author of ‘the fault in our stars’ built an ardent army of fans. The New Yorker, 1–13.

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Metadata

Authors
Miles, J., Compton, A., & Herold, E.
Affiliations
  • University of Alberta (CA)
  • Columbia University (US)
Corresponding author
Miles, James
ORCID
Miles, James
Venue
The Journal of Social Studies Research
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2024-03-22
Volume
48
Issue
3
Pages
190-203
ISSN
  • 0885-985X (ISSN-L)
  • 2352-2798
DOI
10.1177/23522798241238666
OpenAlex
W4393084532
Semantic Scholar
2add0715b949d8d491fa5200ede9718192c1b90c
Cited by
3
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 3
FWCI
2.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
The Journal of Social Studies Research (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy
  • Social Sciences › Education › Education and Technology Integration
  • Social Sciences › Education › Educational Technology in Learning
Keywords
crash course, YouTube videos, social studies teachers, history education, educational videos, student engagement, textbook reliance, instructional media

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