The study measures student attitudes toward certain subject matter and teaching methods in the social studies. Three hundred ninety-one seventh and eighth graders from suburban and rural areas of Cherokee County, Georgia, participated in the study. Two rating scales were developed from responses to an open-ended questionnaire which asked students to list their likes and dislikes about social studies. The two rating scales, containing eight and ten items each, were administered to the students. Item format was a statement, such as, "I like social studies when the study of current events is emphasized in class." Students marked agreement or disagreement on a scale of one to five. Analysis of responses shows that, in terms of content, students prefer social geography, social history, current events, and culturally-oriented areas of social studies. In terms of methodology, students prefer discussion type classes, films and filmstrips, interesting and readable texts, and no homework. The author points out that educators should not make curriculum and methods decisions based on student preference only, but he does believe results of student surveys such as this should be taken into consideration. (AV)