An 18-month project assessed social studies in British Columbia during 1976-77. Part of a general educational assessment program of the British Columbia Ministry of Education, the project was carried out in four major phases. During Phase I, an assessment framework was established which represented viewpoints of teachers, students, and the public regarding content, goals, and practices within the social studies. Phase II involved a survey of teachers, administrators, librarians, students, and the general public regarding social studies goals. The survey instrument consisted of a section with open-ended questions, two sections with rating scales, one section with multiple choice items, and a section illustrating the social characteristics of each group. Phases III and IV entailed analysis and interpretation of the survey results. Findings from the survey indicated that: (1) teachers need better training; (2) social studies should deal with knowledge about the past and present and should include study of Canada; (3) teachers desire stronger participation in curriculum revision; and (4) students have difficulty seeing relevance in social studies courses. The conclusions are that the Ministry of Education should encourage teacher participation in social studies curriculum development, provide adequate financial support to local districts for instructional improvement, give serious consideration to public reaction to the assessment study, and continue to investigate high priority educational research questions. (Author/DB)