Education for a democratic society has been a powerful, long-standing rationale for the entire public school curriculum, but the idea has special relevance for social studies education. This study used action research and qualitative case study to examine the extent to which notions of democratic citizenship developed in the personal theories of teaching held by five preservice social studies teachers during the final year of their teacher education program. In this case, rationale-building around conceptions of democratic citizenship was a dynamic and variable process predominantly influenced by prior beliefs, the formal teacher education program, and field placement contexts. The results raise questions about the possibilities for democratic projects in teacher education, the supports needed to facilitate such work, and the role beliefs play in the instructional decision making of beginning teachers. (Contains 60 references.) (Author/SM)