History: what do students think?

Key issue addressed by the study

This study aimed to:– reveal the ideas about history which young people bring as

preconceptions to their learning– explore the links between views of history and social

cohesion among indigenous and non-indigenous students in England and the Netherlands

Young people’s views of history Young people saw history as important for understanding

their society Pupils were interested in different periods of history from

those they could typically study at secondary school Around 40 per cent of young people from the UK agreed that

sharing a common history creates “mutual bonds”

The kinds of history students are interested in

All the groups of students:– recognised the importance of their country’s

history– believed history helped them understand the

society they lived in – believed family history was important; more so

for BME students than for non-BME students

Historical periods students are most interested in

All the students liked these topics:• ancient history• post war era from 1945

to the present• 1900 to 1945

Students’ interest areas as compared with the national curriculum

Students’ preferences were at odds with the periods most commonly taught under the secondary curriculum e.g. – Currently very little

teaching of post-war events

– Teaching of ancient history limited almost entirely to primary aged pupils

Young peoples’ definition of identity

Depending on their background students tended to identify with their country of residence or by their/their parents’ country of origin/ religion

Very few students from either country regarded their prime identity in terms of either ‘world citizen’ or ‘European’

Who were the children in the study?

442 students from metropolitan areas in the Netherlands and England

The students were aged 14 -18 years and were of various ethnic backgrounds

How was the information gathered? Student questionnaire with questions about

e.g. identity, importance of history, historical periods

Students’ answers were grouped according to various criteria: the country of residence (England or the Netherlands), ethnic background, gender, age, level of education, etc

How can teachers use this evidence?

Young people, particularly from ethnic minority backgrounds, rated family history as highly important– Could you include family history as part of school

history to make it more meaningful to them? Students expressed greater interest in some

periods of history rather than others– Would it be helpful to explore with your students

the less popular periods of history and possible teaching/learning approaches?

How can school leaders use this evidence?

Young people stated they liked ancient history most. What do students in your school think?– Could you survey your students to find out which

periods of history they are interested in? – Having surveyed your students could you organise

professional development for your colleagues to explore how they could incorporate students’ preferences into the curriculum?

Follow-up reading Study reference:

Grever, M., Haydn, T. and Ribbens K. (2008) Identity and School History: the Perspective of

Young People from the Netherlands and England British Journal of Educational Studies, Vol. 56, No. 1, March 2008, pp. 76-94

You might like to read a more detailed summary, accessible at:

http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/research/themes/pupil_voice/studentsthink/

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