examples of historical research in education

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Educational Research Basics by Del Siegle

Historical research.

 Del Siegle, Ph.D. University of Connecticut [email protected] www.delsiegle.info

updated 2/01/2024

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The Historical Method in Educational Research

Historical research has become increasingly relevant from the perspective of nowadays education sciences. Many outstanding scholars in the domain often considered that the main path to progress in the science of education is through carrying out experimental research. Nonetheless, research in education cannot be reduced to mere empirical observation and investigation based on which innovations are brought about in education. We cannot afford ignoring, dismissing or placing the critical-reflective capitalization of acquisitions acquired through the study of past works on a lower level in the field of research. On the contrary, integrating the results of historical research into the existing, constantly growing scientific knowledge, is a determinant factor in innovations, developments and improvements in the theory and practice of education. Through the enhancement of historical research, one of our main goals is to recover ideas and meanings of the past, which can influence and shape our present and future. Investigating the history of pedagogical thinking is not just an act of reconstructing the past, but also an opportunity to reveal the valuable dimensions of a tradition that can inspire and motivate us in all present and future endeavours. Innovative approaches also imply capitalizing overall past experiences and research to enhance the valuable notions and concepts acquired over time.

Introduction to Historical Research : Home

• Archival sources
• Multimedia sources
• Newspapers and other periodicals
• Biographical Information
• Government documents

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This guide is an introduction to selected resources available for historical research.  It covers both primary sources (such as diaries, letters, newspaper articles, photographs, government documents and first-hand accounts) and secondary materials (such as books and articles written by historians and devoted to the analysis and interpretation of historical events and evidence).

"Research in history involves developing an understanding of the past through the examination and interpretation of evidence. Evidence may exist in the form of texts, physical remains of historic sites, recorded data, pictures, maps, artifacts, and so on. The historian’s job is to find evidence, analyze its content and biases, corroborate it with further evidence, and use that evidence to develop an interpretation of past events that holds some significance for the present.

Historians use libraries to

• locate primary sources (first-hand information such as diaries, letters, and original documents) for evidence
• find secondary sources (historians’ interpretations and analyses of historical evidence)
• verify factual material as inconsistencies arise"

( Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age, Fifth Edition, by Diana Hacker and Barbara Fister, Bedford/St. Martin, 2010)

This guide is meant to help you work through these steps.

Other helpful guides

This is a list of other historical research guides you may find helpful:

• Learning Historical Research Learning to Do Historical Research: A Primer for Environmental Historians and Others by William Cronon and his students, University of Wisconsin A website designed as a basic introduction to historical research for anyone and everyone who is interested in exploring the past.
• Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College Students by Patrick Rael, Bowdoin College Guide to all aspects of historical scholarship—from reading a history book to doing primary source research to writing a history paper.
• Writing Historical Essays: A Guide for Undergraduates Rutgers History Department guide to writing historical essays
• History Study Guides History study guides created by the Carleton College History Department

• Next: Books >>
• Last Updated: Mar 4, 2024 12:48 PM
• URL: https://researchguides.library.wisc.edu/introhist

Historical Research

One of the most significant historical events that changed the world is the invention of written language around 3500-3000 BCE in Sumer. Originally, Sumerians started to use  writing  to communicate with people from other cities and regions to trade resources. From then on, they did multiple enhancements on the invention to maximize its use. Today, needless to say, this invention has been serving us its purpose in many ways, such as in developing  procedure documentation  and writing a research paper for historical research.

What Is Historical Research?

Historical research is a research methodology that allows people to study past events that have molded the present. This investigation involves systematically retaking the pieces of information from one or more data sources which can let you, as a researcher or a detective, create a theory of how a phenomenon happened to be in its present situation. Although this type of research usually uses primary sources, such as journals and testimonies in many forms, the data it gets may also come from secondary sources, such as textbooks in the public library, newspapers, etc. Due to the nature of historical research, comparing and preserving historical records can also be good reasons to conduct this kind of research.

Strong Historical Research Design

For effective execution of the data collection and analysis for historical research in education and other fields, you will need a strong research design that includes the following stages.

1. Data Collection

We have mentioned earlier that in gathering the necessary data for historical research, you can use either or both primary and secondary data sources. Additionally, although this research is under the vast category of qualitative research , you can use quantitative data to interpret the facts you use.

2. Data Criticism

One of the advantages of conducting historical research is, aside from the present, you may gather evidence to explain the event that is yet to happen, which can be a delicate piece of information. In coming up with an explanation about a future phenomenon, you must evaluate the reliability of your sources. You can do it through  internal and external validity . Through an external validity, you can determine the authenticity of a reference. Meanwhile, with internal validity, you can ensure that the data you gather is reliable by interpreting the content correctly.

3. Data Presentation

Once you have assured that the data you have collected is competent enough, you will analyze it and test the hypothesis of your research. We recommend you to do this step carefully since you will use logical methods instead of statistical tools. Avoid over-simplifying details and incorporating personal observations.

10+ Historical Research Examples

Now, you know the elements to include in your research. Let’s take a look at how researchers write their history research paper.

1. Biography of Historical Research Example

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2. Historical Research in Library Example

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3. Historical Reserch Agenda Example

4. Sample Historical Research Example

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5. Historical Research Information Systems Research Example

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6. Historical Research in Social Work Example

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7. Stndard Historical Research Example

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8. Legal History and Historical Research Example

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9. Methods and Principles of Historical Research Example

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10. Historical Research in Communication Example

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11. Historical Research in Education Example

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Best Practices in Conducting Historical Research

Now that you know almost everything that you need to cover about historical research, strengthen your project by keeping the following guidelines in mind.

1. Narrow Down the Direction of Your Project

Before you start writing your research paper , think of the topic that you choose to research. List down the research questions that you will focus on throughout the research process. Gather useful information and take note of the source information such as the author, etc. Then, decide on the specific type of information that you want to focus on. These steps will ensure that your research will not go astray.

2. Be Mindful of Your Sources

There are many sources available to gather information for your inquiry, especially on the internet. However, the question is, are these contents reliable enough? For historical research, we recommend you to ask assistance to the public librarians or historical consultants before you incorporate the information that you have gathered from the internet and the library.

3. Balance your Searches

Nowadays, you can always find the information that you need through the internet. However, when conducting research, you must do well-balanced data gathering. Meaning, aside from one source like the internet, you can gather data that you can only find in a particular root. A good example is local news.

4. Dig Deeper

It is essential to narrow down the scope of your research. It will be more interesting if you use the information that you have gathered to know more about a particular event or topic. It can also be an excellent way to find new leads that can support your research.

Countless historical events changed the way we perceive things. Among these phenomena, is the invention of written language. It also allows us to know how to deal with the obstacles that we are yet to encounter. Enlighten the people of a significant phenomenon by applying what you learned today to the research project that you are going to conduct.

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Research Methods in Education (EDU-704) Week-3: Historical Research

• Week-3: Historical Research

HISTORICAL RESEARCH

Historical method in education has been in use in the past to a greater extent than any other method of research, during the development of educational research. Historical method of research is also called the documentary research as it makes use of historical documents and other records. It relates to the historical technique of research where historical records, documents and relics are made use of in dealing with problems on hand recounting some aspects of past life and critical research for truth is made in the light of past events. Historical research may be defined as the study of problems of education making use of historical source and techniques in order to evolve universal generalization and principles. Historical research is the application of scientific method of inquiry to historical problems. It demands standards of careful methodology and spirit comparable to those which characterize other types of research. Although everyone is a historian in that, he remembers what occurred in the past, such history does not meet the criteria of historical research. It is to be a science and it must achieve some standards of excellence as other forms of research.

Purpose and values of historical research. 1. The foremost purpose is to gain a clear perspective of the past and the present. The present problems are understandable only on the basis of past. 2. It provides us with a greater appreciation of the culture and of the role which education is to play in the progress of society. 3. This study provides important information concerning the effects of certain past educational practices and may suggest programmes for future action, based upon the evaluation of the past experiences. 4. It helps avoiding making mistakes of the past. 5. Such approach makes it easier to recognise and identify significant factors in the existing complex situation. 6. It enables us to understand the dynamics of educational change. 7. It develops understanding of the deep-rooted causes of the present day educational problems. 8. It develops our ability to locate, analyse and appraise historical evidence and to understand the limitations of this evidence. 9. It helps remove educational prejudice, misconceptions of facts. 10. It is a necessary foundation for any educational reform. 11. It enlightens us as to how the functions and roles of social institutions have shifted from time to time. 12. It inspires respect for sound scholarship and reverence for great teachers. Moreover the history of education seeks to answer three important questions, i.e., the question of evaluation, the question of resemblance and the question of value.

Types of historical research. 1. Bibliographic research. It aims at determining and presenting truthfully the important facts about the life, character and achievements of important educators. 2. Legal research. It aims to study the legal basis of educational institutions run by the different religions and castes, relation between central and state governments with regards to education, legal status of teachers and students, administration of private aided schools, school finance, participation of students in the administration of universities etc. 3. Studying the history of ideas. It involves the tracing of major philosophical or scientific thoughts from their origins through their different stages of development. 4. Studying the history of institutions and organizations. Studying the history of some prominent schools, universities and other educational institutions also provide numerous problems for significant historical research. Steps in historical research. 1. Selecting the problem. The investigator should have a clear mind about problem. The problem should be significant. It should be one which cam be solved through research. He should formulate it in simple terms. If the problem is very vast, it should be delimited. He should have familiarity with previous research in the field. He should see that duplicity does not take place.

Formulation of hypothesis. The hypothesis that the researcher constructs for historical research are useful in explaining events, conditions or phenomena of the historical period in question. 3. Collection of data. As compared to other method, collection of data in this method is difficult. Historical data has to e inclusive. It will create a lot of confusion. So researcher has to be on guard against it. He has to propose a number of headings into which the data may be classified. The efforts of the historian in the collection of data are seriously handicapped because of many difficulties. 1. He has not lived at the time and is thus removed from the events that he investigates. Therefore he must draw his data from the experiences and observations of others. 2. The recorded experiences are available in their exaggerated form and are full of superfluous details. 3. The recorded experiences may be written form and out-dated point of view and do not suit present day requirements. 4. The records which have been destroyed cannot be created over again. The available records are incomplete and otherwise defective in several ways. 5. The historical data are not comparable to the materials of the physical sciences. They have to be reconstructed in many cases from unverifiable source. Sources of history. Good has classified 2 sources of history, i.e., documents and remains of relics. In documents we do not see events ourselves but in remains the event is before us. The following is the list of documents: 1. Legislative acts such as laws etc 2. Court decisions. 3. Reports of committee. 4. Proceedings of officers like NCERT. 5. Reports of commissions like Kothari Commission. 6. Newspapers and periodicals. 7. Autobiographies, letters, novels etc. Following is the list of remains: 1. School buildings, furniture etc. 2. Photographs of teachers, children and parents. 3. Forms of certificates, attendance sheets etc. 4. Textbooks, exercise books etc. Primary and secondary sources:

Historical sources are of 2 kinds: a. Primary sources. Primary sources are the original sources; the first witness to a fact. Primary sources have been kept unconsciously or consciously. Tools, weapons, clothing, building, painting, coins etc are the examples of primary sources unconsciously kept. Autobiographies, letters, diaries etc are consciously kept for information. b. Secondary source. Secondary sources are the reports of the persons who reported the testimony of an actual witness. The writer of the secondary source was not on the scene of the event. Secondary sources are not trusted completely, but they serve some useful purpose.

Historical criticism. The historians does not often use the methods of direct observation since he gets much of his data from the reports of those who witnessed or participated in these events, the data is subject to historical criticism. It consists of 2 parts as under: a. External criticism. Through external criticism, the historian checks the validity of the document and determine whether it is admissible as an evidence. For this purpose, he asks many questions. 1. Why was the document produced? 2. When was the document produced? 3. Who was the author of the document? 4. Is the language author’s? etc b. Internal criticism. After external criticism, the historian tries to find out the accuracy or worth of the document. Following questions come to his mind: 1. Was the writer competent, unbiased, honest and actually acquainted with the fact? 2. Was he subject to fear, pressure or vanity? 3. How long after the event did he make a record of his testimony I was he able to remember what happened actually? M.A. Edu/Research Methodology/Methods © Showkat Rashid Wani, Assistant Professor, DDE, KU, 190002, J&K 3 4. Is the witness in agreement with other competent witness? Internal criticism can be of positive nature or negative nature. When we attempt to seek the true and real meaning of the text, it is called positive criticism. When we attempt to seek every possible reason for disbelieving the statement, it is called negative criticism. 5. Interpretation of data. The interpretation of data is complicated in historical research. Since history is actually a record of the chain of related events, it becomes very difficult for a researcher to interpret that one event in the chain was caused by the previous event in the chain. Here determining cause and effect relationship too is a difficult job. The researcher must be cautious in his use of analogy in the interpretation of data. While drawing comparison between one historical event and any number of others, he must carefully make use of similarities as well as of differences. 6. Writing of research report. In historical method due consideration must be given to the historical perspective and future perspective. The reporting of historical research should imbibe the good qualities of historical narrative. Sufficient care should be taken in the selection and organization of the material to be presented. There are different methods of organising historical research material. The following types are but suggestions: a. The chronological. b. The topical. c. The thematic. d. The foundational. The method of organisation of material depends on the nature of data gathered and efficient and effective report, however, depends on the integrity and scholastic ability of the researcher. The style of writing research report should be lucid, simple, objective, designed scholarly and intelligible for the report to be effective. It should reflect historical accuracy, possess historical authenticity and should be based on historical evidence obtained.

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• Week-1: Introduction of Educational Research
• Week-2: Types of research by Purpose and Method
• Week-4: Experimental Research and Experimental designs
• Week-5: Types of Variables & Hypothesis
• Week-6: Experimental Research Designs and Experimental validity
• Week-7: Descriptive Research
• Week-8: Mid Term Examination
• Week-9 & 10: Tools and Techniques of Research
• Week-11: Validity & Reliability of Tools of Research
• Week-12 & 13: Sampling Technique: Population, Probability and Non Probability Sampling
• Week-14: Designing a Research Proposal
• Week-15: Writing a Research Report
• Week-16: Final Term Examination
• Chapters 14
• Department Education

Children's and Young Adult Literature

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• Fairy Tales

Historical Research

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Sample Topics

Below is a short list of potential research topics on the history of children's and young adult literature. Do not be limited by this list - the history of children's literature is full of possible topics. Use those listed to help gauge areas of potential interest and topic specificity.

LGBT Content in Young Adult Fiction: A Historical Survey

Historical Portrayals of Minorities in Children's Literature in early 20th century America

The Role of the Family in Victorian Children's Literature

The Picture Book in WWII America

Children's Stories as Moral Instruction in the Middle Ages

Cultural Conformity in Books for Children

Sexism in 19th Century Children's Books

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2. Use the general resources in the box to the right to help narrow your topic. You may also consult the box containing examples of specific research topics.

3. Do a Subject Search in the King catalog using any of the subject headings listed in the Useful Subject Heading box. You may also wish to read through the Research Tips on the Theory & Criticism page .

4. Note the Call Numbers of useful titles. Other possible resources might be shelved in the same location.

5. Use the bibliographies of books and articles on your topic to help you identify additional sources. Do a Title Search in the King catalog to see if the library has the book / article.

6. If the King Library does not have your book / article, request it through Link+ or ILLiad. (See Tutorials linked on Theory & Criticism page).

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8. Remember: a specific topic is easier to research and develope than a general one.

Useful Search Terms

Children's literature -- History and Criticism

Children's literature -- History and Criticism -- Bibliography

Children's literature -- History and Criticism -- Theory

Children's literature, American -- History and Criticism

Children's literature, British -- History and Criticism

Teenagers -- Books and reading -- United States

Young adult fiction, American -- History and Criticism

Young adult literature -- History and Criticism

Teenagers in literature

Historical Education Resource Collection

The Historical Juvenile Collection and Historical Textbook Collection offer a historical context. For more information, see the Educational Resource Collections LibGuide.

Historical research into children's and young adult literature may be approached in the same manner as research into the theory and criticism of the field. Below is a partial listing of resources on historical topics in children's literature. For search tips and sample topics, see the boxes to the left.

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Female labor force participation

Across the globe, women face inferior income opportunities compared with men. Women are less likely to work for income or actively seek work. The global labor force participation rate for women is just over 50% compared to 80% for men. Women are less likely to work in formal employment and have fewer opportunities for business expansion or career progression. When women do work, they earn less. Emerging evidence from recent household survey data suggests that these gender gaps are heightened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Women’s work and GDP

Women’s work is posited to be related to development through the process of economic transformation.

Levels of female labor force participation are high for the poorest economies generally, where agriculture is the dominant sector and women often participate in small-holder agricultural work. Women’s participation in the workforce is lower in middle-income economies which have much smaller shares of agricultural activities. Finally, among high-income economies, female labor force participation is again higher, accompanied by a shift towards a service sector-based economy and higher education levels among women.

This describes the posited  U-shaped relationship  between development (proxied by GDP per capita) and female labor force participation where women’s work participation is high for the poorest economies, lower for middle income economies, and then rises again among high income economies.

This theory of the U-shape is observed globally across economies of different income levels. But this global picture may be misleading. As more recent studies have found, this pattern does not hold within regions or when looking within a specific economy over time as their income levels rise.

In no region do we observe a U-shape pattern in female participation and GDP per capita over the past three decades.

Structural transformation, declining fertility, and increasing female education in many parts of the world have not resulted in significant increases in women’s participation as was theorized. Rather, rigid historic, economic, and social structures and norms factor into stagnant female labor force participation.

Historical view of women’s participation and GDP

Taking a historical view of female participation and GDP, we ask another question: Do lower income economies today have levels of participation that mirror levels that high-income economies had decades earlier?

The answer is no.

This suggests that the relationship of female labor force participation to GDP for lower-income economies today is different than was the case decades past. This could be driven by numerous factors -- changing social norms, demographics, technology, urbanization, to name a few possible drivers.

Gendered patterns in type of employment

Gender equality is not just about equal access to jobs but also equal access for men and women to good jobs. The type of work that women do can be very different from the type of work that men do. Here we divide work into two broad categories: vulnerable work and wage work.

The Gender gap in vulnerable and wage work by GDP per capita

Vulnerable employment is closely related to GDP per capita. Economies with high rates of vulnerable employment are low-income contexts with a large agricultural sector. In these economies, women tend to make up the higher share of the vulnerably employed. As economy income levels rise, the gender gap also flips, with men being more likely to be in vulnerable work when they have a job than women.

From COVID-19 crisis to recovery

The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated these gender gaps in employment. Although comprehensive official statistics from labor force surveys are not yet available for all economies,  emerging studies  have consistently documented that working women are taking a harder hit from the crisis. Different patterns by sector and vulnerable work do not explain this. That is, this result is not driven by the sectors in which women work or their higher rates of vulnerable work—within specific work categories, women fared worse than men in terms of COVID-19 impacts on jobs.

Among other explanations is that women have borne the brunt of the increase in the demand for care work (especially for children). A strong and inclusive recovery will require efforts which address this and other underlying drivers of gender gaps in employment opportunities.

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Exploring the significant problems confronting secondary schools history education: a baseline study

• Open access
• Published: 14 May 2024
• Volume 3 , article number  52 , ( 2024 )

Cite this article

You have full access to this open access article

• Fekede Sileshi Fufa   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6035-8205 1 ,
• Abera Husen Tulu   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0408-9028 2 &
• Ketebo Abdiyo Ensene   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8492-9340 1  

The purpose of this baseline study is to determine the significant problems confronting history education in secondary school. The researchers employed qualitative research methods and case study design. The techniques that were employed to acquire credible data were document analysis, interviews, and classroom observation. Six experienced history education teachers and eight top-ten students from Sebeta town public secondary school were interviewed, and academic achievement statistics of 174 students in history education were analyzed. In addition eight lesson observations were carried out to validate the information gleaned from the interviews and document analysis. The study's findings show that the primary challenges influencing history education in Sebeta town public secondary schools were teaching strategy, a lack of awareness about implementing participatory teaching methods, a lack of comprehensiveness of the contents of history education teaching materials, and the issue of the bulkiness and scope of history education texts being covered on time. The findings also indicate the significance of training history education teachers to use participatory teaching tactics, as well as the need for curriculum experts to better coordinate the range of history education content and teaching strategies. The findings of this study will help teachers, practitioners, scholars, policymakers, and educational professionals find solutions to significant problems in secondary school history education, as well as develop effective techniques for teaching history education in secondary schools that involve twenty-first century skills and abilities.

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

1 Introduction

History education as an academic discipline has a long history in the world. In the nineteenth century a German historian Leopold von Ranke an indispensable contribution to modernizing history writing [ 1 , p. 2, 2 , p. 171]. Ranke (1795–1886) not only established history as a major discipline, but he also established the idea that all accurate history must be based on primary sources and rigorous methodology [ 1 , p.13, 3 ]. As a result, he is regarded as the father of modern historiography [ 1 , p. 2]. Since the nineteenth century, history education has developed as an independent discipline across the world.

In terms of teaching strategies, evidence shows that teaching approaches play an important role in any subject of study in enhancing students' academic achievements [ 4 , p. 601, 5 ]. Many research findings demonstrate that the approach employed to develop any operation significantly determines the end product [ 6 , p. 7]. Several factors influence students' academic achievement; evidence suggests that teachers are the most essential ones in terms of students’ education and achievements [ 7 , pp. 2633–34]. According to the research findings conducted on student learning, the way teachers engage their pupils is crucial in the teaching and learning process [ 8 , p. 39]. The approaches used by the teacher should be matched to the demands of the students [ 6 , p.7]. Students’ motivation and achievement are mostly dependent on the teachers’ activities [ 9 , p. 15). Several researches have indicated that among the subjects offered in schools, students do have not much interest in history education [ 10 , p. 45]. According to a study conducted on secondary schools, history education has been taught through lectures rather than participatory and student- centred strategies [ 11 , p. 1). According to Kiio [ 11 , pp. 1–2], effective implementation of participatory teaching and learning methodologies can increase students' interest in history education. Issar [ 10 , p. 49] also emphasized the significance of learning history education, stating that learning history education should help students understand the complexities of human lives, the diversity and relationships between different groups, the changes and continuities and connect the past, present, and future events.

Scholars confirm that constructive learning approaches allow students to participate actively in the lessons [ 12 , p. 35]. Since 1980, the theory of social constructivism has been advocated as an effective way of learning and teaching [ 12 , pp. 35–36]. It is a theory developed by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1896–1934), which holds that individuals are active participants in the creation of their knowledge [ 13 , p.783]. Vygotsky’s social constructivism focuses on pedagogies that encourage active learning, effective and meaningful learning, constructive learning, and learning by doing [ 13 , p.783]. Current research in the field of history education supports the notion that participatory approaches to teaching the subject at the secondary school level are the preferred method for developing the skills required to handle the world's future historiographical needs [ 14 , p. 81]. In several works of literature, interactive teaching approaches are vital in increasing student academic achievement. The purpose of this baseline study is to investigate the significant problems confronting history education in Sebeta government secondary schools.

2 Statement of the problem

History education is frequently a source of public debate, a source of unrest, and a site of struggle over what and how should be taught in schools in Ethiopia [ 15 , p. 2]. National history is taught as a compulsory subject in different countries. Several countries believe that knowing the country’s history is a requirement for all citizens [ 16 , pp. 1–2]. In the case of history education teaching in Ethiopia, for the first time, a history syllabus was included in the education curriculum after 1943 [ 17 , p.87]. However, no specific research on significant problems confronting history education in Ethiopian secondary schools has been conducted. Researchers who have studied the problem of education in Ethiopia have directly and indirectly addressed the issue of history education [ 18 , pp.18–19].

According to research conducted by Resource and Guide [ 19 , p. 8], teaching is important by incorporating 21st-century skills such as critical thinking skills, problem-solving, language proficiency, communication and collaborative skills, cognitive skills, adaptability skills and the ability to make decisions. Furthermore, student-centred teaching method fosters students' comprehension, deep learning, problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication [ 20 , p. 4]. Research conducted on history education has discovered a link between teaching approaches and students' attitudes towards history education [ 21 , p. 3]. A scant study has been conducted on significant problems confronting history education in Ethiopian secondary schools and on approaches more appropriate for teaching history.

This motivated the researchers to conduct research on major problems confronting history education in Ethiopian secondary schools in Sebeta town. To fill this gap, the researchers used a variety of tools to analyze significant problems confront history education in Ethiopian secondary schools in general, and Sebeta town public Secondary School in particular.

Thus, this study attempts to answer the following questions:

What are the most significant problems facing history education at Sebeta town public secondary school?

What are the most common teaching strategies employed at Sebeta town government secondary school?

How is the student’s academic achievement in history at Sebeta public secondary school?

3 Objectives of the study

To find out the most significant problems facing history education at Sebeta Town Government Secondary School.

To identify the most common teaching strategies employed at Sebeta town government secondary school.

To determine a student’s academic achievement in history at Sebeta government secondary school.

4 Literature review

Any research project needs theory to provide direction and help on how things are implemented. Theoretical foundation aids in deciphering the way phenomena happen and the basis of specific actions [ 22 , p. 75]. This research is founded on Vygotsky’s social constructivist learning theory, which supports historical thinking. According to a social learning theory developed by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1896–1934), individuals are active participants in the development of their knowledge [ 23 , p. 395]. This social constructivism approach places a strong emphasis on pairs and small groups [ 24 , pp.13–15]. According to this theory, students learn primarily through interactions with their classmates, instructors, and parents, whereas teachers are expected to facilitate dialogue in the classroom [ 25 , p. 243]. According to Richard [ 26 , p. 380], good teaching and learning are strongly reliant on interpersonal interaction and conversation, with the primary focus on the student’s understanding of the topic.

Scholarly works reveal that there is very little study on the significant problems confronting history education. The existing scholarly works on teaching approach and students’ learning, on the other hand, demonstrate that there are strong relationships between the effects of teaching strategies and students’ achievement. Sugano and Mamolo [ 27 , p. 827] conducted a study on the “Effects of Teaching Methodologies on Students’ Attitude and Motivation,’’ found that teaching methods had an enormous positive impact (Cohen’s d = 0.379) on student attitude. The study also found that cooperative learning had a greater power than traditional teaching methods in improving students’ positive attitudes, motivation and interest.

History teaching should not only be mastery of the basic content (substantive knowledge) but also enhance the acquisition of subject skills and competencies that will make students learn on their own and manage their own lives and carry it through the adversities of life in society [ 26 , 28 ]. Luka [ 14 , p. VII] discovered in his study, “The Impact of Teaching Methods on Attitudes of Secondary School Students Towards Learning of History in Malawi,” that students in secondary schools have negative attitudes towards learning history. One of the reasons he highlighted is that student-centred techniques of teaching are not regularly used in the subject of history education ( Ibid , [ 29 ]).

Moreover, Mazibuko [ 30 , p. 142] revealed that teaching methods in history education greatly contributed to students' negative perceptions of the subject. He discovered that traditional methods of teaching history utilized by teachers contributed to students decreasing interest in the subject ( Ibid ). Besides, Zhu and Kaiser [ 31 , p. 191] discovered that teaching methods influence students’ motivation, attitudes towards school, willingness to do homework, and confidence in their learning.

In his study on effective teaching in history, Boadu [ 8 , p. 39] discovered that effective teaching of history should bring the subject closer to students’ lives, hearts, and minds. He argued that effective teaching cannot emerge from traditional history teaching, because the teacher lectures on the subject intensely, and students are forced to take and memorize notes.

Silver and Perini [ 32 , p. 16) argued that teachers who use a variety of teaching techniques have well-behaved and motivated students, resulting in high student academic achievement.

Adding to this, according to [ 33 , p. 74], the quality of teaching strategies influences student learning and contributes to a 15 to 20 times improvement in student achievement. These researches highlighted that effective teaching strategies played a crucial influence on student motivation, developing students’ positive attitudes, and improving students’ academic achievement more than traditional teacher-centred approaches. There has been no research undertaken in Ethiopian secondary schools to determine which methodologies could be better appropriate for teaching history. Using the designed study instruments, the researchers examine and determine the significant problems confronting history education in Sebeta government secondary schools.

5 Research methodology

The study was conducted using the constructivist paradigm view with the qualitative research approach. In this study, the researchers utilized a qualitative research approach. The qualitative research approach allows the researchers to conduct an in-depth investigation of the problem under study [ 34 , pp. 177–179, 35 , p. 12]. The qualitative research approach has different specific designs. These are Phenomenology, Ethnography, Narrative inquiry, Case study, Grounded theory and Historical research [ 36 , p. 49]. In this study, the qualitative case study design was used. Case studies are ways to explain, describe, or explore phenomena. According to Hatch [ 37 , p. 37], case studies are the type of qualitative work that investigates a contextualized contemporary phenomenon within specific boundaries. This study was carried out using document analysis, interviews, and classroom observation techniques.

The researchers received the accreditation letter from their institution and submitted it to the relevant authorities to confirm the legality of the research. The letter was then submitted to the Sebeta town’s education office and Sebeta secondary schools to acquire authorization to collect primary data from sampled respondents. The data collection process was started after getting all relevant permits from the authorities. Before interviews with respondents, the researchers described the goal of the study to the participants to acquire their permission. The researchers told participants that the study's primary aim was to collect data for the research titled "The significant problems confronting history education in history education in Sebeta town public secondary schools, Ethiopia." After extensive verbal discussions with the respondents, interviews were conducted with those who expressed full interest in participating in the study.

5.1 Sampling procedure

This study employed a purposive sampling technique. In the first stage, the study site was chosen purposively, which is Sebeta town. In the following step, this baseline study was confined to two out of four government secondary schools in Sebeta town with similar standards, a higher number of students and staff than the others. The schools that were purposely selected for the study are those that have been in existence for a long time, have more experienced staff than others, and are expected to provide firsthand information. Purposive sampling was used to select knowledgeable research participants [ 38 , pp. 512–513]. Because it allows the researcher to select the research participants who were believed informed sources of information, thoughtful, informative, articulate, and experienced with the problem under the study [ 35 , p.142, 39 , pp. 100–114]. The researchers selected individuals who have a good source of information about the issue under study (history education teachers and students [ 39 , p. 100]. In the selected two secondary schools, there are six history education teachers, five males and one female. These teachers were purposefully included in the study. The researchers believed that the experienced teachers who were chosen were useful as a primary source of data because they were familiar with the subject's contents, as well as its problems. Eight top-ten grade ten students from the two schools also took part in the study directly. The researchers believed the top-ten students were able to explain the area of study more accurately than the others. Grade ten students were purposefully chosen for the study. The following are the grounds for choosing grade ten students: First history education in Ethiopia begins in grade nine. Students began studying history education grade nine onwards. Because it is assumed that grade ten students know more about history education contents than grade nine students. Second, it is assumed that grade ten comprises all types of students (higher achievers, moderate, and slow learners), as well as grade 10 students who will choose a major (social sciences and natural sciences) in their future grade eleven. As a result, the researchers opted to gather the finest information from grade ten students to establish their perspectives toward history.

6 Results and discussions

6.1 what are the significant problems facing history education in sebeta town government secondary school, 6.1.1 interviews analysis.

For explanation, the abbreviation SSST stands for “Sebeta Secondary School Teacher”, similarly, BSSST stands for “Burka Sebeta Secondary School Teacher” and the numbers denote the order. As shown in Table  1 , six history education teachers were interviewed for this study. Of the six teachers interviewed, five had more than 15 years of teaching experience. Five of these teachers hold a bachelor's degree and one has an MA in history. Five of the teachers interviewed were male and one was female. During the interviews, the teachers revealed to the researchers that three of the six teachers had an MA in another academic discipline (Table 2 ).

For clarification, the abbreviation SSSS stands for, “Sebeta Secondary School Student”, BSSS, “Burka Sebeta Secondary School Student” and the numbers represent the order. Eight students’ four males and four females from both schools were chosen for the interview of this study.

An interview is one of the data collection instruments that were used to explore the significant problems confronting history education in government secondary schools. An interview allows the researchers to gather information that is directly related to the research objectives [ 40 , p. 411]. It is typically conducted one-on-one with informants who have firsthand experience with the research topic [ 25 , p. 144]. An interview was conducted with six experienced history education teachers, and eight secondary school students to gather adequate data about the topic under investigation.

The researchers began their interview with teachers by asking, “What are the significant problems facing history education in Sebeta town government secondary school?” The researchers interviewed teachers concerning the organization of the history education curriculum. Teacher SSST1’s response to this question is as follows: “I have been teaching history education for 18 years but I have never seen or read the curriculum of history education until today.’’ Furthermore, BSSST1 shared the same point of view saying: “So far, I have not read any history education syllabus or seen what it contains except students’ textbook. There is no available history education syllabus in secondary school for teachers. ” Teacher SSST2 also made a similar note: “We do not have a history syllabus, and the teaching materials that we use to teach students are only students’ textbooks.”

All of the teachers interviewed stated that they did not have a history curriculum and had never utilized it. The researchers found that teachers do not see contents, structures, recommended teaching aids, and methodologies in the history education syllabus and teachers’ guide.

Teachers explained that the history education textbook is divided into three parts: world history, African history, and Ethiopian history. According to the teachers interviewed, the history of the Ethiopian peoples are not written inclusively in students’ textbooks, and Ethiopian history education does not adequately addressed the political, social, and economic history of the Ethiopian people (BSSST1, BSSST2, SSST1, SSSS2, SSST3). However, research work suggests that in multi-ethnic countries, all students should be able to learn about themselves and their culture from the books they learn from Hodkinson et al. [ 41 , p. 3] stated that “all learners must be able to find themselves and their world represented in the books from which they learn.”.

In addition, teachers were asked as history education teaching materials in the same way as other Subjects. To this question, all of the teachers interviewed consistently said no. Teachers claim that “since our country’s political changes, textbooks for all disciplines have been updated three to four times, but history education has not been updated in the same way” (BSSST1, BSSST2, SSST1, SSSS2, SSST3, SSSST4). They demonstrated this to the researchers by referring to the textbook they were using. In this instance, a history grade 10 students’ textbook was published in 2002 GC/1994, reprinted in 2005/1997 and renewed in 2023 after 18 years. According to the teachers interviewed, there has been no detailed reform of history education in terms of adding or removing content, implementing new teaching strategies, or keeping up with the 21st-century world. One interviewed teacher said, ‘’I have been teaching history for 18 years and have not observed any changes in history education contents since I started teaching history education.’’ (SSST1).

The researchers continued their interview with teachers by asking, is the content of the history education curriculum appropriate for the student's abilities? This question is to gather evidence to understand that the content of the history curriculum is appropriate for the student's abilities. Teachers and students were asked this question. When asked about the content of history education in grade ten, teachers made two comments:

Students who did not study history as a subject in elementary school (1st grade to grade eight) may find it more difficult when they begin studying history education as a subject in grade nine (SSST1 and SSST2).

They have been studying in their mother tongue in primary school (grades 1 to 8) and studying in English from grade 9 onwards will make it difficult for students to understand the contents (SSST1 and SSST2). The students interviewed strongly agree with the latter. According to the students, “the content of history is very difficult to understand, history is not like other subjects, it requires proper knowledge of English” SSSS1, SSSS2, BSSSS1 and BSSS2).

Follow-up questions were also raised for teachers, to determine the teaching methods included in the history education curriculum. However, teachers were unable to respond to this question because they were not implementing the teaching practices outlined in the history education curriculum due to a lack of a history syllabus. A well-designed teaching strategy has a crucial role in improving students' academic achievement [ 42 , p. 51–64]. Therefore, teachers teach history using their own teaching and learning methods. When asked what teaching method they used, the teachers stated that they used the lecture teaching method (SSSS1, SSSS2, BSSSS1 and BSSS2). The reason they use lecture methods more than other teaching and learning methods is that the content of history lessons is extensive and the time allocated for history lessons is 80 min per week (SSSS1, SSSS2, BSSSS1 and BSSS2).

6.1.2 Classroom observation analysis

The researchers used lesson observations to obtain firsthand and ‘real' facts and data about the significant problems confronting history education in Sebeta government secondary schools. This is because many people do not want to discuss all topics during an interview [ 43 , p. 117]. The researchers employed the lesson observation checklist, which included activities such as the teacher's teaching strategies, teacher and student activities throughout the session, teacher-student interaction during the lesson, student seating arrangements, and teaching aids used. Using this checklist, the researchers observed the teacher’s teaching practice during the lesson. The researchers observed four different classrooms. The primary aim of this observation was to strengthen the data obtained from teachers and students during an interview. The teachers in all of the classrooms first ask students what they learned in their last class. Aside from that, they only used to give notes and lectures to the students in every class.

Another point that the researchers visited in the classroom was the teachers’ and students’ activities during the lesson. The teachers gave notes, and lectures and many students were busy writing notes. When the teachers lecture the content some students do not pay attention and instead take notes. Some students do not take notes, do not listen and look elsewhere. As observed by the researchers, teacher-student interaction during the lesson is very weak. Based on the observation students' seating arrangements were traditional in that three students' seats occur on a wave which is not convenient for group discussion, group work and collaborative learning.

During classroom observation, there are no teaching aids used in all classrooms visited by the teachers to make the lessons practical.

Finally, based on the findings of the study through classroom observation, traditional methods of teaching and learning in history classrooms are still the dominant teaching strategies in the twenty-first century. Researchers who research teaching strategies confirm that participatory teaching is an effective way to improve students’ academic achievement. Madar and Baban [ 42 , pp. 51–64] also discovered that participatory teaching is a good strategy to develop students’ skills and increase their academic achievements. They added that participatory teaching strategies put students at the centre of the teaching and learning process (p. 51). However, through interviews with teachers, students, and lesson observation, the researchers discovered that teachers are not employing student-centred approaches that are fitting for students' learning and achievement.

The responses of teachers and students are consistent with the literature on strategies for teaching. Researchers who conducted studies on teaching strategies found that the teacher- centred method is a traditional strategy that is not very effective in enhancing student achievement. The findings of this study also agree with Mohammed [ 44 , p. 11] who conducted a study on, “strategies in the teaching of geography …” , and stated that the lecture method of teaching has a negative effect on students’ creativity, critical thinking, ability to produce new ideas, and academic achievement of students. Similarly, this study’s findings also concur with Ezurike [ 45 , pp. 1120–124] conducted a study on, “The Influence of Teacher-Centered and Student-Centered Teaching Methods on Academic Achievement of Students,” which discovered that poor methods, mostly teacher-centred and conventional teaching methods used by teachers, are one of the major factors contributing to students’ poor achievement.

Finally, it is better to conclude that teaching strategies can positively and negatively influence students' academic achievement. If teachers only employ the lecture approach without involving students in the lesson, it may result in low student academic achievement in contrast if teachers employ student-centred strategies students can understand the main point of the lesson and enhance the academic achievement of students.

6.2 How do teaching strategies influence students' academic achievement in Sebeta secondary schools?

To answer this question, the researchers conducted interviews with teachers and students, as well as document reviews and classroom observations. This issue was addressed by both teachers and students. Methods of teaching have a wide range of effects on the academic success of learners. When asked this question, they all had similar answers. According to teachers, good teaching strategies play a significant role in improving students’ academic achievement. They state this as follows:

Using collaborative teaching practices can significantly improve students' academic achievement. Because collaborative instruction is a teaching technique in which students learn together by assisting one another. Higher achiever students support the low achiever learner in this instructional learning process. However, if teachers utilize traditional teaching methods without involving students in the teaching-learning process, students' academic achievement may suffer (BSSST1, SSST2, and SSST3).

However, for a variety of reasons, teachers do not use collaborative teaching strategies to improve the academic achievement of their students. Rather than focusing on improving the academic achievements of students’ teachers are only concerned with completing their content. Furthermore, the student stated that teaching strategy can positively and negatively influence students' academic achievement. According to students:

…if teachers employ interactive teaching strategies during teaching lessons, students can understand the main point of the lesson and profit much from it. In contrast, if teachers exclusively employ the lecture approach without involving students in the lesson, it may result in low student achievement in the subject. Furthermore, students responded with two statements: excellent teaching strategies encourage students’ interest in the subject and are also, critical for improving students' academic achievement (BSSSS1, BSSSS2, SSSS1, SSSS3, and SSSS6).

The teachers were interviewed about teaching methods they implement when teaching a history education lesson. The teachers were asked to mention teaching methods that they always use in teaching history. The majority of the teachers claimed to use lecture approaches when teaching history education lessons. Teachers noted: “huge class sizes and low time allotted to history subjects, making it difficult to apply participator/student-centred methods (BSSST3, SSST, and SSST2). Furthermore, when asked about their teachers’ teaching methods in history class, students stated that “teachers only use teacher-centred strategies (lecture, dictation, note-giving and reading notes on the blackboard)” (BSSSS3, SSSS1, SSSS2).

During the interview all interviewed teachers acknowledged the use of the lecture method in their teaching. The justifications provided for the use of the lecture method include saving time, the convenience of covering content on time and the nature of students. Teachers said, “A lecture method helps the teacher to cover a lot of content in a short period” (SSST1, SSST2, SSST3, SSST4, BSST1, and BSST2). The findings of this study are consistent with the findings of a study conducted by Luka [ 14 , p. 30] on the topic of “the impact of teaching methods on attitudes of secondary school students towards learning of history in Malawi,” which discovered that teachers use boring lecture methods to complete their courses rather than focusing on students' results.

History teachers' perceptions of the use of the participatory approach were very low. Based on the interview conducted with history education teachers they were not interested in using student-center teaching strategies (BSSST1, BSSST2, SSST1, SSST2, SSST3, and SSSST4). Teachers claimed that participatory teaching strategies were time-consuming and unsuitable for large-class settings ( Ibid ). Instead of using participatory teaching strategies teachers choose teacher-centred methods to cover a large portion within a given time.

The researchers interviewed history teachers at Sebeta secondary schools about the challenges that they confront when implementing the participatory approach. The interviewed teachers stated that the time allotted for history education did not correspond to the content (BSSST1, BSSST2, SSST1, SSST2, SSST3, and SSST4). They were unwilling to utilize student-centred teaching methodologies because they believed it would be time-consuming and difficult to cover the contents of the student’s textbooks within the academic year. According to the teachers, the time allotted to history education every week was only two periods (80 min), although history education included more than 246 pages ( Ibid ). Students also stated that teachers frequently employ lecture methods when teaching history lessons. Both teachers and students agree that collaborative learning methods are more beneficial than traditional teaching methods in improving students’ academic achievement (SSST1, SSST2, SSST3, SSST4, BSST1, and BSST2). Teachers claim that "due to the wide range of topics covered in history education, we use lecture methods of teaching rather than participatory approaches" (SSST1, SSST3, BSST1, and BSST2).

6.3 How is the student's academic achievement in history at Sebeta government secondary school? To answer this question, the researchers used document review

6.3.1 document analysis.

Document analysis is part of the qualitative data collection strategy that every researcher engages in throughout the research period. In this research researchers reviewed, history education students’ textbooks, published articles and roasters of students (students’ mark list). The history education achievement of 174 Sebeta government secondary school students scored in grade 9 in 2020/2021 was compared to look at their achievement in grade 10 in 2021/2022. As a result, one student achieved less than 50% out of 100%, 39 students’ scores ranged from 50 to 60 out of 100%, 98 students scored from 61 to 70 out of 100%, 27 students scored between 71 and 80 out of 100%, 8 students scored between 81 and 90 out of 100%, and 1 student scored between 91 and 100, in grade nine. In grade 10, 11 students scored below 50, 103 students scored between 50 and 60, 45 students scored between 61 and 70, 9 students scored between 71 and 80, 4 students scored between 81 and 90, and 2 students scored between 91 and 100 out of 100%.

Based on this analysis, we can witness students’ achievement in two ways. The first is that in grade 9, 138 out of 174 students scored less than 70% out of 100% and the results of students scoring from 70 to 100% declined significantly. The second point to mention is that student achievement in history education has been highly declining at the subsequent grade level. In Grade 10, the number of students scoring less than 50% grew, and 159 out of 174 students scored less than 70% in history education. This indicates students' achievement in history in grade 9 decreased in grade 10. This suggests that students' achievement in history education was inadequate. Following the analysis of student achievement, interviews were conducted with students and teachers to identify why students' achievement in history education was so low.

7 Conclusion and recommendations

Research shows that teaching strategies are a crucial aspect in successful learning because they enable learners to learn, create, and take a proactive attitude towards learning. The significant issues confronting history education have been identified were teaching strategy, a lack of awareness about implementing participatory teaching methods, a lack of comprehensiveness of the contents of history education teaching materials, and the issue of the bulkiness and scope of history education texts being covered on time and Lack of teachers’ understanding of employing creative teaching strategies to improve students’ academic progress. Despite this, the study found that teachers in Sebeta government secondary schools use the teacher-centered lecture approach rather than interactive or student-centered strategies, which are recommended for students' learning. Teachers were cognizant of student-center teaching and learning improved student achievement. Conversely, teachers are hesitant to adopt participatory teaching methodologies due to the vastness of history textbooks and the lack of time provided to history education to cover bulky texts. As a result, they employ teaching approaches that they believe will allow them to complete the history education contents in the allocated time rather than focusing on enhancing students' academic achievement.

Furthermore, the study also found out that teachers are reluctant to use participatory student-centred learning methods because the two periods per week allocated (80 min) to teaching history education are not enough to cover a wide range of history education content. They believe participatory student-center teaching is ineffective in large classrooms and takes more time than the lecture method. Such thinking stems from a lack of understanding (imparting knowledge) on the use of innovative teaching strategies. The researchers examined the lecture teaching approach that students had learned as well as their results. Several students' achievement in history education shows below 70% out of 100% at Sebeta government secondary schools. The main reason for this low achievement is the teachers’ teaching strategies (the use of teacher-centred approach) to teaching history education to complete a wide content within the allotted time. Teachers do not consider which strategies could improve students’ achievement rather than focus on completing their content. This has also resulted in students’ negative attitudes towards the subject.

The outcomes of this study can serve as the foundation for future research in academic and professional studies. This discovery is notable for the fact that teaching and learning approaches influence students' academic achievement in both directions. Accordingly, if teachers only employ the lecture approach without involving students in the lesson, it may result in low student academic achievement in contrast if teachers employ student-centred strategies students can understand the main point of the lesson and enhance the academic achievement of students.

Thus, for future studies intervention exprimental research in history education is required to measure the extent to which participatory methods of instruction increase the academic achievement of students over teacher-centred strategies. More research, according to the researchers, should be conducted using participatory teaching methods in one classroom and lecture methods in others to determine to what extent participatory teaching methods improve the academic achievement of students when compared to teacher-centred strategies. Following the findings, researchers provided the following recommendations: national and regional education experts should collaborate closely in making history education content inclusive, as well as training history education teachers in the use of participatory teaching approaches. Curriculum experts should effectively organize the breadth of history education contents. To ensure that students learn successfully, the relevant authorities should rigorously monitor the state of the teaching and learning processes in general and history education in particular.

Data availability

The data of this study is the primary source, which is the roster of students' results and education policies. The student results/ marks analyzed for this study are from two Sebeta town public secondary schools: Sebeta secondary school and Burka Sebeta secondary school and Ethiopian education policies. So, the data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request from anyone.

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Fekede Sileshi Fufa & Ketebo Abdiyo Ensene

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Corresponding Author of the article: Fekede Sileshi Fufa. Abera Husen (PhD, Assistant Professor). Ketebo Abdiyo (PhD, Associate Professor). Authors’ contribution statements 1. Initially, Fekede Sileshi convinced Abera Husen and Ketebo Abdiyo as the study should be conducted. 2. Then, Abera Husen devised the study's theory. 3. Fekede Sileshi and Ketebo Abdiyo verified the analytical methods of the study. 4. Abera Husen encouraged Fekede Sileshi to investigate the study. 5. Ketebo Abdiyo supervised the overall findings of this work.

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Fufa, F.S., Tulu, A.H. & Ensene, K.A. Exploring the significant problems confronting secondary schools history education: a baseline study. Discov Educ 3 , 52 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00132-8

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Received : 05 August 2023

Accepted : 06 May 2024

Published : 14 May 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00132-8

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