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Reviews
| Researching History Education, Theory, Method and Context, by Linda S. Levstik and Keith C. Barton. New York: Routledge, 2008. 423 pages. $49.95, paper.
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| This book gathers together, into one volume, the scholarship of two investigators who have published widely on history education over the last two decades. Linda Levstik and Keith Barton, in separate studies and together, conducted intensive interviews of students, and also sometimes teachers, probing such important topics as students' use and understanding of historical evidence, their comprehension of historical time and historical significance, and their reliance on historical narrative as ways of learning about the past. The results from thirteen of their studies are reprinted in this volume, along with six brand new chapters that elaborate on the research process that guided them especially the "theory, method and context" that influenced their work (p. xii). |
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A project investigating connections between historical significance and national identity is a good example of how the authors explain their research. In this case, the authors' research is informed by theory concerning "vernacular" histories (p. 230), or histories that stem from personal experience. Vernacular histories may stand apart from and even in opposition to the master narrative of American progress. The authors find, through careful interviews with students, that some students struggle to reconcile the dissonance between vernacular histories, such as ones based upon a student's experience with race or gender discrimination, with the traditional classroom history emphasizing the gradual development of American rights. The authors suggest that social studies teaching that introduces students to the variety of perspectives surrounding a historical topic can make history learning more relevant to students by providing an enlarged historical framework in which they can integrate their own experiences. |
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Another intriguing study concerns students' use and understanding of historical evidence. Although students demonstrate the ability to analyze and interpret historical evidence, they sometimes fail to make use of the same evidence when drawing conclusions. There are no definitive reasons why this occurs, but Barton does suggest strategies to help students develop these skills. One of the strengths of this book is that the authors are mindful to discuss the implications of their research for the classroom. Even though most of the research focuses on history learning among kindergarten to middle school students, there is plenty in this volume for higher education. High school and college teachers face challenges similar to those experienced by teachers in lower grades when they ask their students to think critically about historical evidence and then use that evidence when developing an argument. |
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The final section of the book focuses on international comparisons and on the role of archaeology in history education. The authors report on two comparisons. between the United States and Northern Ireland and between the United States and New Zealand. which demonstrate the significant influence of national narratives in shaping how and what students learn about history. The difference between narratives is what stands out. The U.S. narrative emphasizing material progress, for example, contrasts sharply with Northern Ireland's emphasis on analyzing discrete societies overtime. The section on archaeology corroborates earlier studies about limitations in students' use and analysis of evidence, only in this case referring to artifacts. At the same time, the authors hold out the possibility that archaeology offers students another important way of learning about diversity and change over time. |
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The more accessible the scholarship of teaching and learning becomes, the more likely it is that we will learn what we have in common across grade levels, and then make thoughtfully coordinated improvements. This book makes an important contribution to the conversation about history learning by making multiple studies available to a wide audience. History educators and social studies teachers, both prospective and experienced, should find this book useful. The endnotes in the volume also provide a valuable resource for those who want to know more about the literature on the various questions investigated in the book. |
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| University of Central Missouri |
Sara Brooks Sundberg |
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