While teaching in history classrooms has begun to step out of the past, a survey focused on young people's experiences learning history in schools suggests the ways history is taught could use an update.
A team of researchers led by University of Alberta education professor Carla Peck conducted the National Youth Survey — the first of its kind in more than 55 years — which saw more than 2,000 youth aged 10-18 respond to the online survey designed by members of the Thinking Historically for Canada's Future research partnership and conducted by Leger Marketing.
The research team reported 75 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "It is important to learn about the past." Students in secondary school rated the importance of learning about the past slightly higher than their younger peers did.
However, only 55 per cent of young people agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "I like learning history in school." Students in secondary school showed a slightly higher preference for learning history compared with elementary and junior high school students.
Of those who disagreed with the statement, "I like learning history in school" — 17 per cent of respondents — the most frequent explanation was that the subject is "boring."
Of the learning activities students reported doing in class, the most common included listening to the teacher describe and explain past events (78 per cent), reading and answering questions from the textbook (58 per cent), discussing topics with the whole class (55 per cent), writing notes from the board or from slides (53 per cent), studying and practising for tests and exams (46 per cent), talking about how the past connects to current events (46 per cent) and discussing topics with their classmates in small groups (45 per cent).
"Looking at these results, it is not surprising that many students were not enthusiastic about learning history in school, despite the fact that they view learning about the past as important," says Peck. "Most of these activities would fall into what are commonly referred to as traditional teaching practices, which are likely familiar to many adults who attended school long ago."
