INQUIRY BASED LEARNING ON TEACHING CONTROVERSIAL HISTORICAL ISSUES – AN ACTION RESEARCH WITH PRE‐SERVICE TEACHERS

Authors

  • Papadimas Lampros PhD Candidate, Teacher, Department of Primary Education, University of Thessaly, Greece
  • Alexandra Stavrianoudaki PhD, Teacher, Department of Primary Education, University of Thessaly, Greece
  • Antonios Smyrnaios Professor, Department of Primary Education, University of Thessaly, Greece

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v9i9.4452

Keywords:

Controversial Historical Issues, collaborative investigation, pre‐service teachers' education

Abstract

Controversial Historical Issues are considered as an historical education topic which usually makes teachers feel uncomfortable to deal with pedagogically. A collaborative investigation is expected to be a suitable approach for teaching this kind of issue. This current research concerns the effects of an educational program for pre‐service teachers in their willingness to teach Controversial Issues through modern collaborative teaching practices. A six‐month program based on the basic principles of Inquiry Based Learning, related to Occupation‐Resistance‐Civil War thematic, has been implemented with fourteen pre‐service teachers. Data qualitative analysis showed that participants get familiarized with strategies and learning tools that help children draw valid conclusions, utilize source practices, and conduct their own enriched narrations about the controversial past. The major benefits and potential difficulties have also been revealed. After all, this training experience strengthens their perceived self‐efficacy since they acknowledge that a collaborative investigation is an effective approach to acquiring historical knowledge based on personal and group‐investigation processes.

 

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Author Biographies

  • Papadimas Lampros, PhD Candidate, Teacher, Department of Primary Education, University of Thessaly, Greece

    Lampros Papadimas specializes in Theory and Didactics of History, adopting critical views in the act of teaching controversial issues. He is a PhD candidate in the Department of Primary Education at University of Thessaly. He also works as a primary school teacher.

  • Alexandra Stavrianoudaki, PhD, Teacher, Department of Primary Education, University of Thessaly, Greece

    Alexandra Stavrianoudaki specializes in Teaching Methodology and especially in adopting Inquiry-based learning techniques in classroom. She holds a PhD in Teaching Methodology and Didactics of History from the Department of Primary Education at University of Thessaly. She also works as a primary school teacher.

  • Antonios Smyrnaios, Professor, Department of Primary Education, University of Thessaly, Greece

    Antonios Smyrnaios specializes in Theory and Didactics of History, Educational History and Contemporary Greek History. He is Professor of Didactics of History, Contemporary and Educational History in the Department of Primary Education at University of Thessaly.

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Published

2022-09-14

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 9 (2022)

Section

Articles

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