Abstract
Approaches to the teaching and learning of history imply a series of changes and improvements which are adapted to the new epistemological and disciplinary contexts. This calls for a series of transformations in teaching approaches and methodological strategies in order to bring them more into line with the current model of history education. The purpose of this article is to analyse the validity of a questionnaire designed to identify the perceptions of in-service teachers regarding the teaching approaches they believe to be most appropriate for teaching history in primary and secondary/baccalaureate education in Spain. The research methodology employed was quantitative with a non-experimental design based on a Likert-type questionnaire. The sample is non-probabilistic and consists of 332 active teachers who teach history in primary and secondary/baccalaureate education in Spain. For the analysis of the data, a structural equation model was used based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The results indicate that the teachers surveyed identify three teaching approaches in accordance with the theoretical approach underlying the research. Specifically, a traditional approach based on the memorisation of content; an intermediate model in which there is interaction between teachers and students, through strategies such as discussion, and a third focused on students and the development of historical and critical thinking. These results have important implications for the initial and on-going training of teachers, especially in terms of content.
Highlights
The identification of teaching models is a complex but useful task as it enables the characterisation of teaching profiles and makes it possible for comparison both on a national scale and between countries
The results obtained in this study confirm that teachers in primary and secondary education perceive these three teaching approaches and those aspects or elements which most identify them
The current model of history teaching and the new epistemological and disciplinary contexts (Sáiz, 2013; Sáiz and Fuster, 2014; Miralles, 2017; Sáez et al, 2017; Sáiz et al, 2018; Verdú et al, 2018) indicate that, changes are taking place in terms of teaching and learning approaches in the social sciences, these are still insufficient to put an end to the pre-eminence of a traditional model in the classroom (Martínez et al, 2006)
Summary
The identification of teaching models is a complex but useful task as it enables the characterisation of teaching profiles and makes it possible for comparison both on a national scale and between countries. Various proposals have been put forward to classify teaching models taking into account different variables, such as teachers’ conceptions, students’ perspectives, teaching methodology and the education curriculum (Kember and Kwan, 2000; Samuelowicz and Bain, 2001; Biggs, 2005; Postareff et al, 2008). One of the most significant lines of research on an international level has been that developed by Trigwell and Prosser (2004) based on interviews carried out with teachers and a questionnaire known as the Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI) (Trigwell et al, 2005).
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