Historical representations and Singapore students’ ideas about the nature and purpose of history learning

Abstract

This article contributes to debates on how the history curriculum should be organised (i.e., thematically, or chronologically). It also contributes to the limited empirical research that employs a sociocultural approach to history education and the limited empirical research on history education in Singapore. Drawing on semistructured interviews with seven Singapore participants on their ideas about the nature and purpose of learning history, this article explores the implications of bringing together the disciplinary and collective memory approach to history education on students’ historical thinking and national identification.