Impact of the National History Day in Ohio Program on Students' Performances

Abstract

This pilot study aimed at developing and validating an evaluation model to assess the impact of participation in the National History Day in Ohio program (NHD-OH) on students academic achievement and intellectual growth by using as key indicators: A) High-stakes tests, i.e., Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT) in Social Studies, Reading and Writing; B) Appreciation of history, and C) Development of critical thinking. Using a quasi-experimental study design, twenty-four tenth-graders participating in NHD-OH and twenty-four matched controls were used in the analysis to reduce the impact of selection bias. As a result of this study it was found that students participating in NHD-OH received statistically significant higher scores on the Social Studies OGT, Reading and Writing; and furthermore, demonstrated a deeper appreciation of history and a better ability to explore and integrate new perspectives.