Abstract
Recently, heritage education has undergone significant development, consolidating itself as a scientific discipline in the last two decades. In this sense, it is a key element for teaching history and training social and civic skills. However, in Spanish school contexts the presence of heritage in connection with historical education is currently scarce and anecdotal. Transforming this situation necessarily involves knowing the opinion of future Secondary Education teachers about the possibilities that they grant to heritage to develop historical thinking. Only in this way it is possible to detect the needs that future teachers show to intervene in them and improve training processes at the university. Therefore, this paper analyses the perceptions of heritage in future secondary education teachers at three Spanish universities (Malaga, Almeria, and Murcia), with a total sample of 112 participants (n = 112). It combines a quantitative study using a Likert scale questionnaire, with a qualitative one, by means of a series of open questions about the participants’ perceptions of teaching methodologies and didactic resources. This allows some striking conclusions to be drawn, as well as certain contradictions that allude to the gap between the hegemonic forms of teaching that they have known as students, and those that they would like to develop when they enter teaching. These trainee teachers attach great importance to the use of tangible and intangible heritage to teach history and make it an attractive subject. They also show great interest in local history, museums, and new technologies. All of this is rarely used in the teaching of history in Spain at the Secondary Education stage, and therefore is a deficiency that future teachers recognize needs addressing. The teaching of heritage should promote a greater role for students, making them builders of their own learning. This means acquiring not only concepts, but above all skills and civic values, based on the study of heritage.
Highlights
Heritage education is one of the most prominent elements in social science teaching (Fontal and Ibáñez-Etxeberria, 2017)
To put into context the results taken from the Universities of Malaga, Almeria, and Murcia, and to establish comparisons with the results obtained at the national level (22 universities), where the “Questionnaire on approaches to the teaching of history” was applied, we look at the quantitative analysis carried out to determine which teaching resources are most highly valued by the teachers in initial training surveyed for teaching history
Returning to our initial objectives, in relation to the most suitable heritage resources for teaching history, the historical and cultural context is of particular importance, while at the same time the need to take advantage of the heritage manifestations that surround the students to bring them closer to local history is highlighted
Summary
Heritage education is one of the most prominent elements in social science teaching (Fontal and Ibáñez-Etxeberria, 2017). Educating future citizens in the study and preservation of heritage implies that they be aware of the elements of their immediate environment. To this end, work with primary sources and school outings are essential (Cooper, 2018; Vilarrasa, 2003). Work with primary sources and school outings are essential (Cooper, 2018; Vilarrasa, 2003) Often this nearby heritage is deteriorated or has disappeared when it loses its original functionality. It is a reflection of the society in which it emerged, of its daily life, desires, beliefs, means of production, and conflicts (Apaydin, 2018)
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