1. Building Multiple Historical Perspectives: An Investigation of How Middle School Students Are Influenced by Different Perspectives.
- Author
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Ogawa, Masato
- Abstract
In U.S. middle school social studies and history classrooms the prevalent modes of instruction continue to be the traditional large group, teacher dominated and controlled recitation and lecture based primarily on the textbook. Many researchers, however, criticize the reliance on textbook-based teaching in classrooms, since they consider social studies and history textbooks to be biased, superficial, or poorly written, presenting history from a single perspective with few conflicting ideas. Analysis of middle school students' study of World War II--their receptiveness to and acquisition of multiple perspectives--was undertaken in a qualitative study conducted during a 3-week period in a middle school in northeast Georgia. Seven sixth grade case study students were selected by their teacher from two social studies classes. Two oral history narrators, one U.S. and one Japanese World War II veteran, visited the classroom during the unit of study. Three principal data sources were used: interviews with the teacher and the seven students, classroom observations and participation, and students' written assignments. Through a comparative textbook analysis activity and the teacher's instruction about the atomic bombing, three students' knowledge and perspectives advanced. All students' knowledge about World War II dramatically advanced after the oral history activity. The teacher also played an important role in helping students advance their knowledge and construct their perspectives. The study furthered the understanding of students' historical understanding, historical inquiry, perspective taking, and cross-cultural understanding between Japan and the United States. Contains 85 references. (BT)
- Published
- 2001