Development Of Historical Thought In Primary Education - Analysis Of An Intervention In Colombian Schools

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy

The study analyzes the development of historical thinking abilities in two groups of fourth graders in Colombian schools. It designs, implements, and evaluates a three-month pedagogical intervention with nine learning activities after an initial assessment. An Intervention Group receives the program, while a Control Group provides comparison. Assessment covers historical sources, narratives, and change and continuity. Results show the intervention group outperforms the control group, indicating that source-based work, identifying change/continuity, and narrative construction support complex historical knowledge building.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Research background in history didactics

Historical thinking and students’ concepts

Focus in Colombia

Study purpose and research question

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 45 Issue 11 | Article 6 | | --- | --- | | 2020
Development Of Historical Thought In Primary Education: Analysis Of An Intervention In Colombian Schools
Nancy Palacios Mena
Los Andes University, [n.palaciosm@uniandes.edu.co](n.palaciosm@uniandes.edu.co)
Paula Garcia
Los Andes University,, [pb.garcia@uniandes.edu.co](pb.garcia@uniandes.edu.co)
María Lucia Mosquera
Los Andes University, [ml.mosquera@uniandes.edu.co](ml.mosquera@uniandes.edu.co)
Natalia Alarcón
School teacher District of Bogotá, [natty02roots@mail.com](natty02roots@mail.com)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte) | | Recommended Citation Palacios Mena, N., Garcia, P., Mosquera, M. L., & Alarcón, N. (2020) . Development Of Historical Thought In Primary Education: Analysis Of An Intervention In Colombian Schools. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45(11) . Retrieved from [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss11/6](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss11/6) [This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[ ](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss11/6](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss11/6) Development of Historical Thought in Primary Education: Analysis of an Intervention in Colombian Schools Nancy Palacios Mena Paula Bibiana García Cardona María Lucía Mosquera Los Andes University, Bogotá, Colombia Natalia Alarcon Gama School teacher District of Bogotá, Colombia Abstract: The main goal ofthis study was to analyze the development of historical thinking abilities in two groups offourth graders in Colombian schools. The study consisted of the design, implementation, and evaluation of a three-month pedagogical intervention. After an initial assessment, nine learning activities were implemented. An Intervention Group (IG) received the intervention, while a Control Group (CG) served as a comparison. The assessment comprised three main areas (Historical Sources, Narratives, and Change and Continuity). The results of the intervention indicated that the IG performed better than the CG in the assessment. Introducing concepts that favor historical thinking development such as working with historical sources, identifying change and continuity, and constructing narratives, seems to promote the construction of historical knowledge in a complex way. Pedagogical interventions focused on the development of these concepts provide information on the progression of learning and the ability of children to understand the past. Introduction Although the reflection on best practices in the teaching of history is not new, a line of research on the didactics of history as a scientific field has been consolidated in recent decades. This development has been closely linked to innovation and educational renewal within the framework of a fruitful dialogue between the psychology of learning and the epistemology of history. Dominant lines of research have their origin in the 1970s in the United Kingdom, where they have continued to develop until today. These include substantive concepts, second-order concepts, ideas of students in relation to the concepts of empathy, causes and historical sources (Ashby et al, 2016; Lee, 2005; Lee et al, 2000, Tim et al, 2018; Baron, 2016; Boerman-Cornell, 2015) . The strengthening of the field continued in the 1990s in the United States and Canada, today the most productive countries have yielded studies focused on the teaching and learning history with children and youth (Levstik et al., 2005; Levstik et al., 2015; De Leur, 2017, Huijgen, et al, 2017 ; Palacios, 2019, 2021). Early on, scholars focused on the progressions in learning history (Levesque, 2008). Other authors were concerned about helping students develop historical awareness and historical thin

FAQs

What was the main goal of the study?

To analyze how historical thinking abilities develop in two groups of fourth graders in Colombian schools through a pedagogical intervention.

How was the intervention implemented and evaluated?

The study designed and carried out a three-month intervention with nine learning activities after an initial assessment, then evaluated outcomes using a comparison between an intervention group and a control group.

Which assessment areas were used to measure historical thinking?

The assessment comprised three areas: Historical Sources, Narratives, and Change and Continuity.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy