Carroll, James Edward; (2022) Characterising curricular goals for students’ written historical arguments after exposure to ‘recontextualised’ academic scholarship. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

History education stakeholders in England have consistently judged that some students find historical writing difficult. The resources provided by such stakeholders, however, have often demonstrated wastage, incoordination, and replication. For example, two largely disconnected discourses have developed initiatives regarding history students’ extended writing: ‘genre theorists’ and the ‘history teachers’ extended writing movement’. Drawing on Basil Bernstein’s work, some participants in both discourses have suggested they are ‘recontextualising’ academic history for the purposes of secondary education. Participants in these two discourses, however, have tended to talk past one another. One reason communication has been difficult is because of differing assumptions between the two discourses regarding what the curricular goals for students’ extended historical writing should be. Using Bernstein’s model as an interpretative framework, this thesis therefore aimed to perform curricular theorisation in order to help establish more commonly held curricular goals for history education stakeholders. A case study of a sequence of A-Level lessons on the causes of the Salem witch trials was conducted. During lesson planning, texts by historians and philosophers of history were analysed to determine teachable curricular goals for extended written historical causal explanations. Students’ essays were analysed to determine which of the goals the students had appeared to achieve, as well as to identify further possible goals that had not been preempted during the planning of the lessons. Finally, feedback was received from academic experts on the Salem witch trials on the appropriacy of the curricular goals and the extent to which the students had achieved them. The thesis identifies a variety of curricular goals from academic history which A-Level students with a range of prior-attainment levels were able to achieve. Based on the study, these goals and criteria for history curriculum designers when determining further curricular goals for students’ extended historical writing are recommended.

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