An analysis of predictors of history content knowledge: Implications for policy and practice

Abstract

Abstract:How and to what extent students learn history content is a complicated process, drawing from the instructional opportunities they experience; the policy prioritization of history/social studies instruction in schools; and their own cultural perspectives toward the past. In an attempt to better understand the complex inter-play among these dimensions, we examined relationships among student sociocultural characteristics, instructional exposure, and school-level variables and US History content knowledge. Using data from the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress Test on US History (NAEP-USH), multilevel analyses indicated that while sociocultural indicators (such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status) correlate with achievement, students' Education Policy Analysis Archives Vol. 25 No. 65 2 instructional exposure variables remain significant predictors of history content knowledge. Moreover, school context such as building-level demographics and state testing-policy predict between school variance in content knowledge and moderate the achievement gap. Results also suggest that, while a substantial achievement gap remains, exposure to text-based instructional practices is associated with increased knowledge. Findings from this study have policy implications for the development of a more inclusive social studies curriculum, the advocating of text-dependent instruction as a high-leverage practice among history teachers, and cautious consideration of tests as proxies for accountability in history education. Keywords: history education; social studies education; content knowledge; National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Un análisis de los predictores del conocimiento del contenido de la historia: Implicaciones para la política y la práctica Resumen: Entender cómo y cuántos alumnos aprenden sobre contenido histórico es un proceso complicado, basado en oportunidades de aprendizaje que los alumnos encuentran, en una política de priorización de la enseñanza de contenido histórico o de ciencias sociales, y en las perspectivas culturales de los alumnos sobre el estudio del pasado. Con el objetivo de entender la relación compleja entre los diversos aspectos en este proceso de aprendizaje, investigamos la relación entre características socioculturales de los alumnos, acceso a este tipo de enseñanza, y variables explicativas de escuelas y del conocimiento de la historia de los Estados Unidos. El resultado de nuestra modelación jerárquica indica que mientras variables socioculturales (raza, sexo y situación socioeconómica) se correlacionan con éxito, con datos de la Evaluación Nacional de la Prueba de Progreso Educativo en Historia Americana (NAEP-USH, por sus siglas en inglés) Académico, las variables de acceso a este tipo de enseñanza son parámetros importantes para el conocimiento del contenido histórico. Además, variables sobre la escuela, por ejemplo demografía de la escuela y políticas estaduales en cuanto a pruebas académicas, son parámetros relevantes en el análisis de varianza en con...

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