Mapping moral consciousness in research on historical consciousness and education - a summative content analysis of 512 research articles published between 1980 and 2020

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide a unique overview of how thirdorder concepts, linked to moral consciousness, are expressed in research articles on historical consciousness related to education, as well as to document how frequently the concepts are applied between 1980 and 2020. A count of word frequency says something about how popular (strong) a concept is during a particular period, while different themes of moral consciousness enable teachers, students, and researchers to broaden their perceptions and sharpen their (moral) judgment in their day-to-day reflections and practices. The following questions guide the study: 1. How do words signal good/bad and right/wrong in the texts about historical consciousness? 2. How frequently are the words mentioned? And 3. What kind of frames do the choices of words indicate for educational practice and purpose(s)? Very strong, strong, medium, and weak words have been located between 1980 and 2020 depending on how often the words are mentioned. Five themes were found and are reported on in this article: cosmopolitanism, democracy, emancipation, character building, and existential struggles, which all come with different frames for how to approach the past in relation to the present and future in history education.

Att söka efter den meningsskapande studenten

“…In the theory of history and social studies education it has been suggested that it can also be worthwhile to speak of third-order concepts that focus more on what is relevant to the students in teaching and learning of history. The content of the category of third-order concepts is not identical in the articles where the category is discussed (see Christensen, 2013;Jarhall, 2020;Ludvigsson, 2015;Edling et al, 2022;Alvén, 2021). But common to all of them is that third-order concepts are seen to relate to the social and cultural meaning that the knowledge in the focus of teaching and learning has for the student or a wider community.…”

The Levels of Historical Awareness and Treatment of Controversial Issues in Digital Environments: A Case Study of Future Spanish Secondary School Teachers

“…The analysis of the temporal variables 'past', 'present' and 'future' of historical awareness has been increasing its presence in the scientific educational literature in recent decades and, in particular, in the specific field of social sciences didactics (Edling et al, 2021;Ortega-Sánchez & Rodríguez-Lestegás, 2017;Santisteban, 2017;Popa, 2020). A good deal of research has been concerned with the analysis of temporal relations and the didactic transposition of third-order concepts in the teaching of social sciences.…”

Implementation of Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory in Student Character Development

“…Character education is part of an individual's awareness that impacts himself and his environment. In essence, character education emphasizes strengthening virtues, values, and capacities in order to create a complete social life (Edling et al, 2022;Muhtar et al, 2019).…”