The purpose of this study is to contribute to an increased awareness of how students perceive the subject of history and how they approach the subject of increasing their awareness, through meeting historical characters in novels and film. I am seeking the answer to what opinions students have about studying history, what experiences they have of novels and film as a means to teaching the subject and how they look at material that give life to the thoughts and feelings of historical people, aiming to increase historical awareness. The study is based on qualitative interviews with 15 students in secondary school, The interviews are based on open questions and originate from sociocultural perspective, with its base in phenomenology. The result indicates that students perceive that studying the subject is mainly about historical facts. Several students, and especially students with Swedish as a second language and students with language difficulties, mention that the subject is linguistically difficult, with hard to understand words and phrases. This seems to obstruct an increased awareness of history. The teachers role is considered important. Their capability to interact, explain and clarify is important to bring the subject alive. Students can see the benefits of novels and film to increase historical awareness and many wish for more of that kind of tuition to increase interest and perception. However, many find it difficult to see how this will fit in the time schedule. / Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med ett ökat medvetande angående elevers upplevelser av ämnet historia och om hur de ser på att öka sitt historiemedvetande genom mötet med gestaltande stoff via film och skönlitteratur. Frågorna jag söker svar på är vilka uppfattningar elever på grundskolans senare år har om ämnet historia, vilka erfarenheter de har om skönlitteratur och film i undervisningen, samt hur de resonerar om att använda skönlitteratur och film som en väg mot ett ökat historiemedvetande. Studien bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med 15 elever från grundskolans senare år. Intervjuerna bygger på öppna frågor och utgår från sociokulturellt perspektiv samt med en fenomenologisk ansats. Resultatet visar att eleverna upplever att historieämnet främst handlar om faktakunskaper. Flertalet elever, och då särskilt elever med svenska som andraspråk samt elever med språkliga svårigheter, lyfter fram att ämnet är språkmässigt svårt med många ord och begrepp, vilket verkar försvåra vägen mot ett ökat historiemedvetande. Lärarnas roll anses viktig och då främst genom interaktion med eleverna för att förklara och förtydliga men även som den som berättar och levandegör innehållet. Elevernas tankar om skönlitteratur och film som ett medel för att nå ett ökat historiemedvetande är splittrade och även om de flesta kan se fördelen med fiktiva berättelser samt att många önskar mer av den typen av undervisning för att öka intresset och förståelsen, har de svårt att se hur det ska hinnas med.

<p>“ if you only read the book … you get the knowledge into your head once. If you talk about it, you get a more distinct memory of it, I think” (Emma, 11)</p><p>This thesis shows how a novel by Maj Bylock, Drakskeppet, was used in education within thematic work, the Viking Age, among ten-year-olds and eleven-year-olds for five weeks. The aim of the project was to investigate if and how pupils create or develop an historical consciousness when they had written and talked about the text in a novel. The study examines and analyses how three pupils in particular look upon history and ‘time’ in this process and if identification with characters in the novel takes place.</p><p>In the theoretical framework, which focuses on Judith Langer and her theories on ‘envisionment building’, that is on how children create text worlds , a general survey presents research findings about how children (10-12 years) interpret fiction. Furthermore the very complex construct of ‘historical consciousness’ is discussed.</p><p>In the second part, the study is described and its results are discussed: When these children form their personal historical consciousness their focus on the past and the present is apparent, while they have few links to the future. From the way characters’ lives are presented in Drakskeppet these young readers notice social differences in this fictional society of the past. Even though they also see parallels with the time they live in, they often conclude that ”things were worse” in the past. Another result is that an historical consciousness is generally developed when children can emotionally connect to their own lives.</p><p>A second conclusion drawn in the analysis of this project is that children should read fiction to learn about and understand History. In thematic work of this kind, pupils are offered opportunities to develop their reading and interpreting capacities even though the purpose of the work is the emergence of the pupils’ historical consciousness. It should be understood from this investigation, though, that reading without talking about the texts seems to have very little effect on how children develop their understanding of texts or an historical consciousness.</p>

“ if you only read the book … you get the knowledge into your head once. If you talk about it, you get a more distinct memory of it, I think” (Emma, 11) This thesis shows how a novel by Maj Bylock, Drakskeppet, was used in education within thematic work, the Viking Age, among ten-year-olds and eleven-year-olds for five weeks. The aim of the project was to investigate if and how pupils create or develop an historical consciousness when they had written and talked about the text in a novel. The study examines and analyses how three pupils in particular look upon history and ‘time’ in this process and if identification with characters in the novel takes place. In the theoretical framework, which focuses on Judith Langer and her theories on ‘envisionment building’, that is on how children create text worlds , a general survey presents research findings about how children (10-12 years) interpret fiction. Furthermore the very complex construct of ‘historical consciousness’ is discussed. In the second part, the study is described and its results are discussed: When these children form their personal historical consciousness their focus on the past and the present is apparent, while they have few links to the future. From the way characters’ lives are presented in Drakskeppet these young readers notice social differences in this fictional society of the past. Even though they also see parallels with the time they live in, they often conclude that ”things were worse” in the past. Another result is that an historical consciousness is generally developed when children can emotionally connect to their own lives. A second conclusion drawn in the analysis of this project is that children should read fiction to learn about and understand History. In thematic work of this kind, pupils are offered opportunities to develop their reading and interpreting capacities even though the purpose of the work is the emergence of the pupils’ historical consciousness. It should be understood from this investigation, though, that reading without talking about the texts seems to have very little effect on how children develop their understanding of texts or an historical consciousness.

<p>“ if you only read the book … you get the knowledge into your head once. If you talk about it, you get a more distinct memory of it, I think” (Emma, 11)</p><p>This thesis shows how a novel by Maj Bylock, Drakskeppet, was used in education within thematic work, the Viking Age, among ten-year-olds and eleven-year-olds for five weeks. The aim of the project was to investigate if and how pupils create or develop an historical consciousness when they had written and talked about the text in a novel. The study examines and analyses how three pupils in particular look upon history and ‘time’ in this process and if identification with characters in the novel takes place.</p><p>In the theoretical framework, which focuses on Judith Langer and her theories on ‘envisionment building’, that is on how children create text worlds , a general survey presents research findings about how children (10-12 years) interpret fiction. Furthermore the very complex construct of ‘historical consciousness’ is discussed.</p><p>In the second part, the study is described and its results are discussed: When these children form their personal historical consciousness their focus on the past and the present is apparent, while they have few links to the future. From the way characters’ lives are presented in Drakskeppet these young readers notice social differences in this fictional society of the past. Even though they also see parallels with the time they live in, they often conclude that ”things were worse” in the past. Another result is that an historical consciousness is generally developed when children can emotionally connect to their own lives.</p><p>A second conclusion drawn in the analysis of this project is that children should read fiction to learn about and understand History. In thematic work of this kind, pupils are offered opportunities to develop their reading and interpreting capacities even though the purpose of the work is the emergence of the pupils’ historical consciousness. It should be understood from this investigation, though, that reading without talking about the texts seems to have very little effect on how children develop their understanding of texts or an historical consciousness.</p>

Syftet med den föreliggande undersökningen är att få kunskap om hur undervisning kan förbättra elevers lärande vad det gäller elevers historiemedvetande. Metoden som under- sökningen använde sig av är en learning study, ett kollektivt samarbete mellan historielärare som riktar fokus på elevers lärande. Genom utvärderingen av det samlade datamaterialet besvarades undersökningens frågeställningar Vilka är de kritiska aspekterna för att elever i årskurs 8 ska kunna utveckla en högre grad av historiemedvetande, och Vilka centrala punkter i undervisningens upplägg gör positiv skillnad för elevers lärande? Resultatet visar att de deltagande pedagogerna identifierade tre kritiska aspekter som anses vara avgörande för en undervisning med målet att utveckla elevers historiemedvetande: 1. Eleverna behöver integreras i undervisningen som deltagande berättare. 2. Undervisning behöver skapa en meningsfull förbindelse mellan elevers vardag, de historiska händelserna och elevers föreställning om framtiden. 3. Undervisning behöver involvera elevers närmiljö, såsom den lokala historien eller elevers egen släkthistoria. När det gäller undersökningens andra frågeställning, visar resultatdelen att pedagogerna identifierade två centrala punkter i undervisningen som skulle kunna göra positiv skillnad för elevers lärande: Undervisningen som genomförs på ett varierat sätt skapar intresse bland eleverna. Detta anses som grundförutsättning för all lärande. Dessutom höjer en inkludering av elevers närmiljö elevers förståelse för ämnet genom att relatera abstrakta händelser till elevers vardag. / The purpose of this study is to gain knowledge of how teaching can improve pupils’ understanding of historical consciousness. The theoretical method that is used in this study is a learning study, which is the mutual co-operation of history teachers with the focus on pupils’ learning. An evaluation of the collected data answers the following questions used in this study: Which teachings are critical for pupils’ in grade 8 to improve their historical consciousness and Which main aspects in teaching situations can create a positive difference to pupils’ learning? This study shows that the participating teachers identified three critical aspects which are key for an education with the focus of improving historical consciousness: 1. Pupils have to be involved in teaching situations as participating narrators. 2. Teaching situations have to create a meaningful connection between pupils’ everyday reality, historical events and pupils’ imagination of the future. 3. Teaching situations have to involve pupils’ own living environment, for example local history or the history of pupils’ own relatives. If it comes to the second question the study shows that the teachers identified two main aspects in teaching situations which can create a positive difference to pupils’ learning: Teaching situations that are performed in a varied way generate more interest among pupils.This is regarded as essential for all forms of learning. Furthermore, an inclusion of the pupils’ own living environment enhances the pupils’ understanding for the topic because abstract events then relate to the pupils’ life.

This thesis by publication contains an introductory summary chapter and three papers. The first paper presents a study of how the concept of historical consciousness has been defined, applied, and justified in Swedish history didactical research. It finds that there is consensus regarding the definition of what a historical consciousness is, but that there is variation in how the concept is applied. It is suggested that this variation makes historical con­sciousness a complex and vague concept.      The second paper uses the results presented in the first paper as a point of departure and from thence argues for a broadened understanding of the concept of historical consciousness that incorporates its definition, applica­tion, development, and significance. The study includes research about his­torical consciousness primarily from Sweden, the UK, the USA and Canada. The paper presents a typology of historical consciousness and argues that level of contextualisation is what distinguishes different types of historical consciousnesses and that an ability to contextualise is also what makes his­torical consciousness an important concept for identity constitution and morality.      The third paper proposes a methodological framework of historical con­sciousness based on the theory of historical consciosusness presented in the second paper. It presents arguments for why the framework of historical consciousness proposed can be useful for the analysis of historical media and it discusses how aspects of the framework can be applied in analysis. It then presents a textbook analysis that has been performed according to the stipulated framework and discusses its results regarding how textbooks can be used to analyse historical consciousness and its development. / Forskarskolan Historiska Medier (ForHiM)

What has happened affects our lives as well as our actions; the past is inseparably connected to the present and to the future. Although this relation exists, it is not that simple to bring it up when teaching history. However, if that is never done, the subject might be considered irrelevant. This study aims therefore to research in what way history teachers create a relation between past, present and future in their teaching, and how they look upon this issue. To make these dimensions in time visible in an empiricist analysis, the theory starts from the concept of historical consciousness. Historical consciousness is a mental process within each person, where reflections of the past create an understanding of the contemporary, thus creating conceptions of the future. The empirics have been gathered through semi structural interviews with three teachers at upper secondary school, that all are interested in – as well as working with – historical consciousness. The tools of analysis are Klas-Göran Karlsson’s historical mental operation “historiska tankeoperation” and the critical narrative of Jörn Rüsen’s typology of historical narrations.   The result suggests four different strategies of teaching that can be utilized to create a relation between the three dimensions of time. (1) Future scenarios may be discussed from historical courses of events and lines of development. (2) History may be used to draw conclusions and to learn from. (3) Historical consciousness may be made visible through reflections of how our individual experiences affect our lives today, and how they affect our future actions. (4) Alternative interpretations and narratives about the past may be used to affect, or to change, the students’ conception of something today or/and in the future. / Det förflutna påverkar våra liv och våra handlingar, dåtiden står i en oupplöslig förbindelse med nutiden och framtid. Trots att denna relation existerar så är det inte så enkelt att belysa den i historieundervisning och om detta inte görs så riskerar historieämnet att uppfattas som irrelevant. Denna studie undersöker därmed hur historielärare ser på och skapar en relation mellan dåtid, nutid och framtid i historieundervisningen. För att få syn på dessa tidsdimensioner i en empirisk analys så utgår teorin ifrån begreppet historiemedvetande. Historiemedvetande är en mental process hos varje människa där reflektioner av det förflutna ger en förståelse för den egna samtiden och där igenom skapar uppfattningar om framtiden. Empirin har samlats utifrån semistrukturella intervjuer med tre gymnasielärare som är intresserade av och arbetar med historiemedvetande. Analysverktygen består av Klas-Göran Karlssons historiska tankeoperation och den kritiska berättelsen ifrån Jörn Rüsens berättelsetypologi.    Resultatet visar på fyra undervisningsstrategier som kan användas för att skapa en relation mellan de tre tidsdimensionerna. (1) Framtida scenarion kan diskuteras utifrån historiska skeende och utvecklingslinjer. (2) Historien kan användas för att dra slutsatser och lärdom av. (3) Historiemedvetande kan synliggöras genom reflektioner av hur våra individuella erfarenheter påverkar våra liv idag och våra framtida handlingar. (4) Alternativa tolkningar och berättelser om det förflutna kan användas för att påverka eller förändra elevernas uppfattning om någonting idag och/eller i framtiden.

“ if you only read the book … you get the knowledge into your head once. If you talk about it, you get a more distinct memory of it, I think” (Emma, 11) This thesis shows how a novel by Maj Bylock, Drakskeppet, was used in education within thematic work, the Viking Age, among ten-year-olds and eleven-year-olds for five weeks. The aim of the project was to investigate if and how pupils create or develop an historical consciousness when they had written and talked about the text in a novel. The study examines and analyses how three pupils in particular look upon history and ‘time’ in this process and if identification with characters in the novel takes place. In the theoretical framework, which focuses on Judith Langer and her theories on ‘envisionment building’, that is on how children create text worlds , a general survey presents research findings about how children (10-12 years) interpret fiction. Furthermore the very complex construct of ‘historical consciousness’ is discussed. In the second part, the study is described and its results are discussed: When these children form their personal historical consciousness their focus on the past and the present is apparent, while they have few links to the future. From the way characters’ lives are presented in Drakskeppet these young readers notice social differences in this fictional society of the past. Even though they also see parallels with the time they live in, they often conclude that ”things were worse” in the past. Another result is that an historical consciousness is generally developed when children can emotionally connect to their own lives. A second conclusion drawn in the analysis of this project is that children should read fiction to learn about and understand History. In thematic work of this kind, pupils are offered opportunities to develop their reading and interpreting capacities even though the purpose of the work is the emergence of the pupils’ historical consciousness. It should be understood from this investigation, though, that reading without talking about the texts seems to have very little effect on how children develop their understanding of texts or an historical consciousness. / <p>Licentiatavhandling i litteraturvetenskap: alternativet Svenska med didaktisk inriktning</p>

The purpose of this study is to see how three history teachers in year 4 and 5 uses historical narratives in order to bring their students historical consciousness. In order to investigate this, two questions were formulated: To what extent and how do history teachers in three middle school classes use Jörn Rüsen’s principals by historical narration bring historical consciousness to their pupils?  How do teachers define Historical consciousness? These questions are answered by observing six history lessons in three different schools in different parts of Stockholm and interviewing the teachers afterwards. The outcome of these observations and interviews has been analysed using the three principals for historical consciousness by historical narration Memory, Continuity and Function and the theories of historical consciousness by Jörn Rüsen. This theory has then been further developed to better suit the study and illustrate further results. The conclution of this study shows that the teachers in these three classes have three different definitions of the term Historical consciousness and that they only bring historical consciousness by historical narration to their pupils a few times.

This thesis by publication contains an introductory summary chapter and three papers. The first paper presents a study of how the concept of historical consciousness has been defined, applied, and justified in Swedish history didactical research. It finds that there is consensus regarding the definition of what a historical consciousness is, but that there is variation in how the concept is applied. It is suggested that this variation makes historical con­sciousness a complex and vague concept.      The second paper uses the results presented in the first paper as a point of departure and from thence argues for a broadened understanding of the concept of historical consciousness that incorporates its definition, applica­tion, development, and significance. The study includes research about his­torical consciousness primarily from Sweden, the UK, the USA and Canada. The paper presents a typology of historical consciousness and argues that level of contextualisation is what distinguishes different types of historical consciousnesses and that an ability to contextualise is also what makes his­torical consciousness an important concept for identity constitution and morality.      The third paper proposes a methodological framework of historical con­sciousness based on the theory of historical consciosusness presented in the second paper. It presents arguments for why the framework of historical consciousness proposed can be useful for the analysis of historical media and it discusses how aspects of the framework can be applied in analysis. It then presents a textbook analysis that has been performed according to the stipulated framework and discusses its results regarding how textbooks can be used to analyse historical consciousness and its development. / Forskarskolan Historiska Medier (ForHiM)