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This thesis represents the close personal interest of the writer, one on which she has been reading for six years. The tragic events of the past three years have intensified the belief that if democracy ever overcomes the various "isms" which plague the world it will be because youth, through the schools, has become familiar with the ideals which have democracy birth and has developed a deep appreciation of the labor which enabled it to grow and flower. For this, a knowledge of the history of our country is not enough. Youth must know present problems and have the courage to face and the faith to overcome them. The richness of the California background has a particular appeal. Blending of the romance of Spain, the adventurous wanderlust of the Rocky Mountain men, the imperial dream of a Swiss, the land hunger of the emigrant, and the madness of the gold rush has given us a heritage different from that of any other state. This heritage of blood, combined with one equally rich in natural resources, offers a challenge no social studies teacher can ignore. This thesis consists of three parts: an introduction, a syllabus, and an appendix. The introduction gives the writer's ideas of the aims and objectives of such a course, the kind of room and equipment needed, and methods that should be used. The syllabus has been prepared in the form that would be used in the high schools of Sacramento. Each student would be given a mimeographed copy of each unit and would use it as a work outline. The first six units provide a background upon which the student would build his continued interest in the subject as he developed it in Unit VII. The appendix is a collection of miscellaneous materials to illustrate how the course can be made more interesting. The photographic work in the thesis is by James Stephens, a student in the department of education at the University of California, majoring in visual education at the University of California, majoring in visual education, and Jack Curtis and Parker Gilbert, students at C. K. McClatchy Senior HIgh School.

The purpose of the thesis was to examine the extent to which geography is integrated into history courses. This was done through analyses of the maps in eighth and tenth grade history books. Every map in each book was tabulated according to its purpose, characteristics, and cartographic techniques. The statistics which were gathered from these tabulations were then used as a basis for percentages of the maps devoted to various purposes. In addition to this, twenty-five maps were analyzed in detail, with an examination not only of the map, but of the accompanying text, and the method in which the map was integrated into the written portion of the book. Through these analyses, it was discovered that maps are very poorly utilized in these textbooks. Many maps were used which were not in an appropriate scale for the subject they were to portray. Also, it was common to see a map which appeared to be useful for illustrating one idea, applied in an entirely different manner. Often maps were not incorporated with the text, or located in appropriate sections of the books. Most books had some maps which were excellent, and used advantageously; these same books also misused maps. There was a great deal of inconsistency in the quality of maps, and how they were used. The conclusion drawn is a recommendation that more studies be done in this field, in an endeavor to further analyze the problem as it exists new, so that it can be corrected.

No description available.

D.Phil. / History at school and tertiary level is on the defence the world over. This ahistorical spirit of the times may be ascribed to many factors, particularly to the fact that history has, to a great extent, lost its relevance for the technical industrial community. The Schools Council in England held the view that history could be made more relevant by turning away from the traditional approach which emphasized memorizing facts, to an approach which places greater emphasis on the use of sources and the development of skills. Despite the high hopes which were entertained for the 'new' history, it could not arrest the waning interest in history. At present, new initiatives are in progress in England to further 'professionalize' the school subject. Although the entire philosophy of the project never gained acceptance in South Africa, traces of it may be perceived in the didactic and evaluation practices of most departments of education. As a consequence, more emphasis is now being placed on skills peculiar to the subject and the use of historical and archival material. In the history class, however, the primary purpose of the learning encounter ought to be understanding the past and not the development of skills. As skills are merely actions which demonstrate understanding they cannot be artificially separated from the learning content. Any accountable didactic practice will contribute to the development or historical skills, since that enables pupils to understand. history better. Moreover, pupils ought to be introduced to the historical method. To assume that they are able to deal with sources in the .sane way as historians, would, however, be pretentious. Evaluation should reflect this approach to the school subject. In the process the pupil's level of development should be taken into account. Although a pupil's full potential is actualized when he is faced by challenges, there are limits to his ability. Research findings indicate that most pupils only master the formal level of thinking in history at approximately sixteen years of age. Justice will be done to the school subject if a variety of evaluation instruments were to be used during examinations. The variety should, however, be functional and purposeful, directed at the evaluation of the total learning effect. Particular attention should be paid to the formulation of examination questions. They should be unambiguous and simple so that pupils would know exactly what they are expected to do. After all, the skill of setting a question lies in formulating the question in such a way that pupils know exactly what is required, but are at the same time forced to respond to the question in a specific cognitive manner. After an examination paper has been set and the memorandum written, an analysis ought to be made by means of a specification table in order to determine to what extent the aims peculiar to the subject have been evaluated.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The National Curriculum Statement (NCS) for history, in accordance with the pedagogy of Outcomes Based Education (OBE) and Curriculum 2005 (c2005), aims to make history learner-centred, emancipatory and skills-based . The inclusion of oral history in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase speaks to this methodology and aim , along with addressing the need to rewrite South Africa 's history and acknowledge the biases that exist in the written record. This study aimed to determine the perceptions, opinions and experiences in the implementation of oral history in the FET phase in selected schools in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) through the 'voices' of history subject advisors, history teachers and former history learners. To determine such perceptions, opinions and experiences, the methodology of qualitative research was employed. This included convenient sampling, semi-structured interviews and a document study. Data and document analysis followed, using the methods of coding. The research revealed that while the sampled history subject advisors, teachers and former learners view oral history in the FET classroom in a positive light, problems and difficulties are being encountered. The implementers of oral history and of all official curriculum policy documents are the subject advisors and the teachers. The various levels of implementation that take place based on the Department of Education (DoE) and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education (KZNDOE) policy documents, are being carried out to the best of the implementers' abilities under difficulties that can be associated with a new curriculum, new methodologies, and a new content that has to be delivered in accordance with the NCS and c2005. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

This study examines the teaching of primary and secondary sources in history at secondary and tertiary level. The various methods used to teach these aspects of the nature of history are compared to the Vista University teaching model. To establish the effectiveness of the vista Block A module for HIS100 students, two test instruments were devised to assess their skills in handling primary and secondary sources. Their skills in identifying relevant points from a passage of historical prose were also tested. A number of statistical techniques were applied to the data from the test instruments. This data was analysed in qualitative and quantitative terms. The results of this analysis suggested that students would probably benefit from a skills-orientated approach to studying history. On the basis of this study, it is recommended that the existing Vista teaching model be revised or amended so that a more effective method of teaching students about the nature of historical sources can be introduced.

M.Ed. / Present day society displays a noticeable concern with regard to public interest in history. The debate about the relevance of history is increasing. This concern is not unjustified if one closely examines the statistics of high school pupils taking history at matric level. Numerous reasons are given for the pupils' lack of interest in the subject and many academics, historians, teachers and other interest groups have come up with suggestions to counter this phenomenon regarding the lack of interest in history. The dissertation has as its aim the investigation of possible educative advantages in local history teaching and to prove how local history teaching, as an agent of broader history studies, can be used to boost and build pupil interest in history. Reference will be made to local history; what it is, how it fits into broader history and how it can be implemented at primary school level to counter some of the problems educators are experiencing regarding the lack of interest by pupils. Firstly, reference will be made to the educatiye principles underlying local history teaching and how these can be utilized by history teachers in an endeavour to enhance pupils' interest in the subject. Secondly, attention will be paid to the psychological development of pupils. One of the most important characteristics of any didactical situation is that the learning material should be designed in such a manner that it takes into account the intellectual development and abilities of pupils. This is an inherent feature of local history teaching and can be used by educators as a tool to counter the lack of interest that was refered to earlier. One of the reasons why pupils display a lack of interest in their history classes may be because of the traditional method of history teaching in which teachers tend to lapse into unilateral discussions. Local history, if taught correctly, involves active participation by pupils and it is through this active participation that pupils are exposed to the acquisition of historical skills. Pupils, through local history studies, can become critically aware, analytical, nonprejudicial and may strive to continiously seek the truth. Futhermore, the dissertation will argue that through the acquisition of such skills, pupils learn to find an objective, well-balanced and meaningful history and this in itself can lead to the cultivation and enhancement of interest in history, which is of vital importance to a subject that reflects a deteriorating interest-level. Lastly, the dissertation intends to prove that if the educative principles and cognitive values, encompassed in local history teaching are comprehensively explored at primary school level, this may help pupils acquire the necessary skills essential for futher studies in the subject and also vitally important for maintaining an interest level.