This study is a qualitative exploration of the perceptions of teachers and learners in their encounters with the Holocaust. Research and literature on issues related to the Holocaust in education are limited in scope and in their consideration of 'teaching and learning issues'. The major concern is what pupils should learn about rather than how they learn. This means that not enough is currently, known about the impact of the Holocaust on teachers and learners. Thus,, a Delphi study was undertaken with ten Holocaust educators to problematise teaching in this area and to consider the preparation necessary for teachers. The Delphi also explored where learners were expected to struggle and provided a bridge to the pupil study. Delphi statements on the areas where pupils were expected to struggle were used as the basis for the pupil questionnaire and focus group interviews. Over a hundred pupils, aged 14, from four secondary schools in the West Midlands were involved in the study. The data collected from pupils made it possible to explore the nature of the impact on these learners and consider how they were able to utilise their own personal and intellectual resources to cope with their encounter. Analysis of data was undertaken to detail the areas of study that were difficult for the pupils in this study., This research contributes to knowledge about the impact of the Holocaust upon learners by exploring the perceptions of educators and using these as a base from which to investigate pupil understandings. The educators used to problematise the area provided an international cohort and thus the results of the Delphi study provide a unique 'dialogue' that goes beyond national boundaries and concerns. This broad base for the pupil study ensured that the research was not just based within particular national or local concerns about Holocaust education. The research findings support the initial perspective that previous research had merely scratched the surface of this vast topic by uncovering some of the ways in which the Holocaust impacted upon pupils. Research findings were set in the context of an experiential theory of pupil Holocaust learning. The main contribution of this research study is to provide evidence that 'teaching and learning' in a complex and controversial area like the Holocaust, must be set upon fine pedagogical foundations. Teachers need to be prepared for teaching about the Holocaust, and such preparation should be based on an understandingo f pupil learning in this area
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:264376 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Burke, Deirdre M. |
| Publisher | University of Wolverhampton |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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