Designing a Model of Historical Reasoning Skills For History Students

From time immemorial, history has been an integral part of the school curriculum, as it is seen as a means by which students learn civic lessons that influence them to become reliable and useful citizens. In general, history education plays a significant role in transferring desirable social attitudes, values, and behaviors (Pote et al., 2010). Traditionally, the focus of history education has been on the content and transmission of historical knowledge as facts. In this model, a fixed set of historical content is conveyed by textbooks and instructors, with teachers explaining concepts while students listen and learn. This conventional approach has often rendered history lessons boring, reducing the subject to mere memorization of important and unchanging facts and data from the past. However, in the past two decades, many researchers in the field of history education have advocated for a shift from "teaching facts" to "developing students' historical reasoning abilities". There is a growing consensus that learning history involves more than just recalling past facts; it requires engaging with the "how" and "why" of historical events (Hsiao, 2004; Van Derry, 2005; Van Sledright & Lim, 2006; Van Derry & Van Baxtel, 2008; Monte Sano, 2008; Abbas et al., 2022). While mastering historical content remains essential, one of the primary goals of history education is to foster students' ability to think and reason historically. Students should not only learn what happened in the past but also critically engage with the context and significance of those events. This shift has opened new dimensions in the education systems of various countries, leading to international debates and controversies regarding the teaching of history in schools and universities. These discussions often relate the perceived lack of historical knowledge and engagement among young people to the curriculum and teaching methods employed. A closer examination reveals that these controversies signify a paradigm shift in educational thinking, particularly in history education. In this context, historical reasoning has emerged as a key construct for defining the goals of history education and the activities in which students should engage to learn effectively. Engaging students in historical reasoning is crucial for enhancing their understanding of historical events, situations, people, and developments. This engagement requires students to pose historical questions, comprehend context, think critically, and reflect on the causes and significance of events, as well as the potential outcomes of alternative courses of action (Van Sledright & Lim, 2006; Van Derry & Van Baxtel, 2008; Montesano, 2008; Pote, Maarouf, & Teck, 2010; Van Baxtel & Van Derry, 2013; Parks and Donnelly, 2014; Cartrow and Liu, 2014; Talin, 2015; Van Derry, Broxma, and Van Derry, 2015; Mendez and Tirado, 2016; Van Baxtel et al., 2018; Lewis & Rapanta, 2020). Historical reasoning can be described as the construction or evaluative assessment of processes of change and continuity, the explanation of historical phenomena, or the comparison of historical events or periods. This process involves utilizing central facts and concepts to create an orderly interpretive historical record, followed by analysis in relation to all aspects of that truth, allowing students to describe, explain, interpret, and support their views with well-founded arguments (Leinhart et al., 1994; Van Drey, 2005; Derry et al., 2005; Van Derry & Van Baxtel, 2008; Cartrow & Liu, 2014; Derry et al., 2015; Mendez & Tirado, 2016; Sandor et al., Kahn, 2022). Teaching historical thinking and reasoning emphasizes the "how" rather than the "what." Students learn to think critically about the past and historical events. The ability to reason historically is an important cultural practice within societies and is crucial for participation in a democratic society, contributing to the development of students' civic identity (Barça, Magalhas, & Castro, 2004; Van Derry, 2005; Van Derry & Van Baxtel, 2008; Lusk, 2008; Pote, Maarouf, & Teck, 2010; Van Baxtel & Van Derry, 2013; Sheehan, 2013; Mendez & Tirado, 2016; Hoijgen, et al, 2017; van Baxtel & van Derry, 2018; McGraw, et al, 2018). Despite extensive research in the field of historical reasoning, much of the literature reflects the contributions of Van Drey and Van Baxtel, with limited additional insights from other researchers. Furthermore, there is a notable scarcity of Farsi-language research in this area. These factors, along with obstacles to implementing this style of education—such as time constraints, inadequate educational resources, assessments focused on factual recall, and instructors lacking expertise in historical reasoning (Bain and Mairel, 2006)—have prompted the researchers of this study to analyze the competencies of historical reasoning in existing Farsi-language studies. Consequently, the present study aims to examine the historical reasoning competencies of history students. Mothod: This qualitative research was conducted using the seven-step method of Sandlowski and Barroso. The metacomposite team consisted of three lesson planning specialists and one expert in metacomposite research. Data analysis was performed using thematic analysis, with extracted factors considered as themes. These themes were classified based on concepts related to historical reasoning skills, resulting in the identification of a model comprising four foundational themes: historical awareness, awareness of transhistorical concepts and strategies, historical thinking, and historical skills. The reliability of the data was confirmed through transferability and alignment techniques, as well as through careful guidance of the information collection process and alignment among researchers.

The findings showed that historical reasoning skills help students to interpret and analyze historical events based on evidence, documents and wellfounded, reliable, reliable and first-hand sources.

Historical reasoning skills enable students to interpret and analyze historical events based on evidence, documents, and reliable first-hand sources. Additionally, these skills empower students to critically evaluate resources, minimizing the risk of errors in their practice.