“Some people think history is a vital part of our world. Others don’t care”: Analysing Australian school students’ perspectives on studying History

In a previous project we found that enrolments in senior History subjects were either in decline, or at best, stagnating across Australian schools. With more students than ever completing secondary school, why are fewer choosing to study History? With no current data available on students’ perspectives, we wanted to ask them why they do or do not choose to study History in the senior years and find out what factors influence their subject choices. This seminar will present some snapshots of the preliminary findings of a national survey of years 10, 11 and 12 students, revealing insights about what young people value about history, the spaces they engage with history outside of school, the sorts of topics they want to see more and less of and their views on its relevance to their lives and futures.

Dr Rebecca Cairns has been a lecturer in the Deakin School of Education since 2015 and currently teaches in the Humanities Education team, based in Geelong. Her curriculum inquiry research spans history education, studies of Asia, and education policy.

Dr Kerri Garrard is a lecturer in Humanities Education for the School of Education in the Faculty of Arts and Education. Kerri teaches in the field of History curriculum and pedagogy and Humanities in primary and secondary education.

You can join us online via zoom, or in person at Waurn Ponds (iC2.108) or Burwood (C2.05).