Rethinking Historical Relevance in the 21st Century: An Exploration of Historical Consciousness Among High School Students in Norway

Abstract

This paper delves into the history culture and historical consciousness among high school students in Western Norway, drawing on a survey of 274 participants. It examines their perceptions of history and interests in the subject, employing both quantitative analysis of scaled questions and qualitative exploration of open-ended responses. Through pattern-matching, the study identifies key themes and perspectives in students’ answers, highlighting the significant influence of both epistemological and phenomenological aspects of history education in the expression of interests and relevance. Specifically, the research uncovers how students justify their interest or desinterest in history through four distinct chronotopes: actualisation, distanciation, anticipation and disconnection. The study advocates for history educators to cultivate a model of critical historical consciousness by encouraging social, cultural and political engagement and integrating metacognitive teaching activities that emphasize the question of historical relevance.