‘Learning from history is something that is important for the future’: Why Australian students think history matters

Abstract

Research suggests young people generally do not perceive History to be a subject that is relevant to their lives and futures. Across the world, history curriculum policy regularly attracts public debate but, as it is usually dominated by political rhetoric, the students who experience it remain overlooked as policy actors with valuable perspectives. This article foregrounds the voices of Australian secondary school students by drawing on a national online survey that asked students about the relevance of History and the reasons for choosing it as a subject in the post-compulsory years. Concerned about lagging national enrolments in post-compulsory History subjects, we argue that student perspectives provide essential insights into understanding issues related to the status and sustainability of history education. Our thematic analysis demonstrates that students position the present and the future as key touchstones to measure the relevance of History. It explores how these themes relate to prevailing discursive conditions: popular discourse around the purpose of history, young people’s sense of temporality and hope during volatile times, and the futures discourse that frames the Australian curriculum policy context. The research provides impetus for innovating history curriculum policy and education policy more broadly in ways that are responsive to students.