Problem Structuring of History Material for the Seventh Grade of Primary School

Abstract

Starting with Hegels thesis about the primacy of logical over historical and modern theories of learning, the author examines the effects of new ways of learning by experimental rotation of three factors in three school hours. By analyzing the covariance of two covariables, he examined the results of the tests at the end of every school hour. The unit was the happenings in Europe in 1848. The following factors were investigated: 1. work with the textbooks, 2a. heuristic strategy on the basis of problem teaching and the textbook, 2b. the study of concepts and the textbook, 3. concepts, heuristic strategy and the textbook. The interpretation of the results shows that the students accept immediately a new way of teaching (factors 2 and 3) since they generally achieve the same results as in the traditional learning process (factor 1). The author of this article thinks that the achievement of the same results at the first attempt is very valuable since it has to be presupposed that in longer periods of adaptation better results could be achieved. Previous results of this author confirm this. The work with textbooks with the rotation of the factors did not give better results in any case. In every group tested (two groups were formed with the aim of investigation factors 2 and 2b) better results were achieved only once with the help of concepts, heuristic strategies and the textbook (factor 3).The introduction of concepts as the preparation for the work with the textbook (factor 2b) did not give better results which proves that the acquisition of concepts is low. The heuristic strategy and the textbook (factor 2) gave better results only once. The questionnaire proves that the students accept new ways of learning so the author concludes that the problem structuring of the material is justified in the seventh grade of the primary school.