Genom kunskaper om historien förstår vi nuet
En kvalitativ studie om gymnasieelevers uppfattningar av historieämnet
The purpose of this survey is to better understand how students in Swedish upper secondary school perceive knowledge in history. 44 students from two different schools took part in the survey. The students partaking were asked to make a rough plan for a course in history, in which they were to both suggest contents of the course and also motivate their choice of content by arguing their view of the purpose of knowledge in history. The results of the survey were then compared to the curriculum of the history subject. The survey shows that a majority of the students asked find modern history, especially World War 1 & 2, and Swedish history to be of importance. Regarding purpose the majority also regard history awareness as an important reason to study history. The greater part of the students asked regarded knowledge of history as necessary for understanding contemporary society. Thus most students share a perspective on the purpose of history similar to what is expressed in the curriculum. Other purposes proposed by the students include to learn from mistakes made in history or to achieve general knowledge. The survey also shows a correlation between how the students argue about history and the level of their history studies.