Historian opettajaopiskelijoiden näkemyksiä historian tietoteoreettisista lähtökohdista

We analyse what kinds of knowledge-theoretical approaches to history are articulated by teacher trainees, using the categorization of Alun Munslow and Keith Jenkins: the reconstructionist, constructionist and deconstructionist orientations. These orientations define the relationship between the past and the interpretations made of the past. The history teacher trainees in particular highlighted deconstructionist tendencies as the starting point for teaching, although they recognised that history teaching in general falls back on a tradition of a reconstructionist orientation. The findings of this study support the picture established by previous studies that teachers still perceive the role of school history as quite traditional, even though the studies and research on the theory of knowledge in historiography steer towards a more interpretative approach to history and the importance of the role of the researcher. This study offers insights into how teacher education should support this process of growth.