HISTORY ALIVE! : THE QUEST TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING WORLD HISTORY by TERRAE ANN FOGARTY (Under the Direction of KATHLEEN deMARRAIS) ABSTRACT In this case study of a 10th grade college preparatory classroom using the History Alive! curriculum, students’ levels of historical understanding were examined with a special focus on the use of visuals and their role in historical understanding. Using the Protestant Reformation as the unit of study, a class of 23 college preparatory students participated in a study which used engaging activities that aided students’ historical knowledge through the use of visuals and active involvement. A trained “History Alive!” teacher carried out a prescribed activity using two activities provided by the Teachers’ Curriculum Institute, creator of the History Alive! curriculum. Data collected through videotaping, response cards, individual homework assignments, and photo elicitation interviews indicated that visuals enabled historical knowledge rather than historical understanding. Historical knowledge was found to be gained in class and out of class and the size and color impacted understanding of visual elements. Students acquired historical knowledge through active involvement in the History Alive! activities, and the teachers’ mastery of the material and the History Alive! methods produced knowledge or misunderstandings of historical content. This study recommends that the History Alive! curriculum be further investigated at different tracking levels, that teachers receive professional development on content and methods to carry out lessons in the History Alive! curriculum, and the Teachers’ Curriculum Institute consider visual literacy research when choosing visuals for their curriculum. INDEX WORDS: History alive, Historical understanding, Knowledge, Curriculum, Visuals, Active involvement, Photo elicitation, Teaching strategies, Visual literacy, Misunderstanding HISTORY ALIVE! : THE QUEST TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING WORLD HISTORY by TERRAE ANN FOGARTY B. S. Ed., Georgia State University, 1986 M. Ed., Georgia State University, 1994 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2006 © 2006 Terrae Ann Fogarty All Rights Reserved HISTORY ALIVE! : THE QUEST TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING WORLD HISTORY by TERRAE ANN FOGARTY Major Professor: Kathleen deMarrais Committee: Rob Branch Todd Dinkelman Ronald VanSickle Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2006 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank those who have made this dissertation a reality. I have had the most unbelievable support at the University of Georgia, work, and especially at home. First, without the students and teacher that allowed me to enter their classroom, this study would not be possible. I want to thank them for opening their door to me with such graciousness. As I work full time in the classroom, I want to thank all my students who have struggled with me through this process. They have seen me work very hard for this and I hope that one day; they will experience this first hand and remember to stay the course. I also would like to thank my fellow teachers and administrators who have encouraged me throughout. The words of encouragement that you gave me helped me more than you will ever know. A special thank-you to Dr. deMarrais, who served as my major professor. Without her inspiration, encouragement, and guidance, I would not have finished. I have truly enjoyed working with her as a professor, mentor, and researcher. Your encouragement to stay the course really helped; especially when my life got crazy. Thank you. I want to also thank my other committee members, Dr. Rob Branch, Dr. Ronald Van Sickle, and Dr. Todd Dinkelman, for the support that they have given me throughout the years. Their doors were always open whenever I needed help or advice. I would also like to thank my mother and father. I don’t know what I would have done without their support. They were always there to pick up and drop off the kids whenever I need them. Whenever I wanted to collapse, they were there telling me “you can do it!” Thank You. v Finally, I would like to thank my husband and family for enduring this long arduous road with me. I will never be able to thank you enough for all the love and support that you gave me. You guys are the greatest. Thank you. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...........................................................................................................iv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................1 Historical Understanding...........................................................................................6 Visual Learning.........................................................................................................9 Purpose of Study.....................................................................................................11 Significance of the Study........................................................................................11 2 LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................................13 History Alive!..........................................................................................................13 Historical Understanding.........................................................................................18 Changes Across Age.........................................................................................19 Sequencing and Chronology........................................................................19 Explanation and Interpretation.....................................................................23 Elements of Understanding...............................................................................29 Qualities and Achievement..........................................................................29 Integration of Historical Thinking.....................................................................36 Classroom Implications.....................................................................................40 Teachers........................................................................................................40 Students........................................................................................................55 vii Visual Literacy........................................................................................................64 Processing Visuals.............................................................................................65 Influences on Processing...................................................................................71 Visual Dominance........................................................................................71 Dimension....................................................................................................73 Visual Types and Prior Knowledge..............................................................75 Cues and Their Affect..................................................................................78 Summary.................................................................................................................80 3 METHODOLOGY......................................................................................................83 Design and Sampling...............................................................................................83 Data Collection........................................................................................................87 Data Analysis..........................................................................................................92 Ensuring Quality......................................................................................................93 Trustworthiness.................................................................................................94 4 DESCRIPTION OF HISTORY ALIVE! CURRICULUM IN PRACTICE................96 Day One: Interactive Slide Lecture on the Protestant Reformation........................99 Day Two: Interactive Slide Lecture on the Protestant Reformation.....................108 Day Three: Interactive Slide Lecture on the Protestant Reformation...................124 Day Four: Problem Solving Groupwork on the Protestant Reformation..............137 Day Five: Problem Solving Groupwork on the Protestant Reformation...............149 Day Six: Interactive Slide Lecture on the Protestant Reformation.......................154 5 USING VISUALS TO ENHANCE HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE........................166 Visuals Enabled Differing Levels of Knowledge..................................................167 viii In Class............................................................................................................168 Out of Class.....................................................................................................174 Size and Color of Visuals Impact Knowledge......................................................188 Student Engagement in Activities Encouraged Historical Knowledge.................190 Teaching Strategies Furthered Historical Knowledge and Misunderstandings ..........................................................................................192 Summary...............................................................................................................200 6 DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS.....................................................................202 Implications...........................................................................................................210 Implications for Research......................................................................................210 Implications for Practice.......................................................................................211 Implications for Curriculum..................................................................................212 REFERENCES............................................................................................................................214