Open research questions in Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy

What the literature leaves open

• Based on the examinations conducted and the conclusions reached within the scope of the study, the following recommendations have been developed: • Quasi-experimental designs with control groups can be implemented to test the effectiveness of Michaelis and Garcia’s concept teaching strategy at different grade levels in social studies. Such studies conducted particularly at the 5th and 6th grade levels are thought to contribute to revealing the concrete effects of the strategy on conceptual learning processes. • Qualitative research can be conducted to identify students’ and teachers’ experiences, perceptions, and difficulties with the strategy. Studies using designs such as observation, interview, and action research in combination are thought to allow for a more detailed evaluation of the strengths and aspects requiring improvement in the classroom applications of the strategy. 15 Journal of Human and Social Sciences (JOHASS), 2026, 9(1), 1-21.

  A Theoretical Perspective on Concept Teaching in Social Studies Education: An Examination of the Michaelis and Garcia Concept Teaching Strategy · 2026 · DOI

• emerged as one of the most pervasive concerns among participants. Participant 1 stated: "Another challenge was the lack of official instructional materials. Since there were no established textbooks or complete learning modules, we relied heavily on our own resources." Participant 2 similarly remarked: "There were no complete references available. We had to search for historical sources, validate them, and create our own learning materials." This proves the heavy workload experienced by the teachers during the process of implementing the curriculum. With no standardized resources available, teachers spent much time in developing the teaching materials. Even as participants were committed, they recognized that such situations contributed to an increase in their workload as well as creating inconsistencies in their teaching environments. These results match Aya-ay et al. (2026), who suggest that institutions being prepared and having adequate successfully implementing the Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum. In addition, the absence of learning resources was identified as a challenge by Fuentes (2026). are key resources elements in Demanding Institutional Support. Participants emphasized the importance of stronger institutional support systems. Participant 3 stated: "We need teacher guides, assessment exemplars, and localized learning materials. These resources would help ensure consistency and quality in implementation." It captures the wider worry that sustainability of implementation is at stake here. The educators saw the potential in the curriculum but argued that sustainable success in implementing the curriculum depended on the level of institutional support that it had received. Specifically, they called for (a) thorough lesson plans, (b) historical documents that are available, (c) assessment criteria, and (d) local content materials. Their observations support the view of Aya-ay et al. (2026), who recommend prioritizing teacher preparation, resource allocation, and implementation strategies in curriculum reform initiatives. DOMAIN 3: PROCESS EVALUATION Theme 3: Adapting Instructional Practices Amidst Pedagogical Friction and Pilot Implementation Stress a continuous process of The third main theme describes how the participants felt about the implementation of the PKLP curriculum in practice in the classrooms. The description reveals a situation in which there is instructional experimentation, and professional learning on the part of teachers. Although the participants face a number of problems regarding lack of readiness and availability of resources, they also show considerable professional initiative in making modifications to their instructional practices in accordance with the curriculum’s demands. adaptation, Facilitating Learner-Centered Dialogue. One of the most notable instructional shifts reported by participants was the transition from traditional lecture-based teaching to learnercentered and discussion-oriented approaches. Participant 2 explained: "I noticed that students became more engaged when discussions were open and interactive. Instead of simply providing information, I encouraged them to share opinions and evaluate evidence."

  LIVED EXPERIENCES OF TEACHERS IN IMPLEMENTING AND EVALUATING THE PAG-AARAL NG KASAYSAYAN AT LIPUNANG PILIPINO CURRICULUM: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY · 2026 · DOI

• Further research could involve long-term studies which will track the implementation process within PKLP over several years. Through such research, more information can be gained about the experiences of teachers as the implementation process continues and whether or not the difficulties encountered at the early stages of implementation continue to persist. Additionally, future research should involve sample sizes of greater number and diversity. Comparison studies among public and private institutions, urban and rural communities, and regions throughout the Philippines can help gain more insight about the factors affecting curriculum implementation. in their work, In the future, researchers need to involve various stakeholders school administrators, curricula experts, and policymakers. The inclusion of different perspectives in evaluation will allow the researcher to obtain more comprehensive and detailed data concerning both the results achieved and the process itself. such as students, Mixed-method researches, involving qualitative and quantitative methods, should also be conducted. For example, researchers can focus on analyzing measurable achievements associated with increased historical consciousness, critical thinking, information literacy, and civil activities while also exploring the experience of students and educators in this regard. The last recommendation concerns the examination of other teacher development programs that do not follow the instance, researchers can cascade investigate mentoring, professional learning community, coaching, and online training to learn which models are more effective in this context. training paradigm.

  LIVED EXPERIENCES OF TEACHERS IN IMPLEMENTING AND EVALUATING THE PAG-AARAL NG KASAYSAYAN AT LIPUNANG PILIPINO CURRICULUM: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY · 2026 · DOI

• Antioquia and based on an extensive process of regional collective the workshops, incorporation of the CAEHC (MEN, 2026). This document represents the first comprehensive update of the curricular framework in this field since 2002 and is presented as “a profound reconfiguration of the formative purpose of social sciences, aimed at integrating knowledge, ethics, identity, participation, research, and social action” (MEN, 2026, p. 26). The central question guiding this article is twofold: To what extent does the 2026 update overcome the accumulated cognitive the curricular frameworks of 2002 and 2016? And, more importantly, can a curricular update—no matter how well grounded—transform classroom practices without a sustained policy of teacher professional development? This article argues that the answer to the first question is moderately positive: the 2026 guidelines represent a genuine epistemological advancement by positioning historical thinking as a structural axis, shifting toward assessment for learning, and into integrating nine dimensions of being comprehensive education. However, the answer to the second question is decidedly negative: without continuous training, context-sensitive pedagogical support, and teacher education programs that translate these aspirations into concrete professional competencies, the new guidelines risk becoming yet another well-intentioned document that ends up archived on the shelves of education departments. imprecision is not harmless: 2. Theoretical–Normative Framework 2.1. Cognition from Neuroeducation and Cognitive Psychology: Terminological Clarifications A persistent weakness in official Colombian documents has been the interchangeable use of the terms skill, ability, and competence, which creates conceptual ambiguity and makes it difficult to guide pedagogical practice (Vasco, 2003; Acosta & Vasco, 2013). This it determines what is taught, how it is assessed, and the type of cognitive subject that is ultimately formed. From cognitive psychology, skill is defined as the aptitude developed through deliberate practice to perform specific mental operations—such as analyzing, classifying, inferring, and synthesizing— with increasing efficiency and precision (Gilar Corbi, 2003; Pulido, 2018). Capacity, in contrast, refers to the individual’s cognitive potential to deploy skills in complex and variable situations; it is a broader construct that integrates biological, psychological, sociocultural dimensions (Céspedes, 2014; Carroll, 1993). Finally, competence, and 2026 (MEN, political; cognitive; communicative contexts” the 2026, document as defined by Vasco (2003), is a “flexible know-how that can be applied in different contexts,” but it is not limited to knowing and knowing how to do; it also encompasses knowing how to be and how to live within contexts (Restrepo, 2005). It is significant that the 2026 guidelines address this distinction with greater clarity by adopting the capabilities approach of Sen (2000) and Nussbaum (2011), defining capabilities as “the real freedoms people have to be and to do what they value, according to their social, political, cultural, and p. economic 38). Furthermore, explicitly articulates capabilities, competencies, and learning with nine dimensions of being: environmental; civic and and creative; bodily; cultural; ethical; historical and historical memory; and socio-emotional (MEN, 2026, p. 62). This integration overcomes the fragmentation introduced by the 2006 Basic Standards of Competencies, in which cognition was reduced to observable performance indicators.

  FROM ACCUMULATION TO HISTORICAL CONSCIOUSNESS: COGNITIVE TENSIONS IN THE CURRICULAR UPDATE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES IN COLOMBIA (2002-2026) · 2026 · DOI

• Yet, the affective dimensions (feelings, emotions, connections) of learning about the past are understudied within research on historical empathy—defined here as a cognitive-affective process of attempting to understand the thoughts, feelings, experiences, decisions, and actions of people from the past within their historical contexts.

  The Affective Dimensions of Historical Empathy: Opportunities, Problems, and Challenges · 2024 · DOI

• According to the findings of the research, social studies teachers face problems such as the fact that the curriculum is very intense, the course hours are insufficient, the students do not show interest in the course, the history subjects are boring and irrelevant to the present, the students cannot perceive abstract subjects and concepts and the physical facilities of the schools are insufficient.

  Teacher Opinions on the Problems Encountered in Teaching History Subjects in Social Studies Courses · 2023 · DOI

• Findings indicated that, while online and blended approaches facilitate history education through Makerere University e-Learning (MUELE) Learning Management System, WhatsApp exchanges, Zoom, emails, mobile phone text messaging and print media; there were persistent challenges such as limited Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools, digital illiteracy, digital divide, increased workloads as well as social-emotional stress and distractions at home.

  History Education during COVID-19: Reflections from Makerere University, Uganda · 2022 · DOI

• The relationship between CIL and decolonising the curriculum is as yet unexplored and academics’ engagement with and opinions on CIL have rarely been examined.

  Unsettling information literacy: · 2022 · DOI

• The analysis of the theme is limited to the educational ideas of Johan Friedrich Herbart (1776-1841) put into circulation in the United States of America, between the final decade of the 19th century and the initial decades of the 20th century.

  The circulation of Johann Friedrich Herbart’s ideas in North American textbooks (1893–1920) · 2022 · DOI

• Laubach, the “Apostle of Literacy,” wrote prolifically about adult literacy and conducted and advised literacy campaigns in more than 100 countries, yet his work is understudied in comparative and international education.

  “You Can’t Win a Cold War with Hot Weapons”: Frank C. Laubach’s Educational Project, Adult Literacy Campaigns, and US Foreign Policy (1945–1961) · 2022 · DOI

• Given the broad public appeal of WWI commemorations and in consideration of their inclusion in school curriculum, the question is raised of how do Turkish and Australian students view the importance and ways of commemorating the Gallipoli campaign? This comparative study, the first of its kind approaches this current gap in understanding how high school students view this historical event.

  From Gallipoli to Independence: Turkish and Australian Students' Perspectives · 2020 · DOI

• Although there are several studies that address pedagogies that promote historical empathy through examinations of famous historical figures, there is limited research concerning whether students display historical empathy by investigating underrepresented historical figures such as Elizabeth Jennings.

  Pedagogical conditions that promote historical empathy with “The Elizabeth Jennings Project” · 2018 · DOI

• The data obtained in the result of source scanning was limited to the following the subject fields; “science”, ”education's place in human life”, “the importance of education for Atatürk”, “the importance of Education Congress”, “Atatürk's opininon on science”, and “youth and teachers in Atatürk's views”.

  A study on atatürk's view on education · 2016 · DOI

• We suggest that investigating adolescents’ thinking about complex historical concepts and conflicting evidence can amplify high-leverage social studies teaching practice by defining its criteria and strengthening some key representations, like eliciting students’ ideas about the subject matter and scaffolding analytical reading.

  Can Studying Adolescents’ Thinking Amplify High-Leverage Social Studies Teaching Practice? Challenges of Synthesizing Pedagogies of Investigation and Enactment in School–Institutional Contexts · 2016 · DOI

• We engaged 7 middle and high school social studies teachers from small and large, liberal and conservative communities who participated in the protests in in-depth, semi-structured interviews using direct prompts rooted in critical incident scaffolding and open questions in keeping with oral history traditions.

  Teaching Through Turmoil: Social Studies Teachers and Local Controversial Current Events · 2016 · DOI

• However, it is inferred from the data that educational attainments fail to develop scientific thinking method and they also fail to lead students to research and to observe, concepts are not suitable for students' levels, preparatory work is unable for students to think enough, information fails to structure in mind and finally assessment and evaluation questions are insufficient for determining information, ability, attitude and values.

  8th GRADE CONTENT EVALUATION OF CITIZENSHIP AND DEMOCRACY EDUCATION COURSE BOOK · 2015 · DOI

• The results of this exploratory study support the literature on the use of explicitly taught reading strategies and suggests that further investigation of the ReQuest technique in the social studies classroom is warranted.

  ReQuest in the Secondary History Classroom: How does the Introduction of a Purposeful Reading Technique Effect Comprehension of Text? · 2013 · DOI

• This article examines the answers that have been posited to the following questions and, in so doing, reveals where further research is needed: What capacity do K-12 students possess for historical empathy? What obstacles hinder them from demonstrating empathetic regard? What pedagogical practices promote the development of empathy?

  Historical Empathy in the Social Studies Classroom: A Review of the Literature · 2009 · DOI

• This paper initiates an exploration of this gap in the literature by reporting on the result of a survey of secondary social studies teachers, all members of the National Council for the Social Studies, that examines the extent to which these social studies teachers are using classroom and web-based primary sources.

  Social Studies Teachers' Use of Classroom-Based and Web-Based Historical Primary Sources · 2004 · DOI

• The paper discusses the findings of an enquiry into the extent to which non‐specialist teachers (n = 40), initial teacher training students (n = 46) and Key Stage 2 pupils in four primary schools exhibited an understanding of the reasons why history should be studied, following the introduction of the National Curriculum for history in 1991.

  An analysis of the rationales for learning history given by children and teachers at Key Stage 2 · 1996 · DOI

• The teacher as chairman of the group should not intervene to advance a view or influence a con- clusion, though he should offer open questions which ask for reflection and self-critical thinking on the part of the group, and he should help them toward information they require.

  The humanities curriculum project: The rationale · 1971 · DOI

• Yet despite the recent popularity of intellectual history and research in higher education, which has produced a veritable flood of publications touching on various aspects of this theme, the heart of the process—the emergence of the academic profession—is still inadequately documented and imperfectly understood.

  Henry Carter Adams: A Case Study in the Emergence of the Social Sciences in the United States, 1850–1900 · 1968 · DOI

• 186-187. (Proceedings.) National Council for Social Studies: Chicago Meeting, 1924: XV, 4, 170-171. (Secretary reports over 1,000 members and satisfactory financial condition. Proceedings.) Dawson, Edgar, Letter from the Secretary of the National Council for the Social Studies, 1921: XV,. 9, 381-386. ( A report containing ( 1) announcements of coming events, (2) statements on publications, (3) on the progress of the organization and growth of the Kational Council, ( 4) on THE HISTORICAL OUTLOOIC, ( 5) on a constructive piece of work in Missouri of the committees on the revision of high school curricula, ( 6) on the need for Social Ethics, ( 7) on a movement for a fraternity of those interested in the social studies- “Alpha Pi Zeta,” (8) on the question of leadership by the directors of the National Council; concluding with a summary from a letter of one of tlie directors, of the need for and the activities of tlie National Council for the Social Studies.) National Council: Richmond Meeting, 1924: XVI, 2, 52. (Joint Meeting with American Historical Association, reported by R. H. Shryock. Program on “The Outlook for History in the Schools.”) National Council: Cincinnati Meeting, 1925: XVI, 2, 75. (Program.) National Council: Cincinnati Meeting, 1925: XVI, 4, 143- (Proceedings and summarized statement of 144. “Standards for the Teaching of the Social Studies in High Schools,” prepared by Miss Frances Morehouse. Special committees planned.) National Council: Indianapolis Meeting, 1925: XVI, 5, 230. (Program.) National Council: Report of the Secretary for 1925: XVI, (Report by Prof. Dawson, giving history 8, 395-401. of the Council, its present organization, “Items for a Possible Platform,” and a list of State Associations interested in the Social Studies. History Teacher’s Magazine: Announcements for 1909- 1910: I, 1, 1. (Cover page of first issue gives purpose and nature of the magazine. See also letter from A. C. McLaughlin, p. 4, on The Field of the Magazine.) McKinley, A. E., The Future of the Magazine: 111, 1, 3. (Discusses financial failure of magazine and urges greater support.) Publisher’s ATotice: Discontinuance of Publication of His - tory Teacher’s Magazine, September, 1911: 111, 1, 14. (“Present management” will not continue because of financial failure.) Editorial Statement: Future of the History Teacher’s (Action of American Historical Magazine: 111, 9, 36. Association in assuring continued publication, December, 1911, by offering both financial and editorial support.) I 7, 150-151.

  Guide to the Materials in the History Teacher's Magazine and the Historical Outlook · 1925 · DOI

• Their caution should not be read only as ideological compliance; it may also reflect practical concerns about classroom polarisation, limited evidence, parental reactions, and institutional accountability.

  History Teacher Discourse in Teaching · 2026 · DOI

• The novelty of this study lies in the analysis of the integration of local wisdom values within the Siginjai Museum’s collection as a source of contextual history learning a topic rarely addressed in previous research.

  The Utilization of the Siginjai Museum as a Local Wisdom-Based History Learning Resource · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy

• The state of the art of teaching research methods in the social sciences: towards a pedagogical culture · Studies in Higher Education · 2010 · 129 citations
• Constructivist Approaches in Educational Research · Review of Educational Research · 1977 · 125 citations
• Teaching Research Methods in the Social Sciences: Expert Perspectives on Pedagogy and Practice · British Journal of Educational Studies · 2016 · 91 citations
• “That's in the Time of the Romans!” Knowledge and Strategies Students Use to Contextualize Historical Images and Documents · Cognition and Instruction · 2012 · 65 citations
• The history curriculum and its personal connection to students from minority ethnic backgrounds · Journal of Curriculum Studies · 2014 · 59 citations
• “ <i>Assassin’s Creed</i> reminds us that history is human experience”: Students’ senses of empathy while playing a narrative video game · Theory & Research in Social Education · 2019 · 59 citations
• Social Studies Teachers' Use of Classroom-Based and Web-Based Historical Primary Sources · Theory & Research in Social Education · 2004 · 48 citations
• Operationalizing Historical Consciousness: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature on Meaning Making in Historical Learning · Review of Educational Research · 2021 · 44 citations
• Teachers’ Adoption of Inquiry-Based Learning Activities: The Importance of Beliefs About Education, the Self, and the Context · Journal of Teacher Education · 2018 · 43 citations
• Implementing a Culture Portfolio Project within a Constructivist Paradigm · Foreign Language Annals · 2004 · 42 citations

Most recent work

• TRANS-HIS (Transformative–Historical Consciousness) Learning Model to Improve the Verstehen Abilities of High School Students in Lampung · Tadris: Jurnal Keguruan dan Ilmu Tarbiyah · 2026
• Pádraig Hogan: Hermeneutics: Understanding Educational Experience (Brill, 2025, 123 p) · Studies in Philosophy and Education · 2026
• Teaching school history in postcolonial states: an analysis of the research literature · Pedagogy Culture and Society · 2026
• Senses, Emotions and Experiences in the History of Education · History of Education · 2026
• Why think historically when AI can do it? Understanding the relationship between generative artificial intelligence and history teacher identity · History Education Research Journal · 2026
• Political resilience in the post-truth era: secondary school strategies for enhancing political education among the younger generation · Globalisation, Societies and Education · 2026
• From the Civil War to CRT and DEI: A Guide for Educators on the Ongoing Confederate Crusade · Urban Education · 2026
• Orientación cultural hacia la gestión histórico-vivencial: un análisis desde la formación posgraduada del profesor de historia en la educación preuniversitaria · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
• Teaching Hard History: Instructional Lessons for American Educators from Israeli and Palestinian Educators · The Social Studies · 2026
• Out-of-Field Social Studies Teaching in General Santos City: Challenges, Coping Strategies, and Innovative Curriculum Practices · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026

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