Teaching aids as bridge for implementing historical thinking skills in history education

Abstract

Historical Thinking Skills (HTS) have become essential skills in contemporary education due to technological advancements. HTS, which includes evidence analysis, understanding chronology, and adopting historical perspectives, is crucial for fostering critical and analytical thinking among students. However, the effectiveness of implementing HTS remains a challenge, particularly in selecting appropriate and impactful teaching aids. This study explores the selection and use of teaching aids by secondary school history teachers in implementing HTS. Using a qualitative multiple case study design, the research involved four history teachers from two secondary schools with different academic contexts. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. Findings indicate that the selection of teaching aids is influenced by teaching objectives, students’ ability levels, infrastructure, and the effectiveness of the aids. Teachers utilize various teaching aids, including Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based tools, printed materials, visual aids, and thinking tools. Experienced teachers demonstrated more critical, reflective, and adaptive approaches, whereas novice teachers relied more on conventional methods. The study highlights the importance of teacher experience and infrastructure in HTS implementation. It recommends targeted professional development to enhance digital literacy, pedagogical strategies, and source evaluation skills among novice teachers to ensure effective HTS implementation in history education, ultimately producing students with critical and analytical skills.