Repeating substantive knowledge or analysing historical evidence?

Disciplinary literacy skills in the history test in the Matriculation Examination

Authors

• Mikko Puustinen Helsingin yliopisto
• Hilkka Paldanius Jyväskylän yliopisto
• Minna-Riitta Luukka Jyväskylän yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33350/ka.84579

Keywords:

history teaching, evalutation, matriculation exam

Abstract

We study document-based assignments, the documents given in the history test in the Finnish Matriculation Examination, and the grading rubrics for the test. Our focus in on historical literacy. The purpose of disciplinary school history is to develop learners’ historical thinking. This requires working with historical texts: evaluating evidence, making interpretations that are based on the evidence and historical context, and finally, judging different interpretations and arguments. The Matriculation Examination has a significant impact on teaching. Therefore, in order to strengthen students’ historical literacy skills and historical thinking, working with historical evidence should be required more often in the Matriculation Examination. The data consist of the document-based assignments set in the history test in the Matriculation Examination during years 2006–2019 and the grading rubrics published by the Matriculation Examination board and the history teachers’ union. The classification of document-based assignments is based on genre-theoretical analysis and content analysis. The results indicate that the history test in the Matriculation Examination has not supported in the best possible way the disciplinary aims presented in the national core curriculum and proposed by researchers of history education. Only a minority of assignments are document based. Most of the document-based assignments require analysing only one document. Sourcing and contextualization are required inconsistently. The Finnish concept of source critiques appears to be vague and thus does not help to illustrate essential historical literacy skills.