Appendix: Youth and History Student Questionnaire

Source: M. Angvik and Bodo von Borries, editors, 1997, Youth and History: A Comparative European Survey on HistoricalConsciousness and Political Attitudes among Adolescents. Hamburg: Körber-Stiftung.

1. What does history mean to you?
(totally disagree, disagree, undecided, agree, totally agree)

a. A school subject and no more

b. A source of adventure and excitement, fascinating and stimulating my imagination

c. A chance for myself to learn from failures and successes of others

d. Something dead and gone, which has nothing to do with my present life

e. A number of instructive examples of what is right or wrong, good or bad

f. Shows the background of the present way of life and explains today's problems

g. An accumulation of cruelties and disasters

h. A means of mastering my life as part of historic changes

2. In your opinion: What importance have the following aims of the study of history?
(very little, little, some, much, very much)

a. Knowledge of the past

b. Understanding the present

c. Orientation for the future

3. What presentations of history do you ENJOY?
(very little, little, some, much, very much)

a. School text-books

b. Historical documents and sources

c. Historical novels

d. Fictional films

e. TV documentaries

f. Teachers telling

g. Other adults (e.g. parents, grandparents) telling

h. Museums and historic places

4. What presentations of history do you TRUST?
(very little, little, some, much, very much)

a. School text-books

b. Historical documents and sources

c. Historical novels

d. Fictional films

e. TV documentaries

f. Teachers telling

g. Other adults (e.g. parents, grandparents) telling

h. Museums and historic places

5. What does usually happen in your history lessons?
(very seldom, seldom, sometimes, often, very often)

a. We listen to teacher's stories about the past

b. We are informed of what was good or bad, right or wrong in history

c. We discuss different explanations of what happened in the past

d. We study historical sources, e.g., documents, pictures or maps

e. We retell and reinterpret history ourselves

f. We listen to radio programs or tapes or look at historical videos and films

g. We use the textbook and/or worksheets

h. We use a range of activities, e.g., role plays, local projects or visiting museums/sites

6. What do you concentrate on in your history lessons?
(very little, little, some, much, very much)

a. We seek knowledge about the main facts in history

b. We morally judge historical events according to the standards of human and civil rights

c. We try to imagine what it felt like in the past, taking account of all viewpoints

d. We try to understand the behavior of past persons by reconstructing the special situations and contemporary thoughts of the period when they lived

e. We use history to explain the situation in the world today and to find out the tendencies of change

f. We are fascinated by and have fun dealing with history

g. We learn to acknowledge the traditions, characteristics, values and tasks of our nation and society

h. We learn to value the preservation of historical relics and old buildings

7. Assessment:
(very bad, bad, so-so, good, very good)

a. What mark do you usually get in the history (or social science) test or report

If you don't get a mark, guess what your teacher thinks of your work.

b. What mark would you give your teacher of history (be fair!)

8. Are you a girl or a boy?

9. What is your age?

10. Where do you live?

a. Metropolis (more than 1 mill. inhabitants)

b. Large town (more than 200,000 inhabitants)

c. Small or middle size town (up to 200,000 inhabitants)

d. Rural area or village (up to 5000 inhabitants)

11. What is your nationality?

12. To which religious community do you belong?
(do not know, Roman-Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Jewish, Islamic, other, none, will not answer)

13. What...