Reading biographical texts: a gateway to historical disciplinary reading

ABSTRACT

We examined the response of high school students in Israel to biographical texts. Students were exposed to three sub-genres of biographical texts (a literary-biographical text, an autobiographical text and a scientific-biographical text). These texts all differ from the conceptual schema of ordinary school texts. The data were collected from 64 participants from three classes in two different public schools in Israel. The ability of students to apply historical disciplinary reading skills was evaluated for each text, with an emphasis on ‘sourcing’ and ‘corroboration’. The basic premise was that the texts the students are exposed to influence not only their level of knowledge but also their disciplinary concepts and skills.

We contend that it might be that biographical texts, and especially autobiographical and literary-biographical texts, evoked historical reading in students, and strengthened their disciplinary reading abilities.

KEYWORDS:

• History learning
• history teaching
• biographical texts
• disciplinary reading

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Israel Science Foundation under grant number 548/2014 and, by scholarship from Cherrick Center at the Hebrew university and by Zalman Aran scholarship by Israeli ministry of education. We are thankful for their support. We also thank the principals, teachers and students of the participating schools. The views expressed in this article are ours only.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. http://www.cbs.gov.il/publications/local_authorities06/pdf/t02.pdf

2. Israel’s state educational system is centralized with the Ministry of Education establishing the curriculum and subject matter to be taught, as well as authorizing textbooks before they may be used in lessons and conducting a national matriculation exam.

3. Based on Ministry of Education data. Retrived from: http://go.ynet.co.il/pic/news/201888.pdf

4. Stenographic Protocols of Zionist Congresses, Vienna, 1903.

5. Herzl’s Political Diary, 22.8.1903.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Israel Science Foundation [548/14], Chrrick Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Zalman Aran Scholarship by Israeli Ministry of Education.

Notes on contributors

Michal Honig

Michal Honig is a PhD candidate in the Seymour Fox School of Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem  and a didactic advisor at the Kerem institute for teacher training in Jerusalem.

Dan Porat

Dan Porat is a faculty member of the Hebrew university of Jerusalem. His fields of interest include Holocaust history education as well as history teaching and learning.