An exploratory study of epistemological stances among teachers and secondary IV history students in Quebec

Abstract

An analysis of the history curriculum (MEES, 2007, 2017) as taught in Quebec Secondary schools shows that it encourages the development of a constructivist view of history, focused on the historical method and on developing skills and competencies in students (Boutonnet, 2017; Cardin, Éthier & Meunier, 2010; Duquette, 2020; Éthier, Boutonnet, Demers & Lefrançois, 2017; Éthier, Cardin & Lefrançois, 2014). Yet some scholars (Demers, 2012; Moisan, 2010; Yelle, 2016) have noted the conflicting presence of two epistemological stances toward history among Quebec teachers: history that serves as a “memory reservoir”, or history as a science that develops intellectual qualities. These diverging views of history can lead to different teaching styles and usage in the classroom. Given tensions in the educational community between the Quebec ministerial exam (Blouin, 2020; Déry, 2016)—which is predicated on the concept that there can only be one correct answer—and the constructivst curriculum, between the stances of the teachers themselves and the representations of history among the general public (Éthier, Lefrançois & Joly-Lavoie, 2018; Rosenzweig, 2000) some questions remain: how do students view the learning of history? How do teachers react to these representations when confronted with them? To answer these questions, we conducted an exploratory study in which 332 students completed a questionnaire (Maggioni, 2010; Maggioni, VanSledright & Alexander, 2009; Miguel Revilla, Carril Merino & Sánchez Agustí, 2017) on their representations of history. We also held interviews with eight teachers to further explore how beliefs and epistemology are constructed in history class. We used these questionnaires and interviews to gain insight into part of this construction.