The potentialities of using historical fiction and legends in History teaching: a study with primary Portuguese students

Abstract

This study is in the line of research in History Education that has revealed the importance of the pedagogic use of narratives for teaching and learning social studies, demonstrating that it improves historical understanding (Egan, 1986; Hoodless, 1998; Levstik & Pappas, 1992; Levstik, 1992). Our paper investigated how historical fiction literature and legends may contribute to the construction of the historical knowledge of primary school Portuguese students.

The narratives that were used related to the process of Christian Reconquest of territories from Muslim and formation of Portugal. They were the main sources for implementing various activities, which were complemented by the use and intersection of other sources (historical, historiographical and iconic), enabling individual and creative dialogue in the learning process of History. Two teachers training in their 4th grade classes (20 students with 9-10 years old) in one northern Portuguese urban school implemented the programme. The purpose was to find answers to the following research questions: • What are the potentialities of using historical fiction and legends in History teaching? • What is the impact of these specific sources on students’ narratives? • What is the impact of historiographical and iconic sources on students’ narratives?

The students were invited to read those sources (excerpts) and to write four narratives according to the following empathetic tasks: 1) Imagine that you are D. Afonso Henriques (king of Portugal). Write a letter to Egas Moniz (his tutor) telling about the latest conquests. 2) Imagine you have a foreign friend asking you to tell things about D. Afonso Henriques’ times. What would you say? 3) Imagine that you would have to tell him the tale of the battle of Ourique (1139). What would you say? 4) Imagine that you are a Muslim soldier. Tell your version of the battle; or: Imagine that you are a Christian soldier. Tell your version of the battle.

Students’ narratives were analysed and categorised based on Grounded Theory methodology to reveal progression in their levels of complexity. In summary, the findings show: • a prevalence of fragmented narratives and mainly framed by an additive and chronological structure; • some emergent narratives • a few with multi-perspective point of view. Evident is the influence of fictional narrative and/or legends on their historical thinking when compared with the other types of sources.