Multiperspective approach in history textbooks: content change analysis in the 21st century

Straipsnyje analizuojama daugiaperspektyvis požiūris į lietuviškuose istorijos vadovėliuose (1990–2014 m.) pateikiamą medžiagą. Analizuojant vadovėlius ypatingas dėmesys skiriamas daugiaperspektyvio požiūrio raiškai vertikaliu (turinio-teminiu) ir horizontaliu (skirtingų praeities įvykių istorikų interpretacijos) aspektais. Pateikiama istorijos vadovėlių struktūros modeliavimo, sampratos pokyčiai per pastaruosius dvidešimt metų bei konstatuota būdingiausios XXI amžiaus problemos.The article analyses a multiperspective approach towards the material provided in Lithuanian history textbooks (1990–2014). In the analysis of textbooks special attention is paid to the expression of a multiperspective approach in the vertical (content-thematic) and horizontal (historian interpretations of different events of the past) dimension. It provides the changes in the conception of designing the structure of history textbooks which have occurred in the past twenty years and presents the most characteristic problems of the 21st century. The concept, types and structure of history textbooks have undergone certain changes over the twenty four years of independence. It is argued that a textbook remains the main teaching/ learning aid, whereas the sets of teaching/learning where exercise-books based on the method of problem-posing rather than textbooks are the basis of teaching/learning are still lacking. The majority of textbooks fail to provide the objectives and the generalizing parts of the lesson to pupils. The content analysis of history textbooks revealed that even though the General Programmes highlight that no less than 40 per cent of the whole text in the textbook should be dedicated to the history of Lithuania, the majority of textbooks are still dominated by the topics of World History. Little attention is paid to the oldest past of Lithuania – 4–5 topics per textbook on the average. It is underlined that the change of the content of history textbooks related to the updating of the General Programmes of History is ongoing. After a long-year domination of political history, textbooks have lately been supplemented by the topics on the history of everyday life, the history of Lithuanians in exile, the history of national minorities as well as other thematic fields of history. As the scope of the history course continuously decreases, the tendency of Eurocentrism has been observed: the topics on World History are refused; pupils no longer learn the history of China, India, Japan and other world countries. It was determined that the authors of history textbooks present the same events and facts in analogous textbooks intended for the same grade differently. It can be concluded that even though history textbooks include the examples of the sources reflecting diverging approaches, their number could be greater. A detailed analysis of the textbook Ancient History as well as the comparison of other textbooks revealed that the presentation of different approaches in the author’s text, the sources which are usually dominated by two opinions of historians on the same issue as well as the tasks and questions for the analysis of these sources contribute to the development of pupils’ critical thinking