The role of high school history teachers on university students’ attitudes toward history classes

This study is a qualitative case study aimed at revealing the roles of high school history teachers on university students’ attitudes towards history courses. The study group consists of 30 teacher candidates studying in the department of social sciences and mathematics teaching of a faculty of education at a university in the Western Black Sea. The study group has been formed using the purposeful sampling method and a semi-structured interview form has been used to collect data. Interviews have been recorded and written down as text, and then the data was analyzed using the content-analysis method. At the end of the study, teachers are understood to have an important role in students’ eagerness for history classes during their high school years. In particular, the methods and techniques that a teacher use during the course and, partially, the teacher’s personality directly influence students’ like/dislike of history lessons. This impression, which students gain in high school, affects their attitudes and interests regarding history lessons in the following years. According to these results, one can suggest that history teachers need training that increases awareness of their role in history teaching, alongside their methodology and knowledge regarding the field. © 2017 EDAM