Perspectives of secondary school learners about the negative uptake of history

Abstract

The number of learners opting for History, when they choose relevant subjects to define their future careers, has decreased drastically. This may be due to negative attitudes that learners have towards the subject. Subsequent to this, this paper was conducted to explore the perspectives of secondary school learners on the negative uptake of History in secondary schools. Nine learners from three schools offering History, were purposively sampled using semi-structured interviews. For data analysis, themes were used. The findings revealed that learners do not opt for History because of teaching styles of History teachers, learners’ lack of History background knowledge, History teachers’ lack of subject knowledge, external influences, Social Sciences teachers’ hostility towards learners, History not being an entry requirement for some degrees, the nature of Historical knowledge, and History not providing better employment. The study recommends that history teachers should keep check on their teaching style so that they do not keep learners passive, they should also be creative and think of activities that can stimulate the learners’ interest in History and be equipped with requisite historical knowledge. This paper further recommends that schools furnish History learners with proper knowledge about careers associated with History. Lastly, this paper recommends that history teachers should consider other means of enforcing learner discipline instead of corporal punishment.