Schools, Students, and Community History in Northern Ireland

Our work in Northern Ireland has been motivated by the need to understand the impact of school curricula on young people’s ideas. Community division there is justified by differing historical interpretations, but schools aim to provide a balanced and evidence based approach to historical inquiry, rather than a consensual national narrative. But how far does this influence students’ ideas, particularly in relation to the narratives they encounter outside school? Despite methodological challenges, our research provided a hopeful view of students’ willingness and ability to move beyond partisan views of the past. Other critical issues remain unanswered, such as the role of emotions in learning conflicted history, the impact of specific instructional techniques, and the motivation for history teachers to take risks.