history education

This conceptual narrative review stems from a doctoral study that focuses on the teaching of values in the implementation of the secondary school curriculum in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwean secondary school history curriculum provides for values inculcation grounded on Ubuntu. However, despite expansive research on the implications of Ubuntu on instructional practice, there is a gap on how it informs pedagogy for values teaching in secondary school history education. The study employed a qualitative approach which enabled an indepth exploration. The review focused on twelve papers on Ubuntu’s application on pedagogy and ten on values pedagogy in secondary school history education that were obtained from Scopus, Google Scholar and ERIC academic databases. Keywords such as Ubuntu and pedagogy, values education and secondary school history education as well as abstracts were used to select the reviewed papers. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse data which involved coding of relevant information to develop themes. Findings show that Ubuntu oriented pedagogy is interactive, practical oriented, learner centered and speaks to the experiences of learners. This paper provides insights on how history teachers can translate Ubuntu pedagogy to instil values in secondary school history education. For this to be effective, we recommend staff development of history teachers by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, use of diverse learner centered pedagogy in history lessons by history teachers and provision of multimedia to secondary schools by relevant stakeholders to ensure creation of engaging learning experiences in the implementation of the history curriculum.

Islamic Cultural History (Sejarah Kebudayaan Islam/SKI) learning requires students to understand values and meaning beyond historical facts, yet empirical explanations of how storytelling connects narratives with students’ meaning-making remain limited. This study analyzes storytelling as a narrative pedagogy practice in SKI learning, identifies its pedagogical potential and limitations in supporting students’ understanding and meaning-making of Islamic historical narratives, and formulates a conceptual model of the meaning-making process emerging from the practice. A qualitative approach with a case study design was employed at MA Khozinatul ‘Ulum Blora. Data were obtained from 10 informants, comprising one Grade XI SKI teacher, one vice principal for curriculum affairs, and eight Grade XI students, through classroom observation, semi-structured interviews, and documentation. Data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña, involving data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. The findings indicate that storytelling was implemented dialogically and adaptively rather than as a stand-alone method, being integrated with teacher explanations, questions, and classroom discussions. The practice supported students’ understanding of historical events, figures, conflicts, and values, while its limitations included students’ perceived difficulty in recalling factual details when narratives were lengthy or contained numerous names and dates, as well as dependence on teacher mediation. Meaning-making developed through narrative understanding, personal reflection, and pedagogical dialogue. The study contributes the Multi-Pathway Meaning-Making model, which conceptualizes storytelling as a trigger for engagement and meaning-making rather than as a single causal mechanism.