Transforming History Education: Enhancing Student Engagement and Literacythrough Interactive Methods

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of interactive methods in improving student engagement and historical literacy. The research design was quasi-experimental, involving an experimental group that received education through interactive methods and a control group that received traditional history education. The study was conducted in three high schools in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, with a sample of 500 students. A purposive sampling technique was used, selecting schools based on certain criteria aligned with the research objectives. Data were collected through written tests for pre-test and post-test to measure student engagement and historical literacy, and reinforced with student engagement survey sheets. Data analysis used included descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA. The results showed that the use of interactive methods significantly increased cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement, as well as students' historical literacy. The experimental group showed a significant increase in all engagement indicators and historical literacy scores from pre-test to post-test compared to the control group which showed minimal changes.The results of this study confirm that interactive methods are more effective in improving students' engagement and literacy in history education compared to traditional methods. The results of this study significantly contribute to the field of history learning by providing empirical evidence on the efficacy of active methods in improving students' engagement and historical literacy. History teachers are encouraged to implement active learning methods to address the low levels of historical engagement and literacy found among students.