Educación histórica y museos para el desarrollo de competencias ciudadanas. Análisis de una experiencia sobre migraciones en Educación Secundaria Obligatoria

Introduction: Historical education plays a fundamental role in shaping students’ civic awareness. This article analyzes the implementation of the learning activity "Migrating Makes Us Human," designed to promote historical and civic competencies among secondary school students. The proposal connects historical migratory processes with current social issues, aiming to foster critical reflection on this phenomenon intrinsic to human nature. Method: A mixed-method exploratory design was employed, analyzing the responses of 30 secondary school students (Grade 9) to 56 questions (multiple-choice, open-ended, and an argumentative essay) focused on the analysis of historical sources and museum resources. Results: A significant lack of prior knowledge was identified. Students also showed difficulties in connecting historical elements with their contemporary contexts. Regarding migratory processes, attitudes of rejection towards migrants predominated, with responses influenced by prejudice and stereotypes stemming from misinformed social and media narratives. In the argumentative essays, most students did not reach the expected level of proficiency. The responses were generally brief, failed to follow the proposed structure, and did not integrate sources to support their arguments. Conclusions: The learning activity demonstrated its potential to foster historical thinking and awareness. However, the results highlight the need to continue implementing such activities in classrooms to develop students’ historical and civic competencies. This approach aims to promote a deeper and more critical understanding of socially relevant topics, such as migration.