Why Are We Reading in This Class? A Qualitative Action Research Study on Implementing Critical Historical Literacy in a Humanities Classroom

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to investigate the barriers to the acquisition of, and examine the impact of implementing, critical historical literacy in a middle school “humanities” classroom. This classroom, the first of its kind within the school district, blended the teaching of both 8th Grade Social Studies and 8th Grade English/Language Arts. Three research questions served as the foundational points of inquiry: 1) What are students’ perceptions of critical historical literacy practices in social studies? 2) What barriers prevent middle school students from acquiring historical literacy and critical literacy skills? and 3) In what ways does the implementation of critical historical literacy practices counteract these barriers? Participants included 53 middle school students whom, prior to the study had never participated in a “humanities” style course, who were a part of the year-long course, which encompassed the 12-week study period. The tenets of critical historical literacy included the explicit teaching of disciplinary/historical literacy and the incorporation of critical literacy skills with an emphasis on making the learning experiences culturally relevant and applicable to student lives, while modeling ways of thinking that were critical and deconstructive. Qualitative sources included presurveys, midsurveys, and post surveys, semi-structured interviews with three student participants, notes from classroom observations, student artifacts, teacher-created artifacts, as well as a research journal. Data was analyzed using in vivo and longitudinal coding, which led to the development of two themes: content and process. Within each theme were subthemes. Content contained 1) critical historical literacy, 2) interdisciplinary learning, and 3) reflection and opportunities for growth. Process contained 1) authenticity and engagement, 2) critical thinking and multiple perspectives, and 3) applicability and awareness. Overall, students’ acquisition of critical historical literacy skills became more evidence as the study went on, and became a skill they began to use to not only consider the content being taught with a critical eye, but to relate that content explicitly to their own lives. From here, some students began to use those skills to identify societal or systemic problems, and to consider ways it which those issues could be resolved. Even though the study worked to identify the barriers that prevented students from acquiring these skills sooner, the primary focus was on moving beyond those barriers and implementing these literacy skills that students could use in a content-specific activity, but it also led to them gaining skills they could use both in and out of any classroom. This study will be useful to any practitioner that wishes to understand the impact of modeling and guiding their students to the acquisition of key, critical literacy skills that they can use to become more effective educators, and that students can use to become agents of change.