Historical thinking: Trends, critiques, and future directions

Abstract

Historical thinking, which is defined as the cognitive process of analyzing and interpreting historical evidence to construct, deconstruct, and reconstruct historical narratives about the past, is a central concept for teaching, learning, and researching history education around the world. In this article we discuss four popular historical thinking frameworks from England, the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands that have influenced teaching, learning, and researching history education globally. We also identify three general trends in historical thinking research over time: cognition and epistemology, historical literacy, and identity and socio-cultural influences. We also describe common disciplinary, epistemological, decolonial, and political critiques of historical thinking. We conclude by outlining potential future directions for historical thinking theory, research, and practice.