WHA Annual Meeting: Korea 2026

This study explores how ninth-grade students perceive the concept of "change," a fundamental element of historical thinking. While research on this concept is active globally, empirical studies on Korean students’ qualitative understanding remain limited. This study addresses three research questions: (1) How do students understand "progress," "regression," and "continuity"? (2) What are their levels of understanding? (3) How can instructional goals be specified? To address these research questions, in-depth interview was conducted with 19 students from two middle schools, using 15 visual materials (photographs and illustrations) on the topic of the Industrial Revolution.
Findings reveal that participants primarily associated progress with technological advancement and "beneficial" outcomes, perceiving the "present" as an indicator of progress. In contrast, regression was linked to "harmfulness" from negative factors like pollution or quantitative decreases. Regarding continuity, most students confused it with mere "duration" (maintenance without change), though some recognized it as a process involving subtle evolution. The study identified four levels of understanding: (1) change as isolated events, (2) change within interconnected contexts, (3) change across long-term spans, and (4) change as a turning point.
Crucially, Findings indicate that students with lower initial understanding can reach higher conceptual levels through appropriate instruction. Furthermore, factual historical knowledge does not directly correlate with higher conceptual understanding. Based on these findings, the study derived level-specific goals and suggests three implications. First, tailored strategies are essential for all students, regardless of achievement levels. Second, educators must clearly differentiate between "continuity" and "duration" to avoid conceptual confusion. Finally, integrating "historical significance" can facilitate a qualitative advancement in students' understanding.