The use of primary source historical documents, historical reasoning heuristics, and the subsequent development of historical empathy

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of primary source historical documents used in conjunction with the heuristics associated with historical reasoning (sourcing, corroboration, and contextualization) would lead to a subsequent development of historical empathy. Three intact groups (already formed history classes) from Northeast High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania were studied throughout a baseline and four trials for this study. One group was designated as the experimental condition and received primary source historical documents as well as scaffolding of the historical reasoning heuristics of sourcing, corroboration, and contextualization. The next group was designated as the comparison condition which received the primary source historical documents but no scaffolding on the aforementioned heuristics. The final group was designated as the control condition and received traditional textbook instruction throughout the four main trials of the study. Results showed that mean scores of the heuristics involved in historical reasoning as well as historical empathy increased simultaneously for the experimental as well as the comparison group throughout the study, with the experimental group showing the highest mean gains. However, whether training in the historical reasoning heuristics of sourcing, corroboration, and contextualization lead to historical empathy cannot be conclusively proven from this current study.