| It was theorized that oral history might enable students to recognize the processes behind historical conclusions as evidenced by a greater appreciation for history, an understanding of historical concepts and the demonstration of critical thinking skills. Utilizing these elements as a criteria to define an awareness of history, an empirical examination and subsequent evaluation of oral history was conducted within the secondary U.S. history curriculum.;The use of oral history as a method for collecting historical data was discussed and its educational applications reviewed. In addition, the learning development theory of Jean Piaget was presented as an underlying rationale for using oral history to create a structured activity leading to cognitive change in the student.;The students selected for this research were enrolled in U.S. history classes at Arcadia High School, Arcadia, California. Experimental and Control groups were established, with the Experimental group involved in a classroom teaching unit using oral history to study Twentieth Century U.S. history. Students were presented with Pretests and Posttests of three separate types designed to measure their interest in history, concept learning, and critical thinking skills. A statistical evaluation, consisting of t-tests, and analysis of variance was conducted to determine significance.;From the data collected the author concludes: (1) Oral history did not make a significant difference in historical interest, concept learning, and critical thinking skills when comparing changes between the Experimental and Control classes. (2) Oral history did make a significant difference in increasing historical awareness when comparing changes within the Experimental class alone. (3) Oral history did make a significant difference in increasing the popularity of history as a choice of study. (4) Oral history can not harm or create a negative difference in historical interest. (5) It is suggested that oral history could provide a means by which students might be able to make a transition from concrete to formal operational thinking. |
