Torunn Synnøve Skjærstad's PhD thesis provides us with new knowledge regarding how texts about the First World War can connect disciplines and provide deeper meaning.
"Students' meaning-making is seen as a holistic process that includes the ability to reflect critically on historical narratives, the ability to empathize emotionally, and to understand the perspectives of others, especially those who lived in a different era," the research fellow tells inn.no.
Torunn Synnøve has been a research fellow at the PhD programme in Teaching and Teacher Education.
The study underscores the importance of teacher facilitation and historical content knowledge in guiding learners’ meaning-making processes.
"This is particularly important when dealing with unfamiliar historical contexts like the First World War, which reveal limited collective memory in Norway," says Skjærstad.
Overall, the thesis emphasises that interdisciplinary teaching in English can be of great value in the work of achieving overall educational goals, such as developing critical thinking and fostering democratic and justice-oriented citizenship.
Skjærstad's thesis is titled «Interdisciplinary English Language Teaching through historical literacy: A case study of learners engaging with First World War literature in an English subject classroom in lower secondary school in Norway»".
The main findings of the PhD thesis:
- Prose texts were more effective than poetry for fostering connections between literature and history, as learners often approached poetry through historical accuracy rather than interpretive engagement.
- The importance of teacher facilitation.
- The role of historical content knowledge in guiding learners’ meaning-making processes, particularly when dealing with unfamiliar historical contexts like the First World War, which reveal limited collective memory in Norway.