Abstract
M.A.
The present dissertation is divided into three parts. The first and second part consist of the related theoretical background; while in the third part presents the crux of research data, including classification, analysis, records, findings and proposals.
Specifically:
The research project begins with the introduction which contains challenges that determine the research.
What, in 2007, caused the withdrawal of a new history schoolbook in Greece, especially since it had started taking positive comments from the daily press of the country and contained positive presentations and innovations? Nowadays, does the Greek school education remain emphatically national when more and more nations are becoming multicultural and national, economies are becoming increasingly internationalised and the fabric of society, both globally and in Greece, is changing, becoming enriched with diverse cultural, linguistic, national and socio-economic characteristics? This dissertation endeavours to discover all of this.
The first chapter of the first part presents the purpose, scope, subjects and methodology of research. This section analyzes the historical period from the Fall of Constantinople (1453) to the establishment of the modern independent Greek state in 1830 ( called Tourkokratia). The historical content is presented as it is in textbooks of compulsory education in Greece and those of Greek education in the Diaspora and then they are identified and compared to one another.
Several questions will be asked and considered. For instance, what does every history schoolbook focus on? What is comprehended of the national history in the generations of Greek children to come? What do they promote as imperative knowledge to have and what to ignore? What is the mindset on our national image? And how are the Greeks depicted in contrast with other nations, especially today?
What conclusions can be drawn? What proposals can emerge about the study of History in school?
This study aims, in addition to the previous analysis, to list the historical facts presented in each textbook and to make a parallel comparison. Also, analysis of new and revised history textbooks (2006-07) allows us to draw conclusions regarding the content, which is given to students in Greece and the Diaspora. A list with details of facts that differentiate the books from their predecessors, especially after the The main sources used for the study are Greek textbooks for the Primary Education, the Lower Secondary Education and the Diaspora, over the last 30 years.
The methodological tool of content analysis is chosen using the paragraph as the unit of analysis in the treatment of data. This approach provides more in depth information than what is given by a simple reading of a text. Then, this latent information is extrapolated with the intention of utilizing it for research. The units of analysis and categorization enable a condensation of the text, summarizing it and giving an overview of the performances of the researcher, at the points of interest.
In our study, the information utilised from school textbooks was obtained mainly from main texts, exercises, supplementary texts (sources, etc.), pictures, images and explanations of the images.
The findings regarding references which promote peaceful and friendly disposition towards “others” were positive whilst the findings for references that cause aggression, xenophobia and violent emotions were negative. Neutral allusions considered petitions that carry neither positive nor negative evaluative load, or negative or positive messages.
More specifically, the methodology that is applied to search the content of school textbooks followed the path below:
• Finding common categories for all the material which is under investigation. After an initial approach of content of school textbooks, the categories of analysis were defined by the objectives of the investigation. In other words, the process of formation of categories is based on how the elements of the books are structured, following all the methodological conditions.
• Configuration categories of analysis.
• The categorization of the reports provides data that essentially refers to the portrayal of Greece that each schoolbook reflects. This includes the basic texts, exercises, tasks and images and the supplementary material.
• Collection and processing of the findings.
• The drawing of conclusions.