Practice and pedagogy of Holocaust education in primary schools

Project Ref: PHDED1704. Whilst the Holocaust is taught in primary schools in Scotland and England (e.g. Foster et al, 2014; Cowan and Maitles, 2013; Short, 2003; Short and Reed, 2004; Claire, 2001, Maitles and Cowan, 1999) there is no recent research on its practice and pedagogy. Similarly, there is research on teaching the Holocaust to Muslim pupils in the secondary teaching context (Short, 2008, 2009, 2012) but not in the primary.

The ‘practice’ part of this proposed study will investigate the content of Holocaust education; the ‘pedagogy’ part will investigate teachers’ approaches and pedagogies. The former will explore the primary curriculum and Holocaust history. The latter will explore approaches such as active learning, the use of IT, and collaborative/individual learning.

This proposed PhD will start by engaging in Holocaust educational research in the primary contexts in and outwith the UK. The research will involve NGOs, local authorities, and primary teachers. While it is preferable to involve schools in Scotland and England, this is not a requirement. Methodology is likely to involve a combination of positivist and interpretivist methods.

This studentship closely fits in to the UWS corporate research strategy by making good use of expertise within the School of Education. It also supports the University’s ongoing commitment to developing global citizenship, and allows further collaboration within the School and Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, whom the University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

The outcome of this research will impact on schools, educational authorities, and NGOs such as Education Scotland, the Anne Frank Trust and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust who design resources for primary schools. It will also impact on the Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission; teaching the Holocaust in the primary context was raised at a Holocaust Education Inquiry held at Westminster in December 2015.