Autor: Dr. phil. des. Kevin van Loon
Gutachtende: Prof. Dr. Monika Waldis, PH FHNW (CH), Prof. Dr. Ralph Ubl, Universität Basel (CH), Prof. Dr. Marcel Mierwald, Georg-Eckert-Institut (D)
Projektdauer: 2019 - 2025

Abstract

In today’s digitalized society, visual media have become ubiquitous, making the fostering of visual competencies a central educational challenge. History education offers a suitable context for this task, as images not only provide accessible entry points to the past but also demand critical engagement. Prior research shows that students often struggle to systematically analyze, contextualize, and critically evaluate images as historical sources. Building on established models of historical reasoning, this dissertation extends theoretical frameworks by addressing the underexplored dimension of reasoning about and with images in history education.

The dissertation pursued three main goals: (1) to conceptualize and validate historical reasoning processes when students learn with images; (2) to examine how different types of instructional support – sequenced scaffold, flexible scaffold, and mind mapping – affect students’ image analysis and interpretation; and (3) to derive practical implications for history education. Three empirical studies, designed as part of an intervention with 145 lower secondary school students (M age = 13.9), were conducted across three measurement points (T1 without support; T2–T3 with instructional support: scaffolds and mind mapping). Students analyzed historical photographs and produced argumentative essays; their written products and analysis notes were systematically coded using newly developed scoring rubrics. These coded data were then evaluated through structured qualitative content analysis. The final theoretical paper synthesizes the findings from the full project and explores how image interpretation scaffolds can be implemented in classrooms to foster active historical inquiry, particularly when combined with digital tools such as internet research and AI assistants.

Findings revealed that historical reasoning with images is a multidimensional construct comprising (a) asking and answering historical questions, (b) reasoning about images, and (c) reasoning with images. Without instructional support, students’ competencies remained limited, particularly with respect to contextualization and source criticism. Instructional scaffolds, however, proved effective. The sequenced scaffold fostered structured image perception and systematic analysis, while the flexible scaffold encouraged contextualization, connections to present-day relevance, and greater student autonomy. Importantly, both higher- and lower-performing students benefited similarly from scaffolded support. Mind mapping, however, did not foster historical reasoning with images.

This dissertation contributes theoretically by developing and validating a framework for assessing historical reasoning with images, and practically by providing empirical evidence on the effectiveness of scaffolds in enhancing adolescents’ interpretive skills. The findings underscore the necessity of systematically teaching image interpretation in history education and highlight the potential of combining scaffolds with digital tools. For educational practice, the results suggest moving beyond the illustrative use of images toward scaffold-based, inquiry-oriented learning designs that foster critical image literacy and reflective historical reasoning.