Is history knocking? Discussing the Russian-Ukrainian war in history classes

Abstract

Empirical research was carried out in the spring of 2022 by the Past and Present Research Group of the Hungarian Historical Society Teacher Division with the participation of 150 Hungarian history teachers throughout the country. The aim of the research was to explore how the 2022 war in Ukraine appeared in Hungarian history lessons, and in what ways did it affect history teaching and learning. Students were curious about the causes and events which preceded the war, and the consequences it may have on their country, community, and personal life. Most of the teachers agreed with the statement that the war should be discussed in the history classrooms. 82% of the teachers included the war in their lessons and 24% devoted at least one entire lesson to the discussion. During the classroom conversations teachers introduced the historical causes and significance of the war and used the opportunity to enhance critical and multiperspective skills of students with news and information about the war. The students are reported to become more interested in the historical background of the present situation, especially in upper secondary schools.