The paper reports on the analysis in progress of data from Project Chata.

Project Chata is investigating children’s second order understandings in history rather than their substantive concepts. The main questions addressed by the project are:

• How does children’s understanding of second order historical concepts develop between the ages of 7 and 14 years?
• What differences are there in teachers approaches to developing historical understanding?
• How do children’s ideas develop in the context of different teaching approaches?

The project has proceeded in three main phases.

Phase I, paper and pencil responses were collected from 320 pupils between the ages of 7 and 14; 122 of these pupils were interviewed in depth, and 96 pupils were video taped carrying out various tasks.

Phase II, a wide range of approaches were used to study and categorise different teaching approaches.

Phase III, a group of 92 pupils were interviewed in depth early in the Spring Term and again in the final weeks of the summer term to acquire a better understanding of the progression of their ideas in the context of different teaching approaches. A longitudinal study has also been undertaken, the main aim of which is to develop understanding of the progression paths followed by children from year 3 to 5.

The project is on-going but it is possible to report some broad indications of how children’s understanding of individual concepts develops. There seem to be grounds for suggesting that the ‘seven year gap’ found by the Assessment of Performance Unit in maths and science, is also present in history. The ideas of some 7 year-olds about explanation and the nature of historical knowledge are as sophisticated as those of most 14-year-olds.