This study investigated the effectiveness and contribution of a history mini-curriculum designed based on theories of progression in students' learning of second-order concepts. The researcher administered a pre-test and post-test to students who received the mini-curriculum and found it was effective in developing their understanding. The curriculum contributed to the larger history class curriculum by teaching historical accounts and content from three periods, though gaps and redundancies were also identified. The study confirms the importance of instruction in developing historical understanding and provides an example of applying theories of progression, but generalizability is limited by the specific student group and untested materials used.

1. G L E N P . H O N R A D O
S A N J O S E L E E T I N T E G R A T E D S C H O O L
A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
ON THE VIABILITY OF A
DESIGNED HISTORY MINI-
CURRICULUM BASED ON THE
THEORIES OF PROGRESSION IN
STUDENTS’ LEARNING OF
SECOND-ORDER CONCEPTS

2. PURPOSE
Investigate the viability of the mini-
curriculum designed by the researcher
in terms of its effectiveness and
contribution to the larger mini-
curriculum developed by the Study of
History and Geography Class of UPOU,
First Semester of the Academic Year
2013-2014

3. Viability of
the mini-
curriulum
designed by
the
researcher
Effectiveness
Contribution
to the Class
Mini-
curriculum
Gather evidence
from the
classroom
Curriculum
Mapping

4. RESEARCH THEORY: THEORIES OF
PROGRESSION
What are Theories of Progression?
 Theories that explain the nature of students’ ideas
about second-order concepts, e.g. historical
accounts, evidence, causality, time, etc., and how
they develop.
Why use Theories of Progression?
 They enable educators to determine the patterns
with which students’ ideas about second order
concepts develop, thereby enabling them to design
curriculum and instruction adapted to the needs of
the target students.

5. RESEARCH THEORY: THEORIES OF
PROGRESSION
Why teach students second-order concepts in
the first place?
 Students need them in order to become good
citizens of a democratic country (Shemilt, 2000;
Seixas, 2000).
 Students’ understanding of second-order concepts
may limit or enhance their grasp of substantive ideas
(Lee & Shemilt, 2003)

6. HOW THE THEORIES OF PROGRESSION GUIDED THE
DESIGN OF THE MINI-CURRICULUM
Needs
Assessment
Locating
students’ level
of
understanding
within the
model of
progression
Designing the
middle unit
(Grade 8) on
the basis of the
results of needs
assessment,
etc.
Designing
the input
(Grade 7)
and output
(Grade 9)
units

7. HOW THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED

8. STEPS
1
2
3
4
5
Developing the
middle unit
Pre-test
Implementation
Post-test
Analysis of the
results
Identifying benefits students
may derive from the mini-
curriculum designed by the
researcher
Determining whether
standards in the mini-
curriculum covered what the
mini-curriculum designed by
the researcher sought to cover
Identifying gaps, overlaps,
and redundancies in the
SSE 202 Mini-Curriculum
Determining the mini-
curriculum’s contribution
Determining the
mini-curriculum’s
effectiveness

9. RESULTS
1. The researcher found through analysis of the results of
the pre-test and post-test that the units he had
designed were effective.
2. The mini-curriculum had considerable contribution to
the SSE 202 Mini-Curriculum. They were the teaching
of the second-order concepts of historical accounts and
the substantive content pertaining to the Revolutionary
Period, the American Period, and the Japanese
Occupation (although Ms. Angwas ‘ standard, which
was unused at the time the study was conducted, also
aimed to teach aspects of those three historical period)

10. RESULTS
3. There were also gaps, overlaps, and redundancies
in the curriculum. These problems may necessitate
revision both tin the SSE 202 Mini-Curriculum or
the mini-curriculum designed by the researcher.

11. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
1. It confirms finding in other studies about the
importance of instruction in developing students’
historical understanding
2. It provides practical knowledge on how to apply the
theories of progression in local settings. It must be
admitted, however, that the applicability of the
study to other settings is delimited by several
factors: 1) the student participants were not
representative of other students in other schools,
and 2) the materials used were not tested for
reliability and validity.