Investigating Students’ Historical Literacy Through the Lens of Gender: An Overview

Abstract

Background: Historical literacy is an essential competency in empowering young people to understand the past critically, reflect on the present, and make responsible decisions for the future. While existing studies primarily emphasise institutional or curricular comparisons, limited attention has been given to gender, despite its potential influence on how students interpret and reconstruct historical events. 

Objective of the Study: This study aims to provide an overview of the level of historical literacy among 11th-grade senior high school students in West Java, Indonesia.

Methodology: The study involved 551 students, including 209 male and 342 female respondents, who completed an online historical literacy test via Google Form. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics to determine literacy levels and inferential statistics, including the Mann-Whitney test, to examine gender-based differences. Data normality was assessed with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test.

Results: Females achieved a higher mean historical literacy score (M=61.1, SD=12.47) compared to males (M=59.95, SD=14.69). A total of 60.4% of both males and females fall into the low category. The Mann-Whitney U value is 34,251.000, with an Asymptotic Significance value of 0.396, which is greater than 0.05, indicating no significant difference between the two groups.

Conclusion: The statistical tests show that the low level of historical literacy indicates challenges related to the dominance of rote memorisation in teaching, curriculum design, and the social context. Furthermore, there is no significant difference in historical literacy levels between male and female students.

Unique Contribution: This study provides findings on students' historical literacy levels by gender and addresses a research gap in both local and global contexts.

Key Recommendation: Further research is recommended to explore the influence of pedagogical preparation and professional development on historical literacy, the role of digital resources and online platforms in shaping students’ historical understanding, and the variation of outcomes across different educational and cultural contexts.