Towards multiperspectivity in history education? Study of pupils’ interest regarding primary history education in superdiverse Rotterdam

In larger cities such as Rotterdam the demographics are getting increasingly diverse. Consequently, questions about what histories should be taught in schools are asked in Dutch politics, in academics, amongst educational professionals, and in society. Previous research into the subject was conducted regarding history textbooks, teachers’ perspectives and the opinion of (mostly high school) pupils. However, research into local diversity and surveying and interviewing primary school children is scarce in the Netherlands. For this reason, the opinions of primary school pupils regarding the subject were collected through questionnaires and interviews to answer the main research question: “What are the interests of pupils in the last grade of primary school regarding history education in diverse Rotterdam and can this be explained by the background features migration background, gender, and religion?” The results of this study show that migration background, gender and religion indeed have an influence on the interests of pupils in primary school. Furthermore, it shows that for Dutch children as well as children with a migration background, there is already an interest in topics discussed in primary history education through the Dutch Canon. However, they are also interested in other subjects and places in the world. They are thus also open to having multiple perspectives in history education. In addition, this study showed how children relate historical topics to the present. This gives the opportunity to approach the subject of history through events in todays’ society from multiple perspectives.