The process of historical questioning. A systematic literature review
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Author (Corporation)
Publication date
2026
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01A - Journal article
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History Education Research Journal
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23
Issue / Number
1
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UCL Press
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Abstract
The majority of history educators in the English- and German-speaking contexts concur that the objective of history education is to foster historical thinking. While there exist some models for the progression of second-order concepts that provide an analytical framework to support these learning processes, such models are almost entirely lacking for the procedural aspects of historical thinking. This is also true for historical questioning, which is generally regarded in the literature as the ‘engine’ of historical thinking. However, there remains a paucity of theories and empirical studies that systematically operationalise the process of historical questioning and its development. To address this research gap, our systematic literature review provides in-depth insight into relevant studies on (historical) questioning from different angles in order to conceptualise three main operations of historical questioning: (1) experiencing perplexity, (2) expliciting perplexity and (3) expressing the historical question. Furthermore, the review systematises sub-operations and quality characteristics of both the process of historical questioning and its operations. Finally, the results are discussed based on an analytical framework and with regard to practical implications.
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2631-9713
1472-9474
1472-9474
Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
Yes
Strategic action fields FHNW
Publication status
Preprint
Review
peer-reviewed
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Citation
Schobinger, J., & Nitsche, M. (2026). The process of historical questioning. A systematic literature review. History Education Research Journal, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.14324/herj.23.1.10