Our article in History Education Research Journal brought together Portuguese students from two different educational levels (6th and 9th grade) and based on their written narratives, we tried to understand how they use historical knowledge on a specific subject. In this case, each student told the History of Portugal that they knew, and the content of these texts allowed us to study two main categories: identity and temporal orientation. In a way, we were able to partly understand historical literacy and identify the development of their historical consciousness.

Research into historical narratives written by children and young people is nothing new, but the various research projects that have been carried out have added one or other perspective, raised questions that were previously overlooked and have been explored later, and have given rise to concerns and new directions for research. Our data analysis was mainly based on a qualitative approach inspired by grounded theory, although we also considered the presentation of quantitative data that helped to systematise the results achieved.

These same results show similar schematic templates in the students' narratives. This is nonetheless suggestive, given that the students were at different stages of their schooling, some further along in their education than others. Regarding the assumption of a certain national identity, the students either adopted fixed conceptions of the past, more often in 6th grade, or showed a more historically balanced knowledge, but still somewhat ethnocentric. About understanding intertemporal relationships for personal orientation, the idea of linking the past and the present was the general trend, especially in 9th grade. And as for the future, there's nothing to ponder?!

In the investigative line of History Education, this could be another contribution to thinking about the teaching and learning of History and its real formative impact on young people. Those who easily access social networks, who live with adulterated views of the past and present, who read fake news shared as absolute truths, who are building their thinking (desirably sustained and critical).

May this article of ours give rise to other research on the subject, both inside and outside the country. Because broadening perspectives and knowledge makes any work worthwhile!

Historical narratives: how Portuguese students aged 10 and 15 make use of national history by Ana Isabel Moreira (CITCEM, University of Porto, Portugal) and Isabel Barca (CITCEM, University of Porto, Portugal) is part of the HERJ Special Series on History education in historical perspective and published in History Education Research Journal, volume 21.

history education history in basic education in Portugal uses of history historical consciousness students’ historical narratives