For Immediate Release

Ohio Historical Society Study Shows Program Benefits Students
History Day Participants Score Higher on OGT Among Findings

(Columbus, Ohio, April 21, 2008) - A pilot study by the Ohio Historical Society shows that students who participate in National History Day in Ohio receive higher scores on the Ohio Graduation Test, appreciate history more, and develop a better ability to think critically than students who did not participate in the program.

"This preliminary study indicates that participating in History Day benefits students by preparing them for high school graduation, college and beyond," said William K. Laidlaw Jr., executive director and CEO of the Ohio Historical Society. "Not only do they have significantly higher test scores, but the students valued learning history and gained better skills for use in today's marketplace. We hope these findings will encourage more teachers to support their students' participation in History Day."

National History Day is a year-long educational program where students in grades 6-12 employ history research methods to investigate topics related to a specific theme. The topics range from math and science to literature and the arts. They present their work through exhibits, performances, documentaries, research papers or web sites. Students may enter their projects in regional and state competitions, and the top two in each category move on to compete in the national competition.

"The program started out as a local contest in Cleveland in 1974 and has grown nationally to include more than 2 million participants. Despite its long history, this is the first study of its type to evaluate the impact of participating in History Day," said Megan Wood, state coordinator of National History Day in Ohio.

The 2007 study compared students who participated in the National History Day in Ohio program with those who didn't. Of the 48 10th-grade students from Columbus and Dayton public schools in the pilot study, 24 participated in National History Day in Ohio that school year. The remaining 24 students that did not participate in the program were labeled as the control group.

First, the investigators compared the OGT scores of the two groups. Those who participated in National History Day scored 21.42 points higher in writing, 10.79 points higher in reading and 27.29 points higher in social sciences, than those who didn’t participate.

Next, the investigators assessed students' appreciation of history through a questionnaire with open- and closed-ended questions that explored feelings and attitudes about history in both the classroom and everyday life. In the classroom, participation in National History Day correlated positively with increased enjoyment of working on history-related projects, making connections between history and other subjects, and engaging in discussions with teachers and other students. It also corresponded to an increased awareness of current events on the part of students.

Development of critical thinking was assessed through focus-group discussions. Students were shown a photograph representing child labor in 1920. Investigators asked the students to identify and define the problem represented in the photo and to suggest solutions to that problem. A rating system was used to evaluate the students' ability to make observations, define the problem, and explore and integrate new perspectives.

No real difference was observed between students participating in National History Day and those who didn’t participate in terms of their ability to observe or define the problem. However, National History Day students showed a stronger ability to explore the issue by using more resources and by evaluating their credibility. Just as important, they demonstrated a better ability to integrate new perspectives into their thinking.

"The results of the pilot study are encouraging," said Giuseppe Monaco, evaluation analyst at the Ohio Historical Society and principal investigator of the study. "We know we have a method that is trustworthy. Now we need to do additional studies with a larger number of enrolled students to confirm the positive impact of National History Day." Monaco also cited the assistance of the College of Public Health at The Ohio State University in analyzing the data to compare student learning outcomes across different groups.

More than 600 students out of nearly 8,000 statewide will participate in National History Day in Ohio on Saturday, April 26 at Columbus State Community College in Columbus. Fifty will be selected to compete at National History Day, June 15-19, University of Maryland. The national competition awards cash prizes and college scholarships.

For more information about the study, go online at www.ohiohistory.org/sn/042108.html.

Established in 1885, the Ohio Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that serves as the state’s partner in preserving and interpreting Ohio’s history, archaeology and natural history. For more information about programs and events, call 614.295.2300/800.686.6124 or go online at www.ohiohistory.org.

Thank you for your interest in the Ohio Historical Society!