The research group of History and Social Science Education in the University of Helsinki addresses topics such as the development and evaluation of histor- ical thinking as well as reasoning in the social sciences. The group also studies educational and subject-specific knowledge, the history of education and the complex relationship between education and society. The members of the group are interested in the historical formation of the teacher profession, the development of teacher education, the rhetoric of the public debate on edu- cation, and the various political and ideological pressures on schools. In this chapter, we will provide an overview of the research group’s activi- ties. In its early days, the group’s research focused on issues of educational his- tory and policy. The closer we get to the present day, the more focus has shifted towards didactic issues in history and social studies. We conclude our chapter with a reflection on the reasons for this shift.

Non peer reviewed