Kontroversiškos temos naujausių laikų vadovėliuose: lietuviškų istorijos vadovėlių analizė (1990–2014 m.)
Controversial Topics in Contemporary Textbooks: Analysis of Lithuanian History Textbooks (1990–2014)

Summary/Abstract: The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the presentation of controversial topics – the Klaipėda Revolt of 1923, the Lithuanian coup d’état of 17 December 1926, the occupation of Lithuania in 1940, the post-war resistance of 1944– 1953, collaboration – in the context of the history of Lithuania in the contemporary Lithuanian textbooks of history. Special attention is paid to the expression of a multi-perspective approach in textbooks through an author’s text, the sources reflecting different approaches and the tasks intended to pupils. A comparison of the part of the sources, questions and tasks presented in textbooks and the questions proposed by foreign specialists of didactics for source analysis is provided. The analysis of the texts on controversial topics in contemporary textbooks of history revealed that the authors of school textbooks occasionally create ambiguity by sentence structure and the words in use, thus opening an opportunity for various interpretations of the text. Textbooks Lietuvos praeities puslapiai (Pages of the Past of Lithuania) and Laikas (Time) stand out for their national narrative. It can be stated that when sensitive topics are addressed, e.g. armed anti-Soviet resistance, as many as six textbooks are dominated by a one-sided positive approach towards the guerrilla warfare. It is rather odd that even the latest textbook Pilietiškumo pagrindai ir laisvės kovų istorija (Basics of Civic Education and the History of Freedom Fights) written under the updated programme includes no mention of the casualties. It should be noted that a repetition of the content in concentres could not be avoided in a part of textbooks. According to the international teaching practice, it can be stated that in the teaching of history pupils should be provided with the sources which present different approaches towards sensitive issues, such as collaboration. Though the textbooks include the sources reflecting different approaches but their number differs in the textbooks published by different publishing-houses. The topic of the coup d’état of 17 December 1926 is mostly expanded in this respect. Both primary sources and historians’ opinions are dedicated to this topic. The works of historians dominate among the sources reflecting diverging views. It should be noted that the authors of textbooks should not avoid using primary sources on the topic of post-war resistance as it has already been done in creating examination tasks. To make the practice of the work with sources more effective, not only more sources featuring different perspectives should be used but the questions formulated and the tasks for sources composed should also be reviewed. The questions formulated for sources, e.g. Who were the authors of the sources? Why did they write it? Why do the authors express the particular (certain) approach? ...

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