Literature & U.S. History

The national survey reported in this document focused on 11th grade students' knowledge of literature and U.S. history. While approximately two-thirds of the history questions were answered correctly, performance on the literature assessment was slightly lower, perhaps because some questions were asked about authors and literary works not included in high school curricula. Results indicate that students are more likely to remember information about topics in which they have a particular interest or that are related to their cultural background. Patterns of course work are directly related to students' knowledge of history and literature. Students' knowledge levels in both subject areas are affected by the number of topics previously studied and how recently the course was studied. Instruction in U.S. history tends to reflect traditional teaching approaches, while literature instruction tends to be differentiated in terms of students' academic tracks. Appendices contain an explanation of the research procedures and the literature and history assessment data. Numerous tables are included. (JHP)