Regional Mountain Conference

The figure of Andreas Hofer remains a defining element of Tyrolean commemorative culture to this day. The Tyrolean ‘struggle for freedom’ of 1809, embedded in the European coalition wars, was condensed into a heroic narrative during the 19th and 20th centuries, in which Hofer appears as a freedom fighter and identity-forming father of the nation.

This dissertation project examines the concepts and ideas that children aged eight to nine develop about Andreas Hofer and the Tyrolean struggle for freedom before they encounter the topic at school.

The study follows the model of didactic reconstruction and focuses on the reconstruction of children’s pre-concepts as a basis for a professionally sound didactic structure in history-related general studies. Methodologically, the study is based on the grounded theory methodology according to Strauss/Corbin, which enables an open, theory-generating analysis. Data is collected through guided, problem-centred individual interviews; the evaluation involves a multi-stage coding process.

In addition, an analysis of school, museum and digital materials on the Tyrolean struggle for freedom in 1809 and the figure of Andreas Hofer is carried out. This material analysis serves to reconstruct the historical and cultural interpretations and narratives that children encounter in school and public history spaces, and forms a frame of reference for classifying the empirically collected preconcepts. The aim is to develop a subject-based core theory on children’s ideas about Andreas Hofer and the Tyrolean struggle for freedom in 1809, which will also contribute to the theoretical foundation of historical learning in general studies and provide impetus for the future didactic preparation of the topic.