Learners and Learning in the History of Education

This paper assesses the current state of our understanding of the history of learners and learning and examines the challenges and opportunities involved in furthering a social history literature in this area. The potential for developing a social history of learners and learning remains largely unrealised, but significant advances in theory and methodology have begun to generate new possibilities towards this end. Such a literature will require the further development of a general historical framework, engagement with theories of learning, and interaction with educational research and policy.