In this master's thesis, we explored the competence of primary school teachers for teaching history in the fourth and fifth grades of primary school. Our focus was on teachers' self-assessment of their professional competence, their recognition of the need for further education, the use of historical sources, and the integration of ICT in teaching the content area People in Time within the subject Social Studies. In the theoretical part, we first presented the subject Social Studies, with an emphasis on the content area People in Time, in which students learn about the past and historical changes and develop historical thinking. We examined the development of history teaching, the importance and objectives of teaching historical content in the 4th and 5th grades, and analyzed how many hours are allocated to history teaching within Social Studies. We then focused on the professional development of teachers, analyzing the scope of history education for teachers at different levels of the educational system, their competencies for teaching history, and opportunities for professional development in this field. Special attention was given to the sources used by teachers in history lessons. We presented different types of historical sources, their classification, and ways of using them in teaching, including an example of good practice in formative assessment. The final chapter of the theoretical part addresses the importance, opportunities, and challenges of using ICT in history teaching. We presented various types of digital tools, their function in history lessons, and their connection to teacher competence. In the empirical part, we used both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The quantitative part was based on a questionnaire completed by 100 primary school teachers from across Slovenia who teach in the fourth or fifth grade. We investigated how they assess their competence for teaching history, whether they perceive a need for further training, the extent to which they integrate ICT and historical sources in their teaching, and the challenges they face in doing so. The qualitative research was complemented by interviews with two teachers of the fourth and fifth grades, who provided in-depth descriptions of specific examples of using ICT in history lessons, difficulties in finding suitable historical sources for students, and a proposal to establish a shared platform for exchanging teaching materials among teachers. The findings of the research indicate that teachers generally evaluate their competence positively, but they often express the need for further professional development, especially in the field of ICT and the use of reliable historical sources. The results confirm the importance of systematic support for teachers in teaching historical content and the value of collaboration among teachers in sharing high-quality teaching materials.
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