Page 70 - Balancing between the present and the past
P. 70

                                Chapter 3
I think that this fits his situation because his father had told him that the time of the German Empire was far better compared to the contemporary circumstances. And yes, most of the time, I believe what my parents are telling me. So if Hannes had the opportunity, he would vote for the NSDAP. (Mark, reasoning about Item 4)
With respect to Item 6, “Because his father’s business is almost bankrupt, he might vote for a party that protects small business owners,” many students used affective connections to explain why Hannes might vote for the NSDAP. For example, Paul imagined that he himself had financial troubles and thus considered what he would do in a similar situation:
I think that this is legitimate. I think that he will vote for the NSDAP. He is going to consider...I have a feeling that looking at Hannes’ situation, the most important goal for him is that the family business is going well. Looking at myself, I would be happy if my business was making a profit, so I think that this could be the case for Hannes, too. (Paul, reasoning about Item 6)
Three students (Stella, Tom, and Mark) made five or more affective connections in their reasoning. These students often tried to personalize the historical situation when deciding whether Hannes would vote for the NSDAP. When reasoning about different items, these students used phrases such as “If I were in his shoes” and “I would decide what the best option is for me.” Furthermore, 13 of the 49 affective connections (27%) were made by students with mean HPT scores ≥ 3.50. Most affective connections (n = 34, 69%), however, were made by students with mean HPT scores ≥ 3.00 < 3.50, and two affective connections (4%) were made by students with mean HPT scores < 3.00 (see Table 10). Interestingly, though some students indicated that they did not know the specific historical context of Germany, they nonetheless succeeded in answering items correctly by making affective connections. For example, Stella used affective connections to reason that Hannes might long for the period of the German Empire:
I think most Germans were better off during the German Empire period, but I do not know the specific circumstances of that period, and if this might have resulted in better economic conditions for his family. Personally, I can understand that you might want the German Empire back because your personal wealth might be higher, and I personally can imagine that is a good thing for everybody. (Stella, reasoning about Item 4)
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