Competencies needed to understand and interpret Quebec secondary level history textbooks
This article presents an analysis of the writing in two chapters in two general history textbooks for Quebec students aged 13-14 years old. The objective was to determine the reading competencies required to use these texts as a real learning tool when presented as a teacher substitute. The results show that, without a systematic presentation by teachers for ensuring student comprehension and interpretation, these textbooks cannot serve their role, since there are too many obstacles for young readers.