Abstract
The present study analyzes the influence of historical literacy in English on students’ perceptions and understanding of historical values among history education students at Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia. Historical literacy in English is regarded as an essential competency for accessing global historical sources, interpreting historical narratives and comprehending historical values embedded in English texts. This study uses a quantitative explanatory approach with Structural Equation Modelling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) to examine the direct and indirect relationships between historical literacy in English, perceptions of historical values and understanding of historical values. Data were collected through a survey of 150 History Education students at a state university in Indonesia, using a five-point Likert scale. Data analysis was conducted using SmartPLS 4, including measurement model evaluation and structural model analysis with bootstrapping. The results of the measurement model evaluation indicate that all constructs meet the required reliability and validity criteria. Furthermore, the results of the structural model analysis indicate that historical literacy in English does not directly influence students’ understanding of historical values. However, perceptions of historical values are proven to significantly mediate the relationship between historical literacy in English and understanding of historical values, as indicated by a significant indirect effect. These findings confirm that perception plays a crucial role in bridging English-based historical literacy competencies with an understanding of historical values. Therefore, the integration of English-based history learning within the history education curriculum needs to be strengthened to increase students’ awareness, perception and internalization of historical values.
Keywords: Historical Literacy, Historical Values, History Education, Perception, SEM-PLS.