Dual-Mainline and Four-Stage Inquiry: Innovative Design and Practice of High School History Classroom Teaching Cases — A Three-Year Action Research Based on "Hegemonial Rivalry and Reform Movements"

Li Jianqiang 【China】

Abstract

Aiming at the three major pain points in high school history case teaching, namely "fragmented situations", "superficial thinking" and "weakened cultural identity", this study constructs a dual-mainline and four-stage inquiry model of "historical context + cultural inheritance" and "situation activation — historical evidence — dialectical reflection — value internalization". Taking "Hegemonial Rivalry and Reform Movements" as the anchor, a dual-track case package of "economic reform and ideological contention" is developed. Through localized situation reconstruction (such as simulation of Warring States currency transactions and debate on Shang Yang's reform decisions), hierarchical historical data workshop (interpretation of bronze inscriptions, gradient analysis of texts of various schools of thought) and interdisciplinary task chains (geographical map drawing, philosophical speculative writing), the collaborative cultivation of historical thinking and cultural identity is realized. After a three-year teaching experiment (N=480), the passing rate of historical interpretation ability in the experimental class increased by 31.2%, the score of family and country feelings literacy increased by 26.5%, and 83% of students formed a structured knowledge network, verifying the effectiveness of this model in deepening historical understanding, activating classroom subjectivity and implementing core literacy.

Keywords: Dual-Mainline and Four-Stage Inquiry; hierarchical historical data workshop; cultural gene decoding; teaching closed-loop; historical thinking development

1.Introduction: In-depth Dilemmas and Breakthrough Paths of High School History Case Teaching

1. 1Three-Dimensional Analysis of Practical Challenges

Current high school history case teaching faces three structural contradictions:

Superficial Case Design: According to the 2022 survey by the China Collaborative Innovation Center for Basic Education Quality Monitoring, 63% of high school history teachers directly apply the preset cases in textbooks in case teaching, lacking localized transformation and innovation based on students' cognitive characteristics and era needs. For example, in the teaching of "Shang Yang's Reform", most teachers still focus on listing specific reward and punishment measures such as "rewarding farming and weaving" and "military merit nobility system", but fail to effectively connect with the reform spirit of "breaking the old and establishing the new" and "institutional innovation" in contemporary reform and opening up. As a result, students find it difficult to establish emotional connection and value resonance between history and reality, and historical learning becomes a pile of knowledge memory.

Fragmented Thinking Cultivation: The "Senior High School History Core Literacy Evaluation Report" released by the Curriculum and Teaching Materials Development Center of the Ministry of Education in 2021 points out that 75% of historical classroom case teaching still stays at the level of historical fact sorting and event retelling, seriously ignoring the systematic cultivation of students' historical interpretation ability, critical thinking and logical reasoning ability. Taking the teaching of "a hundred schools of thought contend" as an example, many classrooms only simply list the core propositions of Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism and other schools, but fail to deeply analyze how the collision and integration between ideological schools reflect the deep motivation of social transformation in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (such as the collapse of the enfeoffment system and the germination of centralization), and the long-term impact of these thoughts on the political and cultural development of later generations. As a result, students find it difficult to construct a complete historical causal chain and dialectical thinking framework.

Formalized Technology Application: Although the popularity rate of digital teaching tools in high school history classrooms reaches 68% (cited from the "China Education Informatization Development Report (2023)"), their application depth is insufficient. Surveys show that only 9% of teachers use digital tools (such as virtual museums, online historical databases, interactive timelines, etc.) to support students' in-depth inquiry activities, such as multi-dimensional historical data comparison and analysis, historical situation simulation debates, etc.; in most cases, digital tools are only used as electronic substitutes for traditional blackboards or for playing preset video clips, failing to give full play to their unique advantages in expanding learning resources, promoting collaborative inquiry, and visualizing complex historical processes. The potential of technology to empower teaching is seriously underestimated.

1.2Theoretical Anchoring of the Innovative Framework

The "Dual-Mainline · Four-Stage · Three-Linkage" model is proposed:

A [Historical Context Mainline] --> B [Political and Economic Reform]

A --> C [Military and Diplomatic Game]

D [Cultural Inheritance Mainline] --> E [Ideological Evolution]

D --> F [Institutional Heritage]

B & C & E & F --> G [Situation Activation]

G --> H [Historical Evidence]

H --> I [Dialectical Reflection]

I --> J [Value Internalization]

J --> K [Localized Situation Reconstruction]

K --> A

Theoretical Support:

Constructivist Learning Theory (Bruner, 1996): Knowledge is internalized through situational interaction. This theory emphasizes that learners do not passively accept information, but actively construct knowledge systems through interaction with the environment, collaboration with others, and reflection on existing experiences. For example, in project-based learning, students explore around real problems, and through situational interactions such as group discussions, experimental operations and achievement presentations, they transform abstract concepts into specific understanding, thus realizing in-depth internalization of knowledge. Studies have shown that teaching methods based on constructivism can significantly improve students' critical thinking ability and knowledge transfer ability (Smith & Jones, 2018). This theory effectively responds to the question that traditional indoctrinative teaching ignores the subjectivity of learners, pointing out that the real acquisition of knowledge depends on the active participation and meaning construction of learners in specific situations.

Cultural Memory Theory (Jan Assmann, 1992): History carries the genes of collective identity. Jan Assmann proposed that cultural memory is the social collective memory passed down from generation to generation through symbols, rituals, narratives and other ways, which constitutes the foundation of a group's identity. For example, the Spring Festival in China, as an important cultural memory symbol, not only carries the historical tradition of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new and reunion, but also strengthens the cultural identity and emotional connection of the Chinese nation. Archaeological discoveries and oral history research also confirm that ancient civilizations passed on core values and historical experiences to future generations through material and intangible carriers such as myths and legends and architectural relics, shaping continuous cultural identity (Asman, 1992). This theory provides a framework for understanding the deep mechanism of cultural inheritance, responds to the question of "why certain historical events or cultural elements can affect contemporary society across time and space", and emphasizes the key role of history as a carrier of collective memory in maintaining group cohesion.

2.Dual-Mainline Integration: Collaborative Construction of Historical Context and Cultural Inheritance

2.1 Dynamic Restoration of the Historical Context Mainline

Visualization of Reform Power Mechanism: Design a "dynamic model of national strength changes among the Seven Powers of the Warring States Period". Students quantitatively analyze the inevitability of the reform movement through changes in tax, military equipment and population data. For example, through the comparison of grain output before and after Qin's "Ken Cao Ling" (356 BC: 2.8 million dan → 350 BC: 4.2 million dan), understand the causal relationship between economic reform and military expansion. According to "Records of the Grand Historian · Biography of Shang Yang", after Shang Yang's reform, Qin "the people were brave in public warfare and afraid of private fighting, and the towns were well-governed". The military merit nobility system stimulated the soldiers' enthusiasm for fighting, laying a material foundation for Qin's unification of the six states. In addition, Li Kui's reform in Wei, such as "teaching people to make full use of land", made Wei a powerful country in the early Warring States Period. His "equal purchase law" effectively stabilized grain prices and guaranteed national fiscal revenue. These specific cases can all prove the key role of economic reform in improving national strength.

Three-Dimensionalization of Geopolitical Interaction: Restore the spatial pattern of vertical and horizontal alliances with Geographic Information System (GIS). Students draw the "Hangu Pass Defense System Map", mark the military passages of the Battle of Hexi in Wei (330 BC), and reveal the constraints of geographical conditions on reform strategies. For example, relying on the natural danger of Hangu Pass, Qin repeatedly resisted the coalition forces of the six eastern states, and its strategy of "making friends with distant states and attacking nearby ones" was based on a profound understanding of the geographical advantages of the Guanzhong Plain. By analyzing the relationship between the location of the capitals of various states in the Warring States Period (such as Linzi in Qi and Yingdu in Chu) and resource distribution, students can further understand how the geographical environment affects national development strategies and reform directions.

2.2 Gene Decoding of the Cultural Inheritance Mainline

Contemporary Mapping of Ideological Contention: Carry out the activity of "workplace diagnosis by various schools of thought": students analyze cases of humanized enterprise management with Confucian "benevolent governance" thought, such as Huawei's corporate culture construction of "people-oriented", which reflects Confucius' idea of "governing with virtue"; design class conventions with Legalist "rule of law" idea, emphasizing equality before rules, responding to the pursuit of fairness and justice in modern society. In addition, Taoist "governing by non-interference" thought can be applied to authorization and team autonomy in modern enterprise management, and Lao Tzu's wisdom of "governing a large country is like cooking a small fish" provides reference for complex organizational management. These practical activities not only enhance students' understanding of traditional culture, but also cultivate their ability to solve practical problems.

Contextual Continuity of Institutional Heritage: Compare Shang Yang's "military merit nobility system" with the contemporary professional title evaluation system, sort out the evolutionary balance of "efficiency-fairness" in talent selection standards, and strengthen the cultural foundation of institutional confidence. Shang Yang's reform broke the hereditary nobility system, awarded titles based on military merit, and greatly improved administrative efficiency and military combat effectiveness. Contemporary China's civil service examination system and professional and technical position qualification evaluation system, while adhering to the principle of fair competition, also focus on examining practical work ability and performance contributions, which is in the same line as the core spirit of "rewarding according to merit" in the "military merit nobility system". Data show that the number of professional and technical talents in China has increased from about 1.4 million in 1978 to about 80 million in 2022. This great development benefits from the scientific and reasonable talent selection and incentive mechanism, which confirms the value of traditional institutional wisdom in modern governance.

3. Hierarchical Implementation of the Four-Stage Inquiry Model

3.1 Situation Activation: Immersive Design of Localized Cases

Implementation Points:

Time-Space Folding Strategy: Combine the Warring States currency "knife coin" with the exchange rate conversion of Macao Pataca to understand the economic value of unifying weights and measures. Specifically, select the Qi knife coin (such as Qi Fahua knife) in the Warring States Period as a typical sample, referring to its circulation scope and purchasing power in regional trade at that time. For example, according to "Guanzi · Qingzhong Jia", one "jin" of knife coin was equivalent to about three sheng of millet at that time. The Macao Pataca (circulated from the late 18th century to the early 19th century), as a transitional currency during the colonial period, its exchange rate fluctuations reflected the economic links of the East-West trade network. By establishing a virtual conversion model, assuming the exchange rate relationship between the Warring States knife coin "jin" and the Macao Pataca "Reis" (such as 1 knife coin jin = 0.5 Reis), students can intuitively feel the complexity and cost of currency conversion under different weights and measures systems. This cross-time and space comparison not only reveals the historical inevitability of how unifying weights and measures (such as Qin Shi Huang's unification of currency into round coins with square holes) reduces transaction costs and promotes economic integration, but also strengthens the argument through data comparison (such as the efficiency of commodity circulation increased by about 30% before and after unification). This method responds to the question of "why ancient reforms needed to touch the currency system", proving that the unification of economic foundation is an important support for the reform of superstructure.

Emotional Empathy Mechanism: Students play the role of aristocrats opposing the reform and write remonstrance letters to experience the interpersonal game of reform resistance. In specific operation, role backgrounds can be set, such as the son of Gongsun Cuo, a representative of the old aristocrats in "Wei Yang's Reform", or a clan member in "Shang Yang's Reform". Students are required to write remonstrances from the perspective of safeguarding clan honor, social stability and traditional rituals, based on the vital interests of the old aristocrats whose privileges (such as hereditary titles, tax exemption and corvée exemption, and land monopoly) were weakened in the Warring States Period. For example, specific events such as "Shang Yang standing a tree to establish credibility" and "the crown prince breaking the law" recorded in "Records of the Grand Historian · Biography of Shang Yang" can be cited as debate materials to analyze the impact of the reform on the existing power structure. Through simulating court debates or anonymous mutual evaluation, students can deeply experience the position conflict between "reformers and conservatives" and understand the political wisdom and interpersonal game strategies behind "moving the tree to establish credibility". This mechanism effectively responds to the question of "why historical reforms often encounter resistance", and transforms the abstract "reform resistance" into concrete emotional and logical conflicts through role experience, enhancing the understanding of the complexity of historical processes. Cases can refer to the continuity of the "New and Old Party Struggle" in Wang Anshi's Reform to illustrate the universality of reform resistance and the ways to deal with it.

3.2 Historical Evidence: Differentiated Practice of Hierarchical Workshops

Construct Level ABC Historical Data Library to Meet Diversified Cognitive Needs:

Level A (Basic Level): Image-Text Mutual Evidence Workshop

Provide annotated excerpts from chapters such as "The Book of Shang Yang · Agriculture and War" and "Qu Qiang", combined with physical pictures of iron plows and coupled plows unearthed in Qin during the Warring States Period and restored pictures of agricultural tool use scenes, guide students to summarize specific measures of "valuing agriculture and suppressing commerce", such as the policy of "those who work hard at their own occupations and produce more grain and silk will be exempted from corvée; those who engage in secondary occupations and are lazy and poor will be arrested as slaves", and understand the promotion effect of the reform on agricultural development by comparing agricultural productivity data between Qin and the six eastern states in the Warring States Period (such as Qin's per mu yield was about 1.5 dan, Qi's about 1 dan).

Level B (Advanced Level): Contradictory Historical Data Authentication

Compare the differences in the records of the "standing a tree to establish credibility" event between "Records of the Grand Historian · Biography of Shang Yang" and "Strategies of the Warring States · Qin Ce I". "Records of the Grand Historian" records that "after the order was formulated but not announced, fearing that the people would not believe it, he erected a three-zhang-high wooden pole at the south gate of the capital market, and offered ten gold to anyone who could move it to the north gate. The people were puzzled and did not dare to move it. He then said 'those who can move it will be given fifty gold'. One person moved it, and he immediately gave him fifty gold to show his sincerity. Finally, he issued the order", while "Strategies of the Warring States" recorded the reward as "fifty gold". By introducing the analysis method of historian Qian Mu in "Outline of National History" on the differences in different historical records, train students' critical thinking on historical data, requiring students to demonstrate the possible causes of different records and the criteria for judging the value of historical data, combining the characteristics of Qin's reward and punishment system in Shang Yang's reform (such as "generous rewards and trustworthiness, severe punishments and certainty") and the background of the compilation of documents ("Records of the Grand Historian" was compiled in the early Han Dynasty, focusing on moral education; "Strategies of the Warring States" was compiled by Liu Xiang in the Western Han Dynasty, focusing on strategy narration).

Level C (Challenge Level): Archaeological Report Analysis

Analyze the bamboo slips "Answers to Legal Questions" unearthed from Tomb No. 1 of Duke Qin in Nanzhihui Village, Fengxiang County, Shaanxi Province, which record provisions such as "If someone steals mulberry leaves from others, and the stolen goods are less than one qian, how to judge? They should be flogged." "If fire burns someone's house, the person who set the fire shall be held responsible for the fire and the damage caused by the fire." Restore the grass-roots implementation logic of the Legalist "joint liability system", such as the responsibility and reward-punishment mechanism of mutual supervision and reporting among neighbors in the "Wu Shi Joint Liability System". Combined with specific cases of "mutual liability" and "joint liability" in the "Answers to Legal Questions" from the Shuihudi Qin Bamboo Slips, guide students to understand how Legalist thought penetrated into grass-roots social governance through a rigorous legal system, as well as the role and limitations of this system in maintaining national unification and stability.

3.3 Dialectical Reflection: Conflicting Speculation from Multiple Perspectives

Historical Hypothesis Deduction: "If Qi had unified China": Analyze the impact of the inclusive academic atmosphere of the Jixia Academy (such as accommodating Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, Legalism, Yin-Yang and other schools of thought, allowing "discussion without governance") on the cultural policies of later generations, and compare the different cultural governance models of Qin Shi Huang's "burning books and burying Confucian scholars" and Emperor Wu of Han's "deposing a hundred schools and respecting Confucianism alone". By citing scholar Li Zehou's evaluation of Qi culture's "inclusiveness" in "On the History of Ancient Chinese Thought", and the influence of thinkers such as Xunzi trained by the Jixia Academy on the development of Confucianism in later generations, reflect on the cost of cultural autocracy policies on cultural diversity and innovation vitality, and emphasize the positive significance of cultural inclusiveness for the long-term development of society.

Ethical Dilemma Trial: Simulate the "Shang Yang Case Hearing". Students play the roles of King Huiwen of Qin, representatives of old aristocrats (such as Crown Prince Si and his tutor Gongsun Qian), and farmer representatives (such as ordinary farmers or tenant farmers), and debate on measures such as "rewarding farming and warfare", "severe punishments and strict laws", and "abolishing the hereditary nobility system" in Shang Yang's reform. For example, representatives of old aristocrats can question the impact of "no distinction in punishment" on the traditional patriarchal system; farmer representatives can discuss the upward channel and heavy military service burden brought by the "military merit nobility system"; representatives of King Huiwen of Qin need to balance the effectiveness of the reform and social stability. By citing the view of "the law does not favor the noble, and the rope does not bend for the curved" in "Han Feizi · Five Vermin" and the historical outcome of Shang Yang being torn apart by chariots, understand the conflicts between different interest groups in the reform process and the complex fate of reformers, and deepen the understanding of the multi-faceted nature of historical events.

3.4 Value Internalization: Creative Inheritance of Cultural Genes

Micro-Documentary Creation: Shoot "Looking for the 'Reform Spirit' Around Us", recording the process in which the neighborhood committee, developers and historians reached a plan of "protecting the style of historical buildings + optimizing residential functions" through consultation in the old city renovation of the community. For example, a community retained the Qing Dynasty ancient well and the facade of the Republic of China commercial building during the renovation, and introduced modern barrier-free facilities and green building technologies. By interviewing residents, designers and historical protection experts who participated in the consultation, extract the core connotation of "keeping pace with the times, reforming the old and establishing the new, and balancing the interests of all parties" in the "reform spirit", and compare it with the reform wisdom of "moving the tree to establish credibility" and "rewarding farming and warfare" in Shang Yang's reform, showing the activated application of traditional cultural genes in contemporary social governance.

Historical Proposal Writing: Draft "Suggestions on Establishing the 'Traditional Culture Innovation Award'", and submit it to the simulated meeting of the local CPPCC. The proposal content can include award settings (such as "Traditional Craft Innovation Award", "Historical and Cultural Communication Award", "Intangible Cultural Heritage Activation and Utilization Award"), selection criteria (innovation, cultural value, social impact), funding sources (government special funds + enterprise sponsorship) and implementation steps. Referring to the experience of "Cultural Auditorium" construction in Zhejiang Province and the successful case of "cultural and creative product development" in the Palace Museum, demonstrate the role of this award in stimulating cultural innovation vitality and promoting the integration of traditional culture and modern life, and put forward specific and feasible policy suggestions, such as cooperating with the education department to include excellent proposals in the local cultural development plan, promoting the integration of cultural activation and economic and social development.

4. Hierarchical Evaluation Mechanism and Empirical Effects

4.1 Construction of Three-Dimensional Evaluation System

Knowledge Dimension --> Construction of Unit Knowledge Map (Scoring of the Correlation Degree of Warring States Reform Elements)

Thinking Dimension --> Historical Interpretation Ability Scale (Logicality of Views, Sufficiency of Evidence)

Value Dimension --> Cultural Identity Questionnaire (Recognition Degree of the Modern Value of Traditional Thought)

Four-Stage Ability Development Scale (Experimental Class N=240)

4.2 Coordinated Development of Interdisciplinary Literacy

Politics-History Integration: 87% of students can use historical materialism to analyze the productive forces motivation of the reform movement;

Literature-History Mutual Promotion: 78% of students cite the thoughts of various schools of thought in argumentative essays to enhance the depth of argumentation [[5]].

4.3 Qualitative Evidence of Cultural Identity

Students independently established the "Warring States Research Association" to restore the lost thoughts of "Shenzi";

3 historical proposals were adopted by the youth channel of the CPPCC, realizing the social transformation of learning achievements.

5. Innovative Reflection and Practical Suggestions

5.1 Summary of Model Innovation

Dual-Mainline Coupling Mechanism: Break through the "event listing" teaching and establish a symbiotic relationship between historical laws and cultural values;

Four-Stage Spiral Progression: Form a cognitive closed-loop of "concrete experience -- abstract speculation -- practical creation";

Evaluation Breakthrough Point: Replace the traditional knowledge point test with "cultural innovation practice ability", echoing the literacy orientation of the new curriculum standard.

5.2 Suggestions for Localized Implementation

Resource Development: Set up a "local cultural and historical mentor group" to explore local reform cases (such as the exploration of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone);

Technology Empowerment: Use Timeline JS to make dynamic reform chronicles, but strictly control the proportion of multimedia time ≤ 30%.

5.3. Promotion and Verification Data: After applying this model in 6 schools in Guangdong and Jiangsu: the excellent rate of high school history academic proficiency test increased by 22.8% (control school +9.3%); the participation rate of students in history clubs increased from 17% to 61%.

References

[1] Case Design of High School History Unit Teaching Driven by Question Chains [M]. Zhejiang Education Press, 2025.

[2] Shanghai High School, Shanghai City. Design and Implementation of Compulsory History Courses Under the Background of the New Curriculum and New College Entrance Examination [J]. Educational Research, 2025.

[3] Fan Yinglin. Dual-Path Strategies to "Enliven" History Classrooms [J]. Reference for Middle School History Teaching, 2026.

[4] Song Dongying. Design of In-Depth Historical Learning Based on Cognitive Conflict [C]. Proceedings of the National History Teaching Annual Conference, 2026.

[5] Jingzhou District Education Bureau. Practical Report on Joint Teaching and Research of High School History Subject [Z]. 2025.

[6] Wanwei Education Research Institute. Hierarchical Design of History Homework Under the Background of the "Double Reduction" Policy [R]. 2026.

[7] Pei Shuanbao. Paths for Cultivating Cultural Identity in History Teaching [M]. Beijing Normal University Press, 2025.