Recent decades have emphasized the importance of understanding societal and educational perceptions of schools, curricula, and individual subjects. This research focuses on how prospective teachers perceive history and its pedagogy. The study's primary goal is to explore the impact of disciplinary training on future primary and secondary history teachers' conceptions of the subject and their adoption of a critical curriculum model. Three key questions are addressed: 1. How do teachers-in-training represent history? 2. Does disciplinary knowledge influence this representation, particularly comparing primary education students with secondary education (Master's) students? 3. Did initial teacher training challenge traditional perceptions of history education? The hypothesis is that disciplinary training shapes future teachers' perspectives and their adoption of specific historical teaching paradigms, suggesting that enhanced epistemological training leads to more comprehensive understandings and greater coherence in adopting a critical curriculum.

Traditional history education often served a civic and patriotic purpose, using narratives centered on key figures and events to promote national unity and values. This approach, characterized by a "disciplinary code" (Cuesta, 2002), perpetuated established narratives. However, since the 1970s, this approach has been challenged. New methodologies and resources emerged, along with epistemological shifts toward diverse perspectives like "history from below" and micro-history, encouraging the development of more sophisticated historical thinking skills. Despite these changes, traditional approaches persist in many classrooms. This study investigates the impact of disciplinary training on overcoming these traditional perceptions and adopting new perspectives.

This study employed a two-phased mixed-methods approach. Phase one used a quantitative, non-experimental design with a validated questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha = 0.898) administered to 215 final-year students: 145 from a Primary Education degree and 70 from a Master's degree in Secondary Education specializing in history and geography. Participants were divided into four groups based on their level of history education (Table 1). The questionnaire assessed perceptions of teacher roles, classroom strategies, content selection, and educational objectives using a Likert scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.26.0, including descriptive statistics, Welch and Brown-Forsythe tests, and Games-Howell post-hoc comparisons. Phase two involved qualitative data collection through three focus groups (8 students each) with different training profiles (Table 3). Focus groups explored perceptions of school, the history curriculum, teacher training, and ideal teacher attributes. Data from these sessions were analyzed using open coding, considering individual ideas and group dynamics. Two applied exercises involving a WhatsApp group summary of medieval history and analysis of a medieval tournament performance were used to assess critical thinking skills.

Questionnaire results (Tables 4, 5, 6) indicated general agreement on the importance of understanding students' prior knowledge and socio-cultural contexts. However, students with greater epistemological disciplinary training favored a more critical approach to potentially controversial topics. While there was overall agreement on including diverse content, significant differences emerged regarding traditional, factual history. Master's students, particularly those with history degrees, showed stronger opposition to this approach. Regarding objectives, while there was agreement on skills-based learning, differences appeared in how students prioritized traditional nation-centered narratives versus socially relevant and contentious topics. The discussion groups corroborated and refined the quantitative findings. Prospective primary teachers emphasized methodological changes over epistemological ones, often focusing on improving engagement and utilizing technology, showing some inconsistencies in their stated preference for critical approaches. In contrast, Master's students, particularly those with history degrees, advocated for epistemological change, integrating socio-cultural history and addressing contemporary social issues, demonstrating a stronger mastery of content and critical analysis of resources. The applied exercises further highlighted these differences, with primary education students more accepting of superficial or traditional approaches, while Master's students exhibited a stronger capacity for critical evaluation and proposed alternative narratives (Tables 8, 9, 10).

The study's findings address the research questions by demonstrating the significant influence of disciplinary knowledge on the adoption of a critical curriculum model for history education. The strong differences between the groups support the hypothesis that more extensive history education leads to a more nuanced and coherent approach to teaching, reflecting a deeper understanding of the field's epistemology and socio-educational implications. The discrepancies observed between the expressed attitudes in the questionnaires and the actual approaches in the focus groups underscore the limitations of relying solely on quantitative methods. The study's significance lies in its identification of important gaps in the initial training of history teachers, particularly at the primary level, highlighting the need for improved curricula that prioritize the critical analysis of content and objectives. The findings contribute to the field of teacher education by emphasizing the importance of well-rounded disciplinary knowledge in preparing teachers to engage critically with historical narratives and promote civic engagement.

This mixed-methods study reveals that while prospective teachers express support for practical and critical approaches to history education, disciplinary knowledge significantly impacts their ability to fully break with traditional practices. Master's students, especially those with history degrees, demonstrate a greater capacity for critical thinking, content mastery, and the integration of socially relevant themes into their teaching approaches. The findings highlight critical shortcomings in primary education curricula, emphasizing the need for reforms that prioritize the development of solid disciplinary knowledge and the critical analysis of historical narratives. Future research should explore the long-term impact of this training on teachers' classroom practices and student outcomes.

The convenience sampling method limits the generalizability of the findings. The study focuses on a specific university context in Spain, which may not fully represent other educational systems. While the mixed-methods approach provides rich data, the subjective nature of qualitative data analysis introduces potential biases. The self-reported data from questionnaires might not fully reflect teachers’ actual classroom practices.