Keith Barton’s previously published articles “’Bossed Around by the Queen’: Elementary Students’ Understanding of Individuals and Institutions in History,” “Narrative Simplifications in Elementary Children’s Historical Understanding,” and “I Just Kinda Know’: Elementary Students’ Ideas about Historical Evidence,” were based on his dissertation research looking at students’ historical understanding. This article, as part of a collection that aims to make apparent the process and product of history education research, is a reflection of that research with a particular focus on the process of collaboration with teachers during data collection and the role of theory in developing research questions and analysing data.