Showing papers in "International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education in 2008"

Environmental Awareness and Attitudes of Student Teachers: An Empirical Research

Abstract: The purpose of the study is to assess the awareness and attitudes of student teachers in Turkey. The relationship between the student teachers' attitudes and their gender, academic major, grade level, geographical region and socioeconomic status (level of family income, their parents' education level and occupation, residence) was evaluated with an instrument developed by the researcher. The present descriptive study was carried out at the University of Adiyaman in Turkey, Faculty of Education on 830 Subjects. A 30-item Likert-type questionnaire containing four dimensions (awareness of environmental issues-AEI, awareness of individual responsibility-AIR, general attitudes towards environmental problems-GAEP and general attitudes towards environmental solutions-GAES) was developed to measure student teachers' environmental attitudes by the researcher. Results of T-test and ANOVA showed that the female elementary student teachers in the last year of an instruction programme who have less than three brothers...

University Students' Perception on Sustainable Development: A Case Study from Turkey

Abstract: How can universities realise their powerful role in dealing with issues of environmental degradation, education for sustainability and changing life styles? Being a developing country and having young people amounting to one-third of the total population, it is a very important challenge to help especially the young in Turkey to recognise the social, economic and cultural dimensions of the environment in order to achieve a sustainable future. Thus, this study aims at investigating university students' perceptions of sustainable development and changing life styles and examines the effect of gender and enrolment on environment-related courses. A total of 823 students from three faculties of Middle East Technical University (Ankara) participated in the study. Data were obtained by administration of a modified version of Environmental Attitude Scale and analysed by two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results revealed that while there was a statistically significant mean difference between boys and girl...

Sensory Perception, Rationalism and Outdoor Environmental Education

Abstract: There is a strong emphasis on sensory perception and ‘hands-on’ learning in the outdoor environmental education of children. In addition, normative concerns infuse children's environmental curricula, and in particular, the notion that environmental education is not a passive undertaking; when one appreciates the essential value of the environment, one is bound to care for it. In post-secondary educational settings, the ethical dimension of environmental education remains largely intact, but comparatively little attention is placed on cognition through the physical senses. Among college-age learners, the external senses can be useful for reinforcing conventional learning modalities, such as empirical observation and cause-and-effect reasoning. Moreover, sights, taste, touch and other external senses are means for breaking down dualistic conceptions of ‘people’ and ‘nature’ in environmental studies, particularly in outdoor contexts.

Knowledge Bases for Effective Teaching: Beginning Teachers' Development As Teachers of Primary Geography

Abstract: This paper reports the findings of a research project into beginning teacher development conducted in the United Kingdom. A model for beginning teacher development in the field of primary geography is proposed which looks at the relative knowledge bases needed for effective geography teaching. The model is used to aid analysis of data gathered from a series of lessons observed for two beginning teachers, providing an overview of their development over an eighteen-month period. Personal Construct Theory, specifically Mair's (1971) ‘Community of Self’, provides a framework for theorising about the similarities and differences between the two. This leads to the generation of a number of ideas about beginning teacher development in primary geography, including the possible need to develop a new paradigm for geography suited to the primary context, that of ethnogeography.

Environmental Education and Multicultural Education – Too Close to Be Separate?

Abstract: Environmental education and multicultural education share many characteristics. In addition to having the same underlying core values of a democratic society, they both emphasise values education, empowerment and active citizenship. Environmental education and multicultural education also find common ground in treasuring diversity, respect and compassion. They both aim for societal reform by reorienting education and facilitating active personal and social change. They also have a strong global perspective. The relationship between these two educational trends should be seen in a wider context, as a starting point for more holistic teaching and learning. Environmental education and multicultural education can be considered as two parts of the same theme of how individuals and institutions can collaborate in building a better, sustainable world locally, nationally and globally. By engaging students in multicultural education, school can simultaneously better achieve the goals of environmental education, an...

Environmental Learning Using a Problem-Based Approach in the Field: A Case Study of a Hong Kong School

Abstract: This study investigated the environmental learning of a group of senior geography students through a problem-based learning (PBL) field programme to see if the goals of education for the environment could be accomplished. In the PBL field programme, the students were given a problem statement concerning a real-life scenario of an old lady living in a remote village of Hong Kong. During the PBL field programme which also has adopted an action research framework, the students were observed to have identified the problem statement, set hypotheses, constructed the research methods and collected empirical data in an authentic environment all by themselves. This paper reports on the first cycle of this piece of action research. Data were collected both quantitatively and qualitatively via questionnaires, students' reflective journals, field observation notes and group interviews. The initial finding of this PBL field programme reveals that students had acquired more in-depth knowledge and extended their comfort...

Teaching Hazards Geography and Geographic Information Systems: A Middle School Level Experience

Abstract: Hazards are taught with the belief that knowing something about their occurrence might help us avoid their consequences. The integrative nature of hazards – physical and social systems bound together – is attractive to the student and the instructor alike. Answering why we teach hazards is fairly straightforward. A more pressing question at present is this: how should we teach about hazards? To a large degree, attention towards how we teach hazards in a K-12 environment has been sparse. In this paper we explore the challenges faced when introducing hazards geography in a pre-collegiate setting. Following a review of the status of teaching hazards and the use of geographic information systems as an instructional aid, we outline a hazards course taught successfully for middle school students and discuss implementation obstacles for the traditional classroom.

Teaching and Learning About Distant Places: Conceptualising Diversity

Abstract: This paper reports on a small-scale pilot study undertaken at a secondary school in England, exploring how children learn about and construct distant places. Using drawings, concept mapping and interviews, the research examines the process of learning about Brazil over a period of formal learning, and how teaching and resources influence constructions of place. Findings suggest that children initially deploy stereotypes when they imagine and construct distant places, for example, generic images and understandings of poverty and rural living. The research suggests that during the learning process and the construction of distant place(s), these stereotypes diversify to binary contrasts between self and other, and between different aspects of distant places, for example, urban rich and urban poor. The research goes on to discuss the importance of encouraging children to view places in terms of continuum, continuity and diversity, rather than in terms of difference and contrast. The importance of understandin...

Views, Values and Perceptions in Geographical Fieldwork in Singapore Schools

Abstract: This article suggests that there is an overwhelming support for fieldwork among a prominent group of professionals in Singapore. Professionals were surveyed to assess how fieldwork is viewed amongst the subject leaders (heads of departments, subject heads and geography coordinators) and the various stakeholders (school leaders comprising principals/vice-principals, curriculum officers from the Ministry of Education (MOE) and geography lecturers at the National Institute of Education) in Singapore. The article concludes that the majority of the fieldwork was only of the ‘traditional field excursion’ type which did not allow much geographical enquiry and discovery. There were also divergent views on the adequacy of training for teachers. The article also highlights the current level of fieldwork undertaken in schools and the current level of training for teachers. It also offers a number of recommendations based on a deeper understanding of challenges and issues faced by schools.

Teacher perceptions of the role and value of excursions in years 7-10 geography education in Victoria, Australia

Abstract: Excursions are extremely important to the education of students in the geography curriculum. However, personal observations demonstrated a lack of readiness to conduct excursions in secondary schools. This apprehension of the teachers in this school to implement excursions in geography education was the basis for this study. The study addresses the importance of excursions in education and the roles and values that teachers place on excursions in years 7-10 geography curriculum. Quantitative research was conducted in the form of a questionnaire on a wide range of Study of Society and Environment (SOSE) teachers in secondary schools. The research population consisted of 60 teachers from both rural and urban schools across Victoria. The findings of this study showed that teachers conduct on average one to two excursions per class per year, teachers understand the importance of excursions in geography education and they find planning difficult, but work collaboratively with other teachers to overcome these issues. Other barriers include transportation, student behaviour and cost. With a firm grounding in the conceptual theories and state-level policies of geography education, the conduct of excursions was found to be both difficult and rewarding by teachers in Victoria.

Analysing the Theme of Pollution in Portuguese Geography and Biology Textbooks.

Abstract: Environmental education has been seen as a basic tool to contribute to the change of conceptions, values and attitudes. Textbook analysis is a major element in the evaluation of how the educational goals (at the legislative level of national programmes) are implemented at the school level. The aim of the present study was to analyse the progression of the topic Pollution along the 12 years of Portuguese primary and secondary schools, since the first year (5/6 years old) up to the 12th school year (16/17 years old), giving special attention to the ‘Impact on humankind’, ‘Economic consequences’, ‘Social risks’, ‘Aesthetic values’ and ‘Ethical, moral and cultural motivations’. Results showed that: (1) the planet is seen as a resource for humankind instead of a resource shared with other living beings; (2) it is given a stronger reliance on technologies in sustainable development rather than to changes of individual and social behaviour; and (3) it is conferred unlimited trust in science and technology soluti...

Supporting Holistic Understanding of Geographical Problems: Fieldwork and G-Portal.

Abstract: Fieldwork remains the mainstay in the study of geography and in the analysis of the environmental processes However, an in-depth understanding of the environmental and geographical processes requires extensive as well as intensive fieldwork that involves time and substantial effort, both of which may pose a problem within a given curriculum time One solution to this could be a collaborative data collection both on extensive temporal and spatial scales and subsequently sharing of this data by all for an in-depth analysis Having a large data set from extensive areas helps in a more reliable analysis of the given problem, rather than one done with a limited data set for lack of time and scope Results of such analysis have the potential of providing outcomes beyond mere course grades and may yield results that are useful in solving real life problems Such an understanding was used for the development and use of an online data resource portal named G-Portal The portal was used for uploading and later sha

A Review of “Group Investigation and Student Learning: An Experiment in Singapore Schools”

Abstract: Cooperative learning can be compared to a big tent, as many different ways of promoting student–student interaction can be labeled ‘cooperative learning’. Fortunately, it is a very big tent, as way...

Geographical Education and Values of Space: A Comparative Assessment from Five European Countries

Abstract: This paper discusses the teaching of the values of space, and the development of sustainable regions, as viewed through a prism of values, and which should become an integral part of the geography curriculum. The author is convinced that new methodologies for the teaching of space-related topics in primary and secondary schools across Europe should be found. Therefore, this paper deals with the results of an international survey carried out in Slovenia, Poland, Italy, Greece and Montenegro, which aimed to define the main preferences and obstacles encountered by teachers and their students towards the various teaching aids presently employed within this subject area, and looks at the differences between expectation, and the actual delivery. Using the results of this survey, the author suggests possibilities for the development of geography teaching; particularly with regard to subject areas concerning sustainable development, values of space, and increasing the public awareness of both.

British Columbian Geography in Historical Perspective

Abstract: This paper explores how Geography's position in British Columbia (BC), Canada's school social studies curricula has been affected by changes in educational cycles over the twentieth century. The amount of instructional time, the importance assigned to the subject and the content of the subject have varied in accordance with the pre-eminence given to particular philosophies of education, particularly that of progressivism. The alterations described are presented in a chronological narrative and contextualised within historical frames that describe relevant international, national and local educational events. Trends in BC illustrate significant correlations with educational trends in the United States. The paper includes a general theoretical framework through which findings were interpreted. It illustrates how international trends played out in one context that has been open both to reform and to new educational philosophies of international significance.

GIS Education at Geographical Departments in Japanese Universities in Relation to the Japan Standard GIS Core Curriculum

Abstract: Geographic information system (GIS) education in Japan lags far behind that in Western developed countries. As such the development of systematic GIS education in Japanese universities, including the preparation of a GIS standard curriculum, becomes an urgent issue. This article examines the present situation and recent trends of GIS education in geographical departments of Japanese universities. Information about 202 courses offered in 39 universities was collected and analysed. The results indicate that there are mismatches between the current draft of the Japan Standard GIS Core Curriculum and the actual situation of GIS education in terms of the length of courses, the number of classes and course style. The results of this study provide useful information to facilitate the effective implementation of the core curriculum for GIS.

Guest Editorial Geography Education for Sustainable Development in Southeast Asia

Abstract: As geography educators at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, we are delighted to have the opportunity to share some of the research works in Southea

Assessing Students' Acquisition of Basic Geographical Knowledge

Abstract: This paper reports the findings of a survey conducted to investigate students' knowledge of geography, such as an accurate understanding of the basic vocabulary and essential concepts associated with the representative geographic locations, described here as ‘spatial landmarks’. The factors that influence their learning, and how their perceived levels change after one year in all classroom levels, are also discussed. Students from a range of classroom levels participated in the survey: 229 middle school (12–15 years), 158 high school (16–18 years) and 66 university students. The results demonstrated that although the geography community has spent significant time and energy developing and disseminating alternative instructional strategies for use in all classroom levels, the limited conceptual gain experienced by students suggests that a different curriculum-development approach is warranted. In particular, the effects of curriculum and pedagogy on student conceptual understanding as well as the mechanism...

Professional Education Programme for Land Management and Land Administration in Cambodia

Abstract: Land management and land administration are defined as a system of planning, management and administration methods and techniques that aims to integrate ecological with social, economic and legal principles in the management of land for urban and rural development purposes. The main objective is to meet changing and developing human needs, while simultaneously ensuring long-term productive potential of natural resources together with maintenance of inherent environmental and cultural functions. In the wake of social and political turmoil in Cambodia's recent history in the late twentieth century, there is rising demand for land management and land administration that will pave the way for economic development in the country. This results in demand for educated young professionals in the related areas of land management, land administration, surveying and remote sensing. While geographic education in schools will provide this pool of human resource in the long term, the immediate needs can only be met thro...

Global Environmental Change: What is the Role of Geography and Environmental Education?

Abstract: The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) was awarded the Nobel Price for its scientific work. Former Vice President Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his action agenda to raise worldwide knowledge and mediating strategies for addressing global change. Respected members of the scientific community have poured over thousands of pieces of archived information to study trends in global environmental change. Other scientists have participated in field research in locations such as Vostok, Antarctica, on the Greenland ice cap, in high mountain environments – all of which hold different kinds of evidence regarding long-term climatic variability. Written accounts of the ice core analyses and the paleo-climatic data of Earth have been analyzed and presented in both scientific reports and literary accounts (Allen, 2000). Both the main line scientific journals, such as Nature and Science and those written for the general public, such as Scientific American and Discover magazines regularly feature lead articles devoted to the synthesis and meaning of global change research, its significance to an informed public, and the positions of people who support and others who dispute the research. At the same time there are governmental administrations in countries with leading global environmental change researchers and research projects, especially the United States, that express a nearly complete denial that global changes of the magnitude projected from the research and leading scientific organisations are even possible. In fact, people in those administrations consider the science of global change as being unsubstantiated by the evidence and unbelievable based on analytical techniques used with ice core, pollen and changing surface patterns of sea ice, vegetation and migrating species. They deny that past biological diversity and distribution of climate sensitive species preserved in the earth’s sediments in both well-watered and dry-land environments have any value in correlation studies with evidence of atmospheric gases present on Earth at the time, such as carbon dioxide. An informed person would expect that the implementation of public policies and the science that may be used to inform such policies should be complementary in addressing global issues regarding the environment. What is our role in education, especially on the educational research side? Education is one of the most influential diffusion and implementation process that societies exercise in the name of both tradition and change. Letus think of three parallel lines about an inch apart on a sheet of paper. The first represents public policy, the second education and the third research. While it is not quite that simple in real life, the three lines will be used as analogy. The lines are

Schools Serving as Centres for Dissemination of Alternative Energy Know-How and Technologies: Evidence from Southern Ethiopia.

Abstract: The school curricula are widely believed to be the best vehicle for generating public awareness of and action related to areas of energy concern. In an attempt to build the capacity of schools to address key environmental issues in Ethiopia, a pilot project had been designed in 2004. The principal aim of the project was to bring about positive changes on the biophysical environment by using primary schools as change centres and teachers and students as change agents. Eleven upper level primary schools have been selected from most environmentally degraded districts. The major activities meant to achieve the aim of the pilot project include, among others, dissemination of alternative energy know-how and technologies using primary schools. This paper reports the findings of a comprehensive study conducted to examine the extent to which the aforementioned objective has been achieved. The results indicate that alternative energy technologies installed in the school compounds attracted the attention of individu...

The State of Geographic Education in Selected Elementary Schools in Metro Manila, Philippines

Abstract: The article presents the state of geographic education in Manila, Philippines by examining the types of approaches in teaching geography in public, private and Montessori schools. As part of the social studies programme in Grade IV elementary education, the types of approaches to teaching geography are examined for their effectiveness and relevance to teaching geographic concepts. Two curricular programmes were considered in the assessment of the importance of using the right kind of instructional materials in learning geographic concepts in elementary education. These programmes are (a) the basic education curriculum (BEC) that is prescribed by the Department of Education and (b) the curriculum followed by the Montessori education philosophy. Initial findings indicate that there was a significant difference in the achievement scores of Old Balara Elementary School (public) and Seed Montessori with that of Roosevelt Elementary School (private). While achievement scores were higher when instructional mater...

Research paradigms and reflections in geographical and environmental education

Abstract: The question of research paradigms in geography and environmental education is one that the editors address regularly in the manuscript review process. Because the fields of geography and environme...

Networking for the Region and Beyond – Role of the Southeast Asian Geography Association (SEAGA)

Abstract: Networking among geographers in the Southeast Asian region is a challenge because of language and other barriers such as the costs of travel as well as keeping up communications and information flows. This networking effort however, is crucial to research and scholarship on issues that are relevant to the region. Many of these concern sustainable development which is a contested concept as well as governance and policies. The Southeast Asian Geography Association (SEAGA) has in the last eighteen years provided a platform through its biennial conferences, for geographers in the region as well as elsewhere to gather and exchange research findings and project outcomes. Through these conferences, SEAGA has also developed partnerships with networks that include scholars in Australia and the Pacific as well as geography educators both in Singapore and the region. Such partnerships are aimed at supporting the cause of growing geographical research, scholarship as well as education in the Southeast Asian region.

Reflections on a Life in Geographical Education

Abstract: Editors’ note: In the aftermath of the 2006 Symposium of the International Geographical Union Commission on Geographical Education, one of the present Editors took a vacation in southern France and seized the opportunity to visit Professor Norman Graves who chaired the Commission from 1972–1980, a quarter of a century earlier. Norman Graves taught in a variety of state secondary schools in England, at the University of Liverpool and at the Institute of Education, University of London where he was Professor of Geography Education and finally ProDirector (Professional Studies). Amongst Professor Graves’ many publications, Curriculum Planning in Geography which appeared in 1979, was hugely influential on geographical education in the United Kingdom and not least on the present editors of this Journal, one of whom was privileged to have Professor Graves as his doctoral supervisor. In the light of discussions at the 2006 Symposium, we invited Norman to reflect in this Guest Editorial on the changing world of geographical education and to suggest a direction for the future. Here are his thoughts.