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Arkadiusz Głowacz
Geography Education UnitFaculty of Geographical Sciences
University of Lodz, Poland
English school geography from a foreign perspective
GTE Conference. Winchester, 2014
Research question
In what ways is the English school
geography similar or different from
geographies in other countries?
What skills does geography develop?
What world does geography teach about?
In what contexts does it present places?
Scope of research
(International Standard Classification of Education – ISCED)
Poland
England
France
Germany
Resources
Two sets of geography textbooks from each country:
Widdowson J. (2006) „This is geography 1”, Hodder Education Hachette Livre UK, Londyn, ss. 1-141
Widdowson J. (2008) „This is geography 2”, Hodder Education Hachette Livre UK, Londyn, ss. 1-141
Widdowson J. (2009) „This is geography 3”, Hodder Education Hachette Livre UK, Londyn, ss. 1-142
Gallagher R., Parish R., Williamson J. (2005) „Geog. 1”, Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, ss. 1-132
Gallagher R., Parish R. (2005) „Geog. 2”, Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, ss. 1-132
Gallagher R., Parish R., Williamson J. (2009) „Geog. 3”, Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, ss. 1-144
Method
Qualitative content analysis defined as:“a research method for the subjective interpretation of the content of text data through the systematic classification process of coding and identifying themes or patterns”
(Hsieh & Shannon,
2005, p.1278) Stages of the content analysis:• Define the unit of analysis• Define catagories• Test the coding system• Code all the text• Assess coding consistency• Draw conclusions• Report the methods and findingsBased on: Yan Zhang and Barbara M. Wildemuth, 2009
Limitations
ISCED 2 refers to different ages of students in different countries
textbooks may not reflect what actually happens in class
educational reality is so complex that any generalisations may be biased
What skills does geography develop?
(through textbooks)
Question 1
Work with a text
0
10
20
30
Poland England France Germany
%
Simple activities Advanced activities
Work with a map
0
10
20
30
Poland England France Germany
%
Simple activities Advanced activities
Work with a photograph
05
1015
2025
30
Poland England France Germany
%
Simple activities Advanced activities
Work with numeric data
05
1015
2025
30
Poland England France Germany
%
Simple activities Advanced activities
Work with a scheme or a sketch
0
10
20
30
Poland England France Germany
%
Simple activities Advanced activities
Other activities
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Poland England France Germany
%
Synthesize information from differentmaterials
Write a text
Search for the information elsewhere
Use the Internet
Draw a map or a profile
Do a project
Do fieldwork
Discuss or roleplay
Activity not connected with geography
What world does geography teach about?
Question 2
The world according to Polish textbooks
The world according to French textbooks
The world according to German (Sachsen) textbooks
The world according to English textbooks
In what contexts does geography present places?
Question 3
Conclusions
The textbook research proved that: English school geography develops the widest spectrum
of skills, including social and communiacation skills, fieldwork skills, mapwork skills, it means that the subject presents skills-orientated approach
The range of places presented in the textbooks is limited. Potentially impacting the worldview of students?
Geography shows places in rather positive contexts and teaches how to solve problems (case studies!)
Thank you for your attention
Bibliography: Hopkin J. (2001) “The World According to Geography Textbooks”,
International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, Vol. 10, No. 1, ss. 46-67
Zhang Y., Wildemuth B. M. (2009) “Qualitative Analysis of Content“ [w:] Wildemuth B.M. (red.) “Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information and Library Science”, Book News, Inc., Portland, Stany Zjednoczone, ss. 308-320
Hsieh H.-F., Shannon S.E. (2005) “Three approaches to qualitative
content analysis” Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277-1288.
