Does specialization in geography teaching determine teachers' conceptions of geography teaching?
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10382046.2021.1970967?src= |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2021.1970967 |
| Keywords | Geography education; teachers' conceptions; conceptions of geography |
| Description | Many countries worldwide consider the demand for lowering the qualification level of teachers as a possible solution to the long-term lack of qualified teachers, aging teaching staff, and high teacher drop-out rate. In Czechia, geography is increasingly being taught by non-specialist teachers; therefore, we compared specialized and non-specialized geography teachers' teaching conceptions. Drawing on previous robust qualitative research, we developed a questionnaire measuring teachers' conceptions of geography teaching and surveyed Czech lower secondary in-service geography teachers (n = 530). Path analysis revealed that specialized geography teachers report longer and stronger relationships between the conceptions that may represent a wider range of geographies available to students. Non-specialized teachers demonstrated only a narrow and limited epistemological awareness of the subject. Our research serves as evidence supporting the inevitability of teachers' specialization in the discipline. |
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