Czech secondary pre-service teachers' conceptions of geography. Issue 3 (2nd July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Knecht, Petr; Spurná, Michaela; Svobodová, Hana
• Is Part Of: Journal of geography in higher education. Volume 44:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 458
• Page End: 473
• Publication Date: 2020-07-02
• Subjects: Geography education -- subject conceptions -- pre-service teachers -- teacher education; Geography -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Periodicals; 910.711
• DOI: 10.1080/03098265.2020.1712687
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0309-8265

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The status of geography as a separate school subject in Czechia is being increasingly questioned as pupils' interest in it is declining. Pre-service teachers (i.e. teacher trainees at universities) are key players in recontextualizing geography education in the future. Therefore, understanding pre-service teachers' conceptions of geography and its teaching are crucial. This article reports on the results of a survey of Czech secondary pre-service teachers' conceptions regarding geography and its teaching. Our contribution to the literature extends existing knowledge by using a latent class analysis providing deep insight into the conceptions of geography and its teaching. The survey was conducted among a group of 114 secondary pre-service geography teachers studying at five universities in Czechia. A classification of conceptions of geography and its teaching developed by Simon Catling served as an analytical framework. The findings indicate that a majority of Czech pre-service geography teachers had a descriptive, information-oriented, and non-relational conception of geography and its teaching. The research results showed two homogenous groups of pre-service geography teachers: knowledge-oriented essentialists and learner-centred progressivists. This paper concludes by suggesting implications for pre-service geography teacher education.