Geography Education in Slovakia

Abstract

Purpose of this study is to clarify a phase of the present situation on geography education in Slovakia, with considering the overall educational system, classroom lesson, and contents sequence of geography workbook. Sources of the consideration are derived from the white paper of education, web pages of newspaper, educational standards, school textbooks, workbooks and observation in classroom. The results are summarized as follows.The primary school in Slovakia comprises nine grades divided into two levels of 1st-4th grade and 5th-9th grade. Though the former contains geographic contents of education, the established and independent subject of geography starts from the latter 5th grade, of which total lesson hours in the 5th-9th grade are three times more as compared to the Geographic Field of Social Studies in Japanese junior high school.Sequence of geography education in Slovakia is characterized by five years consistency, physical geography, and descriptive regional geography. The content starts from earth as a whole, through continents and countries, following with Slovakia and its internal regions, which means concentric lerning structure but showing reverse arrangement to the case of Japan. Physical geography takes an important position both in volume and quality, including contents of geology, astoronomy and ecology. Regional geography takes a style of static and rigid items of location, nature, population and economy. In Slovakia, more attention is payed on world geography than Slovakia one, in the background of geographic and socio-economic conditions such as inland country located in the Central Europe, reintegration into the capitalist economy, and active labor migration for foreign employment opportunity.There are many problems on Slovak education, especially on teacher's lower salary and insufficient preparing of information equipment and renewed school textbook. Reform is needed for not only financial support but also education itself, saying “stop memorizing and start questioning”. Along this way, Slovak geography education will alter in reducing volume of contents and approaching student-centered learning. Even so, more lesson hours, contents consistency, and esteemed physical geography are characteristics of education in Slovakia as well as future items for educational reform in Japan.