Abstract
The study aims to determine the “Geography Literacy” levels of senior year pre-service teachers. To do so, the correlations between geo-literacy on the one hand, and the program the student is enrolled in, the type of settlement the student lived in during secondary education, the type of high school the student graduated from, the student’s travel experience so far, and attitudes towards geography on the other, were assessed. The study was carried out with 4th year pre-service teachers (n=427) enrolled in six programs in the faculty of education, during the fall semester of academic year 2018-2019. The “Geography Literacy Test” developed by Gençtürk (2009) was used as the data collection tool. The data gathered were analyzed through descriptive, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, chi-square, and Pearson correlation techniques. The study revealed that the geo-literacy levels of pre-service teachers were inadequate. Moreover, the geography literacy levels were found to exhibit significant variance with reference to gender, attitudes, the type of high school, the program the student is enrolled in, and the type of settlement the student lived in during secondary education. The findings were then used as the basis of specific proposals for increasing geo-literacy levels and paving the way for future studies.
Highlights
A number of environmental factors affect our daily life
One is often unaware of the place geography occupies in our life, and is inclined to think that geographic information can be gained through formal processes
The present study aims to assess the geo-literacy levels of pre-service teachers enrolled in various teacher-training programs, based on the foundations established in the literature on the importance of geographic information and teacher competences
Summary
A number of environmental factors affect our daily life. Yet, one is often unaware of the place geography occupies in our life, and is inclined to think that geographic information can be gained through formal processes. It helps the development of scientific thought by helping establish connections between the person and the environment, and contributes to the growth of one’s bonds to the homeland (Doğanay, 2002). Students who have a strong grasp of geographic knowledge have an advantage in terms of growing into leaders for their countries who will subsequently make the decisions for optimal use of national resources. Geographic knowledge and associated information is used especially for identifying the effects of environmental factors on human behavior, defining the ways through which humans change the environment they live in, and assessing long-term environmental effects of social processes such as population increase and technological development. In parallel to the increasing importance of geographic information, studies on “geo-literacy” concept saw increasing attention, with a focus on the need to raise individuals with geo-literacy skills. The studies revealed the fact that the students and pre-service teachers in various stages of education lack the knowledge and competences they need with respect to the physical ies.ccsenet.org
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