Preservice Geography Teachers’ Exposure to Problem Solving and Different Teaching Styles

Abstract

Problem-solving skills are often considered to be the key skills in today’s world, and their importance in geography education is widely recognized. However, empirical evidence analyzing whether and how teachers develop problem-solving skills during geography lessons is especially scarce in the context of preservice teachers. Accordingly, we conducted a questionnaire survey with 256 respondents. The survey analyzed preservice teachers’ experience with problem-solving skills and different teaching styles in their pre-college (upper secondary) geography education. The results show that preservice geography teachers prevailingly perceive that they were not exposed to problem-solving skills even passively, let alone actively developing them. The insufficient development is in line with the prevalence of teacher-centered styles. The article concludes with a discussion of possible causes and recommendations for improvement.