Pre-Service Primary Teachers’ Knowledge and Understanding of Geography and Its Teaching: A Review

Abstract

It is a decade since the last review of the geographical understandings of pre-service primary teachers.Examining the range of research about novice primary teachers’ geographical and environmentalknowledge and understanding, it is clear there have been limited follow up studies, and there remainimportant gaps in the research. Research relevant to this topic was identified through journal, researchbook and conference proceedings searches, where these were accessible. It is evident that more researchnow exists into pre-service primary teachers’ senses of geography, geographical and environmentalknowledge and environmental attitudes. For instance, it appears that they have an information orientedview of geography but are not clear about the meaning of the term ‘environment’, that there aremisunderstandings in such aspects of their geographical knowledge as climate change, that they may notadapt their behaviors though they appreciate a need for care for the environment, and that they havelimited experience in planning for and teaching geography in primary schools. Furthermore, studies arelacking into their understanding of such aspects of geographical learning as fieldwork, map work,geographical enquiry and a wide range of topics in physical and human geography. While there is someinformation, little is known really about their teaching of geography to younger children. In view of theincreased focus globally on geographical knowledge in the school curriculum, this raises seriousquestions about geography teacher educators’ understanding of their trainee primary teachers, in partbecause tutors seem rarely to undertake such research. This appears to be an embedded situation,resulting in negligible evidence to challenge the status quo and improve pre-service primary teachers’geographical knowledge. Is it really a concern? Four responses are presented, but the paper concludesthat more needs to be known.

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