Cultural Group Variances in Geospatial Thinking of Undergraduates in the United States: Educational Policy Implications

Abstract

This national study assesses cultural group variances, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status in the geospatial thinking abilities of undergraduates. Across 9 census divisions in the United States, 1,479 students from 61 public universities took the Geospatial Thinking Survey (GTS). The mean score of white students was the highest, and that of blacks was the lowest. The mean score of students with higher socioeconomic status (parents with higher annual income and higher education degree) was the highest, whereas those students with lower socioeconomic status (parents with lower annual income and no college degree) scored the lowest. This study shows that culture, in the form of home environment (ethnicity and socioeconomic status), affects students' geospatial thinking. The study calls on educational policymakers to include geography as an essential part of the university curriculum to improve geospatial thinking of underperforming ethnic and socioeconomic student groups.

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