Fieldwork remains the mainstay in the study of geography and in the analysis of the environmental processes. However, an in-depth understanding of the environmental and geographical processes requires extensive as well as intensive fieldwork that involves time and substantial effort, both of which may pose a problem within a given curriculum time.…

This paper explores "meaningful learning" as influenced by "constructivism." The study focused on assessing and comparing the quality of essays written by students who learnt a given topic in a classroom setting ("control") to those who learnt the same topic in the field ("experimental"). The objective was to find out whether fieldwork carried out…

This paper describes research exploring the relationship between international recommendations for environmental education (EE) developed at United Nations (UN) Conferences and non-formal EE initiatives undertaken by Chinese civil organisations. Specifically, the research assesses how international recommendations may have influenced the…

This paper considers the objectives for geographical fieldwork within senior high schools in Taiwan, and the constraints on the implementation and development of fieldwork. It introduces briefly the position of fieldwork in geography education in Taiwan, then uses a model adapted from the work of Boardman in 1974 and Smith in 1996 in England to…

Environmental identity, or how we orient ourselves to the natural world, leads us to personalise abstract global issues and take action (or not) according to our sense of who we are. For example, are we willing to give up our luxurious cars for more fuel-efficient models even though we know that the earth is warming? In an era where web-based…

The paper reports on a study of five pupils' (13-14 years old) learning about freshwater pollution and related theoretical concepts such as drainage basin and water pollution. Much of the instruction is devoted to fieldwork conducted at a polluted lake and other practical activities designed to promote the pupils' understanding of the central…

This paper presents data arising from a study of final-year primary and secondary teaching students in Lebanon using an equivalent Australian sample as a comparative reference group. It was found that the Lebanese students lagged behind their Australian counterparts with respect to their knowledge of global environmental issues, and displayed a…

German Geography textbooks are structured using the principle of "Systematic Geography based on a regional example" that is predominant in Germany. Compared to other macroregions such as Europe, North America, Africa, or Asia, however, Australia is presented less frequently in school textbooks. Those textbooks which deal with Australia do not…

Even though the appearance and spread of new technologies offer considerable challenges in the design of far reaching and complex pre-test and assessment situations which are in keeping with the trends of teaching and learning, the thematic map is still an insuperable document to value either integral training or academic performance of future…

This study brings in a comparative approach regarding pictures involved in secondary school (14-17 ages) textbooks taught in Turkey. In this respect, following the classification of pictures (line drawings and photographs) included in secondary school education geography textbooks, evaluation of the photographs in books in question in terms of…

The purpose of the present study was to assess Turkish elementary school students' and pre-service teachers' environmental attitudes, and to explore whether there was a significant difference in the attitudes towards the environment of the above mentioned two groups. Data was gathered by circulating a 45-item "Environmental Attitude Questionnaire"…

This paper uses case study methodology to investigate the subject conceptualisation of two geography teachers at a mixed-ability comprehensive school in the UK. The research used concept-mapping and semi-structured interviews to explore the teachers' understanding of their subjects, within the case study framework. Teachers were asked to describe…

The paper focuses on the constraints encountered in developing and introducing a geography discipline programme, with a distinctive regional focus, within a university of technology. Through a case study approach, the analysis relates the development of geography at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to changes in geographical education in…

This paper reports a case study of how junior secondary geography teachers in Changchun, China, planned and delivered their lessons. From the observation and interview data, it was found that teachers in the China mainland were strongly influenced by a compliance culture and uncertainty avoidance stance. It is argued that these cultural traits…

This paper reports on empirical research in four countries on the growing interest in the perceived "gap" between school and university human geography. Focusing on urban geography, we investigated the views of teachers and academic geographers about key elements of the field and those that were important for geography education. These views were…