Contextualizing powerful geographic knowledge in higher education: Data-driven curriculum design to interweave student aspirations with workforce applications

This article describes a data-driven approach to contextualize geography subject matter using student aspirations and workforce data. To test this teaching strategy, undergraduate students in two world geography courses taught at Texas State University were surveyed and interviewed about their caree...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational research in geographical and environmental education Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 139 - 151
Main Authors Larsen, Thomas B., Solem, Michael, Zadrozny, Joann, Boehm, Richard G.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 22.04.2022
Subjects
Attitude Change
Capabilities
Culturally Relevant Education
culturally relevant pedagogy
Geographic Concepts
Geography
Geography Instruction
Occupational Aspiration
powerful knowledge
student affect
Student Attitudes
Teaching Methods
Theory Practice Relationship
Undergraduate Students
widening participation
World Geography
Texas
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Summary:This article describes a data-driven approach to contextualize geography subject matter using student aspirations and workforce data. To test this teaching strategy, undergraduate students in two world geography courses taught at Texas State University were surveyed and interviewed about their career and life aspirations. Using this information, the course instructor selected relevant geography resources and applications using workforce data obtained from a sample of geographers employed in private and public sectors. Over the semester, students encountered those applications through class presentations, videos, and individual advising sessions. At the end, students completed a post-test survey. Resulting datasets offered the instructor a means to reflect upon and select geographic content that is accessible and applicable to what students aspire to be and do in the future. Analysis of the pre- and post-test survey data indicate positive gains in student attitudes but suggest additional culturally relevant pedagogical enhancements are needed to account for student diversity and context. The article concludes with a critical assessment of how future instructors might leverage aspirations and workforce data to address the underrepresentation of women and minorities in the discipline and workforce.
ISSN:1038-2046
1747-7611
DOI:10.1080/10382046.2021.1902622