Perspectives on geography education in the Czech National Curriculum

The geography curriculum at primary and secondary schools in Czechia is undergoing a revision. This study aims to identify aspects of the current curriculum that may assist in the formulation of recommendations in the revised curriculum. We use a deductive content analysis approach based on Catling&...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational research in geographical and environmental education Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 164 - 180
Main Authors Spurná, Michaela, Knecht, Petr, Svobodová, Hana
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 05.05.2021
Subjects
Catling's typology
Classification
curriculum
Curriculum Development
Educational Change
Educational Philosophy
Elementary Secondary Education
Foreign Countries
geography education
Geography Instruction
Global Approach
National Curriculum
Outcomes of Education
perspectives on geography
primary geography
secondary geography
Czech Republic
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The geography curriculum at primary and secondary schools in Czechia is undergoing a revision. This study aims to identify aspects of the current curriculum that may assist in the formulation of recommendations in the revised curriculum. We use a deductive content analysis approach based on Catling's typology of perspectives on geography education. This typology follows in the tradition of geographical thought and describes, for example, the following categories: Globalist, Earthist, Interactionist, Placeist, and Environmentalist. The findings show inconsistencies and misalignment between the stipulated objectives of geography education and the attainment of targets in the analyzed documents. The Czech geography curriculum exhibits (a) frequent occurrences of the Globalist perspective at secondary-level schools, which emphasizes a simple and non-relational approach to teaching; (b) low congruence between the perspectives stipulated in the curriculum at individual school levels; and (c) low congruence between the perspectives stipulated in the objectives of geography education and in the expected outcomes for individual school levels. Our results attempt to provide implications for the implementation of a new national geography curriculum in Czechia.
ISSN:1038-2046
1747-7611
DOI:10.1080/10382046.2020.1789807