An Analysis of Geographic Content in the Online Lesson Plans of the National Park Service

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dc.contributor.advisorMuñiz-Solari, Osvaldo A.
dc.contributor.authorCrenshaw, Melody W.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberDixon, Richard W.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberRomig, Kevin D.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberWalker, Scott L.
dc.date.accessioned2010-06-17T10:12:03Z
dc.date.available2012-02-24T10:12:03Z
dc.date.issued2010-05
dc.description.abstractGeography content in teaching materials is often overlooked, mislabeled as another subject, or generalized as social studies while ignoring the physical aspect of the subject. American educators generally do not recognize the breadth of geography because it is a subject in which they are often not familiar. This study used an interpretive content analysis of a sample of lesson plans from the U.S. National Park Service to measure geography content. The findings show that none of the sampled lessons included either national or state geography standards, although four independent coders and the researcher identified geographic content in 75% of the lesson plans. Categories chosen most frequently and least frequently are discussed and narrative examples that expose the content are given for each. The results show that the National Park Service is one organization that can improve the incorporation of education standards to include geography to accurately label the content of many lesson plans. Additionally, NPS should acknowledge environmental education’s natural tie to geography as the interconnection of human and physical systems. An argument is made that educators in the U.S. need a greater understanding of the subject of geography.
dc.description.departmentGeography and Environmental Studies
dc.formatText
dc.format.extent173 pages
dc.format.medium1 file (.pdf)
dc.identifier.citationCrenshaw, M. W. (2010). An analysis of geographic content in the online lesson plans of the National Park Service (Unpublished dissertation). Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10877/4571
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectgeography education
dc.subjectcontent analysis
dc.subjectinterpretive analysis
dc.subjectNational Park Service
dc.subjectinformal education
dc.subjectlesson plans
dc.subjectenvironmental education
dc.titleAn Analysis of Geographic Content in the Online Lesson Plans of the National Park Service
dc.typeDissertation
thesis.degree.departmentGeography
thesis.degree.disciplineGeography
thesis.degree.grantorTexas State University-San Marcos
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy

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