Teachers' Attitudes, Beliefs and Perceptions Towards Disseminated Information and Guidance from Leaders in Geographic Education: An Examination of the Trickle-Down Effect
Date
2016
Authors
Patton, Matthew T.
Blanchard, R. Denise
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education
Abstract
For well-over four decades, and through formal and informal means, leaders in geographic education have operated from a hierarchical position whereby information and guidance for teaching K-12 geography is primarily disseminated through books, monographs, reports and documents from "higher" levels of geographic education to the practitioners, the teachers, of geography in the classroom. Leaders assert in many publications to their own research community that K-12 teachers will benefit from programs, materials, information and guidance created by, and issued from leaders and professionals in geographic education. However, little is known regarding the extent to which K-12 geography teachers know about and/or are willing to act upon disseminated information and guidance. Quantitative results from a survey of teachers from the Texas Alliance for Geographic Education and the Texas Council for the Social Studies indicated that teachers are familiar with major documents and publications disseminated from well-known leaders in geographic education; however, receiving information and guidance is not enough. Teachers call for additional professional development, especially through networking and use of the Internet, so that they might know how to apply information and guidance to classroom teaching.
Description
Keywords
geography, K-12 geographic education, geographic education communication, major research in geographic education, teaching geography research
Citation
Patton, M.T. & Blanchard, R.D. (2016). Teachers' Attitudes, Beliefs and Perceptions Towards Disseminated Information and Guidance from Leaders in Geographic Education: An Examination of the Trickle-Down Effect. Research in Geographic Education, 18(2), pp. 26-59.