The Use of Causal Diagrams to Foster Systems Thinking in Geography Education: Results of an Intervention Study

Abstract

Increasing interconnectedness of people and goods enhances the complexity of geographical problems. For students to understand geography, systems thinking—and in this context, the use of causal diagrams—is a promising approach. A quasi-experimental design is used in which the systems thinking ability of students working with causal diagrams is compared to a control group where students did not work with causal diagrams. Pre- and posttests were taken by 448 students in the experimental group and 168 students in the control group. The results indicate that students in the experimental group outperform students in the control group.

Key Words:

• systems thinking
• secondary geography education
• geographical relational thinking

Additional information

Marjolein Cox is a teaching assistant in the Teacher Training Program at KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium and a geography teacher at Sint-Jozef Instituut Kontich, Kontich, Belgium.

Jan Elen is a professor in the Centre for Instructional Psychology and Technology at KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

An Steegen is an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.