Web GIS as a pedagogical tool in tourist geography course: the effect on spatial thinking ability and self-efficacy

ABSTRACT

While Web GIS has been supposed as a useful tool in improving the spatial thinking abilities of students, most existing empirical studies were seldom undertaken in an educational programme providing rather limited geo-technological training to students. This study focuses on tutorial sessions of a tourism geography course in a Singaporean university, in which students usually engaged with very few GIS and other geospatial technologies. Combining a standardised assessment, that is Spatial Thinking Abilities Test, and semi-structured interviews, the study suggests that the implementation of Web GIS, collaborating with students’ major background and pre-existing GIS experience, efficiently enhanced their performance in spatial thinking abilities test; moreover, the exposure to GIS practices during tutorial sessions also stimulated students’ interest in using GIS and enhanced self-efficacy, which further equipped students with stronger motivation to continue learning geography. The paper contributes to existing debates around (Web) GIS as a pedagogical tool through incorporating qualitative interview materials into the discussion.

KEYWORDS:

• Web GIS
• spatial thinking ability
• self-efficacy
• higher geography education

Acknowledgements

We sincerely appreciate the participants’ time and efforts in participating in this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2023.2198200

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Staff Research Support Scheme of National University of Singapore [C-109-000-222-091] and Start-up Grants [13901-41211D-22002 and 13901-120215-11131].