Moral Dilemmas, Narrative and the Teaching of Geography

Abstract

This paper applies an ends–means framework devised for the identification and classification of values in geographical education to the topic of migration, as presented in a popular Key Stage 3 geography textbook used in schools in England and Wales, in order to highlight the values implicit in the treatment of the topic. It then examines the relationship between those values and moral values and argues that the moral aspects of migration are not made explicit in the textbook. It claims that one reason for this relates to the dominance of exposition as a type of discourse and makes, and justifies, the assertion that narrative as a type of discourse facilitates the examination of the moral dimension to many of the topics taught in geography. This is especially true when narrative is used to convey the moral dilemmas embedded in many topics in geography. The relationship between moral dilemmas and the prevailing paradigms of moral education is described. The paper concludes by suggesting, briefly, three ways in which moral dilemmas can be presented in the classroom.