Australian primary pre-service teachers’ conceptions of geography

Abstract

This article reports on the results of a survey of Australian primary pre-service teachers’ experiences, conceptions and perceptions of geography. Research was conducted with two cohorts of undergraduate primary pre-service teachers; one group in second year and another in the final year of a four-year teacher education course. The findings show congruence with similar studies conducted in the UK and indicate that pre-service teachers had a very narrow conception of geography and geography education; a conception that was information-oriented and focused on broad knowledge about the world and locational knowledge and skills. The article concludes by exploring some of the implications for the implementation of the new national geography curriculum in Australia and for primary pre-service geography teacher education more broadly.

Keywords:

• geography education
• subject conceptions
• pre-service teachers
• primary teacher education

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Fiona Topolcsanyi for the research assistance she provided, particularly in the distribution and collation of surveys. I am also very grateful for the time participants set aside to complete surveys and their willingness to share their views.