How is the use of GIS in geographical and environmental education evaluated? Findings from a systematic review

Abstract

This study presents the findings from the literature review of 30 empirical research articles on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Geographic and Environmental Education published in the last decade (2010-2020). Using systematic review methodology, we recorded and synthesized current knowledge from the literature on how the use of GIS in education is assessed. The findings show that over the past decade, the construct variables used to evaluate the use of GIS in education have focused on three thematic categories (Themes): Learning (44.4%), Affective Elements (40.7%), and Behavior (14.8%). A certified instrument had been used to evaluate the data of 30% of the research conducted in the articles, while three new measuring tools had been created by the original researchers. Analysis of the findings suggests that the use of GIS in Geographic and Environmental education is heterogeneous, sparse, and fragmented. We propose that a more systematic framework be implemented in order to make future studies more effective. The value of our study is that it provides an analytical framework which can be used when evaluating the use of GIS in education, and could also provide information on the development of new assessment methods and measuring tools.

Keywords:

• Environmental education
• geographic education
• geographic information systems

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.