Students' perceptions of Geography at Key Stage 3 and implications for

options at GCSE a case study in a rural village college

Katie Niven Masters at the University of Cambridge 2010-2011

Bottisham Village College, Cambridgeshire

GA Conference April 2012

Literature review research focus

Children’s perceptions of Geography

Perceptions of skills/ usefulness of Geography

How do perceptions influence GCSE options choices

Research question 1. How do students report enjoyment of Geography within this school?

2. What do students perceive the usefulness of Geography to be?

3. What factors affect students’ choices to study GCSE Geography?

4. How useful is finding out about student subject perception to understanding options choices?

1. How do students report enjoyment of Geography within this school?

Shows student responses to question 8 in the questionnaire ‘which subjects do you enjoy?’ (www.wordle.net)

2. What do students perceive the usefulness of Geography to be?

Students responses to the questionnaire, question 16’ what sort of jobs do you think Geography would be useful for?

3. What factors affect students’ choices to study GCSE Geography?

3. What factors affect students’ choices to study GCSE Geography?

3. What factors affect students’ choices to study GCSE Geography?

Factors affecting Geography options•Enjoyment •Perceived usefulness •Current levels of attainment •People

Influences on student subject choice at age 14 (taken from Figure 2, Weeden, 2007, p68).

4. How useful is finding out about student subject perception to understanding options choices?•Geography department findings have had

implications for future practice •Wider issues with research into perceptions

being valued by students and staff•Barriers such as timetabling still being

fundamental, •Overall the findings have been useful

particularly for the Geography department but the influences of larger issues are constraining for example timetables, subject numbers.

Implications•Redesigning assessment tasks so that

students have more autonomy over how they present and do their work around a central title

•Increasing more ‘practical’ lessons into Geography

•The need to equip students with more knowledge about the value/usefulness of subjects, Geography

•Should we be encouraging students to take subjects they enjoy or the most useful to them?

Ideas for future research•What will the impact of the International

Baccalaureate have on Geography and other options subjects?

•Comparing students perceptions of History

•Implications of Academy Status on the curriculum

•Dissemination of findings at a whole school

level, working with MFL on similar research

Main References:Adey, K. and Biddulph, M. (2001). The influence of pupil perception on subject choice at 14+ in Geography and History. Educational Studies, 27(4), 439-450

Hopwood, N. (2004). Research design and methods of data collection and analysis: researching students’ conceptions in a multiple-method case study, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 28(2), 347–353. Hopwood, N. (2005) Pupils’ conceptions of Geography: towards an improved understanding, International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 13(4), 348–361.  Hopwood, N., Courtley-Green, C. & Chambers, T. (2005) Y9 students’ conceptions of Geography, Teaching Geography, 30(2), 91–93

Weeden, P. (2007) Students’ perceptions of Geography: Decisions making at age 14, Geography, 92, 62-73

Questions

kniven@bottishamvc.org