Understanding ‘change’ through spatial thinking using Google Earth in secondary geography

Abstract

Understanding geographic changes has become an indispensable element in geography education. Describing and analyzing changes in space require spatial thinking skills emphasized in geography curriculum but often pose challenges for secondary school students. This schoolbased research targets a specific strand of spatial thinking skills and investigates whether students using geospatial technology, such as Google Earth, are able to develop their thinking about spatio-temporal changes. An experiment was conducted in a Singaporean secondary school in which skill development was framed within the formal geography curriculum. It compared the effectiveness of two pedagogical approaches: learning with Google Earth versus traditional instruction without the use of such a technology. Findings indicate that the use of Google Earth significantly increased students' ability to identify spatial and temporal changes and analyse these changes. Qualitative data complemented the results by showing that Google Earth could offer students more opportunities to observe and infer changes, thus facilitating their understanding about the dynamic and the complex nature of changes. Describing changesIdentifying change z = À0.205, p = 0.838 z = À3.091, p** = 0.002 Describing changes in property z = À1.076, p = 0.282 z = À2.422, p* = 0.015 Representing changes z = À0.408, p = 0.683 z = À1.413, p = 0.158 Analyzing changesAnalyzing changes in relations z = À2.109, p* = 0.035 z = À1.672, p = 0.095 Reasoning about dynamics z = À 0.053, p = 0.957 z = À1.432, p = 0.152 Associating with changes z = À0.045, p = 0.964 z = À2.617, p** = 0.009

The Effectiveness of Google Earth in the Acquisition of Spatial Perception Ability in Social Studies Courses

“…Statistically significant differences were found between the pre-test and post-test scores of the students who participated in the application. This finding is consistent with the results of some research conducted with GE application (Xiang & Liut, 2017;Demirci, Karaburun, & Kılar, 2013;Koçak, 2013;Öğütveren, 2014;Thankachan & Franklin, 2013;Westgrand, 2010;Qiu, 2006). In this context, it can be said that the activities based on the GE application used for improving the spatial perception skills of students in the social studies courses are effective.…”

“…This can help us achieve the conclusion that the GE application is an important tool for the development of spatial perception. Some studies concluded that the GE application is more effective and useful than the traditional maps, and the issues in the social studies curriculum are appropriate for GE use (Demirci & Karaburun, 2011;Edstrom, 2013;Karakuş & Oğuz, 2013, Xiang & Liut, 2017. We observed that the technological materials used in GE application in the classroom were very different from the course materials and methods used in the past, thus increasing the level of motivation and learning of the students.…”

“…Furthermore, focusing on asking students to use technology in order to give meaning to the world around them enable for new searches in the childhood and educational environments (Danby, Davidson, Ekberg, Breathnach, & Thorpe, 2015). Xiang and Liut (2017) also state that the GE application gives students better opportunities to observe and interpret the changes in nature, and thus, it helps them understand the complex structure of changes. In this way, it incerases students' ability to define and analyze the spatial and time changes.…”

Comparing Geoinformation and Geography Students’ Spatial Thinking Skills with a Human-Geography Pedagogical Approach in a Chinese Context

“…For instance, Question 4 of the STAT asked the students to choose the best site for a flood management facility based on the distance, elevation and land-use conditions [9,10]. In another test, the Google Earth skill was employed to assist students to manipulate the add-on overlays and see through what has changed in the superimposed layer into the base layer [29]. Similarly, in Kerski's test, the students were asked to select the best location for the commercial purpose based on the given geographical data on the map [28].…”

Exploring and enhancing spatial thinking skills: Learning differences of university students within a web‐based GIS mapping environment

“…There are diverse case studies that provide empirical evidence to demonstrate that web-based mapping tools could help university students develop their spatial thinking skills, provided that the tools are designed and implemented appropriately in the classroom (Hou, Yu, Wu, Sung, & Chang, 2014;Jo et al, 2016;Kim & Bednarz, 2014;Lee & Bednarz, 2009;Qiu, 2006). A suite of factors in the web-based mapping environment accounts for spatial skill development (Favier & van der Schee, 2014), for instance, the degree of scaffolding embedded in the instruction, the design features of the learning environments, and students' prior knowledge (Bodzin, 2011;Xiang & Liu, 2017). In particular, individual characteristic is one of many variables that contribute to shaping the learning outcomes in a technology-based learning environment (Salzman, Dede, Loftin, & Chen, 1999).…”