Mapping the present, plotting the future: geospatial education in Scottish secondary schools

Abstract

There is a developing skills gap in the geospatial sector. In the UK, formal geospatial skills teaching is largely limited to higher education. Graduates who have invested time and money seek to advance quickly to positions in management or consultancy. This results in fewer time-served staff relative to inexperienced graduates at technician/non-management level.

This dissertation argues for more geospatial skills development outside higher education, specifically within Scottish schools. The research examines curriculum content, teachers’ attitudes towards geospatial skills, and opportunities to improve current teaching.

A literature review revealed that the benefits of using geospatial skills in the classroom are well established and embedding these into schools is consistent with the aspirations of the Scottish Government’s digital strategy and school curriculum. However, geospatial skills development in Scottish schools is falling behind other countries.

A survey indicated that geospatial skills education in Scottish schools is largely informal and piecemeal. Some course content encourages teachers to consider it as a teaching tool, but a lack of assessed work and resources present barriers. However, teachers are positive towards the use and teaching of geospatial skills.

This leads to three main conclusions: • Scotland is falling behind in teaching geospatial skills in schools, and this is inconsistent with the curriculum and the Government’s digital strategy. • Teachers are willing to teach geospatial skills but reluctant to devote time and resources to them at the expense of teaching assessed work. • Proposed education reforms present an opportunity to improve geospatial skills development in schools, hopefully narrowing the skills gap.