Mapping the present, plotting the future: geospatial education in Scottish secondary schools
dc.contributor.advisor
Gittings, Bruce
dc.contributor.author
Janes, Tom
dc.date.accessioned
2023-11-15T16:44:45Z
dc.date.available
2023-11-15T16:44:45Z
dc.date.issued
2023-11-22
dc.description.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.
en
dc.identifier.uri
https://hdl.handle.net/1842/41187
dc.identifier.uri
http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/3923
dc.language.iso
en
en
dc.publisher
The University of Edinburgh
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dc.subject
Education
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dc.subject
Geospatial Skills Development
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dc.subject
Scotland
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dc.subject
Secondary School
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dc.subject
Geography
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dc.subject
GIS
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dc.title
Mapping the present, plotting the future: geospatial education in Scottish secondary schools
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dc.type
Thesis or Dissertation
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dc.type.qualificationlevel
Masters
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dc.type.qualificationname
MSc Master of Science
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