Turkish Primary Students' Perceptions of Geography

ŞENYURT S.

JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHY, vol.113, no.4, pp.160-170, 2014 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 113 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2014
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/00221341.2013.873477
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHY
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.160-170
  • Keywords: perceptions of geography, primary education, social studies, gender differences, ATTITUDES, CHILDRENS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITY, SCHOOLS
  • Bursa Uludag University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This study provides an in-depth investigation of Turkish primary school students' perceptions of geography. Gender differences in students' perceptions of geography were investigated, including definitions of geography and its field of study. The findings showed that landforms, our geographical regions/Turkey, mapwork, and countries dominated among students' definitions. Geography topics cited were mainly within the physical geography category and mostly those of landforms and cartography. A chi-square test revealed a statistically significant difference between girls and boys in the Turkey category and the history-related issues category.