Measurement is significant in geospatial thinking research. This study evaluated the geospatial thinking of pre-service geography teachers through an orienteering design tasks and subjective evaluation methods. Moreover, it analyzed their level of geospatial thinking, difficulty of evaluation indicators and rater severity with the Many-Faceted…

This article examines whether questions embedded in geography textbooks address three components of spatial thinking: concepts of space, tools of representation, and processes of reasoning. A three-dimensional taxonomy of spatial thinking was developed and used to evaluate questions in four high school level geography textbooks. The results…

Undergraduate geography field courses are relatively rare at American universities, though they can exemplify well the fundamental tenets of learner-centered education. This article reports on an intensive three-week field analysis course taught at Northern Arizona University at Flagstaff, within the Department of Geography, Planning, and…

This article draws upon the author's experiences with designing and teaching a lower-level undergraduate course, Geography and Gender. It is proposed that there is a relative lack of resources available for conducting geography courses on gender, feminism, and/or sexuality and as such, this article addresses issues of text selection, course…

The Munificent Hexagon is an oral gaming-examination that generates avid participation on the part of the student and stimulates intense interaction between instructor and student. This is seen to be an important antidote to the anonymity threatening academia. The gaming examination proves useful for course evaluation and testing. (Author)

Presents a role playing lesson on Meriweather Lewis and George Rogers Clark's exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. Emphasizes integration of the five fundamental themes of geography: location, place, human environment interactions, movement, and regions. Suggests evaluation procedures, extension lessons, and materials and resources. Calls upon…

Contends that the confrontation of racism needs an historical understanding of the social and economic forces behind race-connected or discriminatory practices. States that the real history of race must be incorporated into the curriculum while explaining that historical analysis provides a means to understanding the present geography. (CMK)

Argues that slide tests effectively evaluate students' understanding of geographic concepts. Discusses the purpose of using slides and outlines procedures for testing. Considers the qualitative results of three formal examinations and areas of visual confusion or misinterpretation; suggests improvements. Examines implications of computers for…

The Michigan Elementary Geography Test (MEGT) was completed by 1,689 fifth-grade students in 64 classrooms from 20 school districts in Michigan. This article provides representative questions from MEGT and presents data regarding student performance on these questions. (Author/RM)

The unit mastery learning system is a method of individualized, self-paced learning which, through repeatable testing, enables students to attain a mastery of the content of one unit before proceeding to the next in the program. This article describes the unit mastery learning system and its application in an introductory geography course at Hilo…

A monitor was used to observe a college geography course, generate additional information with pre- and mid-course questionnaires, assist professor and class in interpreting and acting on the values of the monitoring process. (Author/JB)

Most geography teachers are unaccustomed to writing test questions to measure cognitive skills. This paper gives examples of such questions and discusses test design, item classification, and styles of presentation in relation to course objectives. (NH)

The author uses a student-directed game-creation exercise to evaluate student learning in a freshman level university geography course. Students are instructed to develop a game demonstrating knowledge of basic population-resource interactions which have been discussed in classes during the course. (Author/AV)

Employs a graphical analysis evaluating the evolution of the transportation network in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain sections of Georgia and the Carolinas. Concludes that transport expansion appears to support the general parameters of the ideal-typical sequence model and provides useful material for instruction related to the national standards…

Describes a student field project which measured and interpreted ground-level aspects of the urban heat island in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. Discusses procedural steps and decisions, field procedures, data compiling, findings, evaluation, and dissemination of results. (Author/CK)