Identifies themes necessary for geographical literacy: location, place, relationships within places, movement and interaction, and regions. Discusses three traditional social studies approaches to organizing geographic instruction: topical, social science, and reflective. Illustrates the richness and depth created by combining all three approaches…

Discusses how applied economic development has been integrated into the economic geography curriculum at Oregon State University (Corvallis). States that coursework in applied economic development should lead to greater understanding of the causes of economic change, the problems associated with growth or decline, and methods for achieving…

Provides educational resources from ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) to help teachers find the material to teach the five themes of geography. An annotated bibliography of seven ERIC documents on geographic location is provided. (LS)

Highlights ideas from urban geography that may be used to teach students about the interaction of people and space. Students will learn to better relate geography to their own lives if they understand how the concept of accessibility relates to competition for commercial land, and if they consider questions related to the use of urban space. (LS)

A study investigated the factors influencing students' decisions about attending a college to which they had been admitted. Logit analysis confirmed gravity model predictions that geographic distance and student ability would most influence the enrollment decision and found other variables, although affecting earlier stages of decision making, did…

Examines 1970-80 trends in the distribution of family income and shifts in the degree of segregation between income groups using a special data set for 60 U.S. metropolitan areas. Explains how change contributes to increases in the spatial concentration of affluence and poverty. Simple descriptive models are estimated. (SLD)

Uses a (spatial-econometric) location weighing variable to examine how starting teacher salaries in one Ohio district are influenced by other regional starting salaries. A $1 increase in a neighboring district generates a $.51 to $.96 increase. Size and distance factors help account for spill-over effects. (Contains 34 references.) (MLH)

Explains that absolute location refers to an exact point on the earth's surface located using the arbitrary grid formed by intersecting lines of latitude and longitude. Presents an activity for elementary students where they learn to use the grid system using a hands-on method and grasp an understanding of absolute location. (CMK)

This paper uses Kenya's survey data to explore ethnic inequalities in education in Kenya. It focuses on some ethnic groups that may have resources and opportunities as a result of their geographical location and ethnic proximity to the ruling elite. The factors examined to explain potential educational inequalities among ethnic groups include the…

Since the 1970s, Tamworth has become well known as Australia's "country music capital". Its annual Country and Western Music Festival has become the leading event of its type in Australia, attracting over 60,000 visitors every year. The festival, and country music more generally, have become central to the town's identity and tourism…

Is California's Imperial Valley a watershed? If so, at what level and by what topographic logic? Is it a region? If so, at what level and by what geographic logic? Are its boundaries natural, political, or multivalent on different scales? In short, this essay looks at the special (re)production of environmental conditions within a cyborg world.…

The HIV-AIDS epidemic is one of the most challenging and significant health crises facing the world today. In order to cope with its complexities, the United Nations and World Health Organization have increasingly relied upon the resources offered by networks of HIV-AIDS nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The research reported here uses…

The purpose of this study was to test a conceptual model based on theoretical and empirically supported relationships related to the influences of weight perceptions, weight concerns, desires to change weight, friends, age and location in relation to physical activity (PA) and smoking in adolescents. A total of 1242 males and 1446 females (mean…

The purpose of this article is to describe a capstone course in undergraduate student geographical research in which GIS and other geospatial tools were used to teach undergraduate students basic geographical principles. The course uses the "cooperative learning" pedagogical approach to address one of a number of client-supplied research projects,…

This article defines and discusses placeless organizations as sites and generators of learning on a large scale. The emphasis is on how placeless organizations structure themselves to carry out social transformation--necessarily involving intensive learning--on a national or global scale. The argument is made that place is not a necessary…