An international perspective on geography curricula: paving a way forward for geographical thinking

Geographical thinking is a cornerstone of modern geography education. Despite its universal value, no large-scale international study has systematically examined its integration into diverse curricular documents. This study investigates how geographical thinking is embedded in the curricula of nine countries, focusing on content and procedural dimensions. Using a structured analytical framework, the research reveals significant patterns and gaps, particularly the underrepresentation of place as a central concept, the lack of explicit focus on geographical thinking, and the limited emphasis on its procedural dimension. The findings emphasise the need for stronger interconnections between these dimensions to promote a more comprehensive approach to geographical thinking within different forms of curricula.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education
Published
2025-06-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2025.2513535
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Geography Education and Pedagogy
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
13.44
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

An international perspective on geography curricula: paving a way forward for geographical thinking

Gillian Kidman, Lene Møller Madsen, Raphaële de la Martinière, Yushan Duan et al.
2 citations
International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education
Geography Education and Pedagogy
13.44
article

An international perspective on geography curricula: paving a way forward for geographical thinking

Gillian Kidman, Lene Møller Madsen, Raphaële de la Martinière, Yushan Duan, Péter Bagoly‐Simó, David Trokšiar, Tomáš Bendl, Shanshan Liu, Jerry T. Mitchell, Sizakele Matilda Serame, Hilde Storrøsæter
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Geographical thinking is a cornerstone of modern geography education. Despite its universal value, no large-scale international study has systematically examined its integration into diverse curricular documents. This study investigates how geographical thinking is embedded in the curricula of nine countries, focusing on content and procedural dimensions. Using a structured analytical framework, the research reveals significant patterns and gaps, particularly the underrepresentation of place as a central concept, the lack of explicit focus on geographical thinking, and the limited emphasis on its procedural dimension. The findings emphasise the need for stronger interconnections between these dimensions to promote a more comprehensive approach to geographical thinking within different forms of curricula.

International Research in Geographical and Environmental EducationVol. 34(3)
University of Fort Hare (ZA), University of Copenhagen (DK), Technical University of Liberec (CZ), University of South Carolina (US), Université Lumière Lyon 2 (FR), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO), Charles University (CZ), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE), Environnement, ville, société (FR), Monash University (AU), East China Normal University (CN)
Quality Education
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Geography Education and Pedagogy
13.44
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.