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"Physical geography Study and teaching."
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Potentials in Using VR for Facilitating Geography Teaching in Classrooms: A Systematic Review
The application of virtual reality (VR) in geography education is regarded as a progressive and proactive method that has still not gained sufficient attention in the educational policy in Hungary. The aim of our review is to find the ways and means to make it happen. We selected 47 works that are closely linked to geography teaching and analyzed their bibliometric (authorship and journal characteristics, types of works and applied methods, keywords, referencing, and co-citation networks) and contextual characteristics (research objectives, demographic, gender and social background, hardware and software specifications, advantages and disadvantages, conclusions, and predictions) which we expected to help us to understand the slow implementation and undeserved marginalization of VR in the curricular geography education. We used a mixed-method research analysis combining elements of quantitative and qualitative analysis using inductive reasoning. Our preliminary assumption that the application of VR technology is an effective and useful way of teaching geography was proved by our findings. The methods used by the authors of the reviewed empirical works, together with the recommended future research topics and strategies, can be applied to future empirical research on the use of VR in geography education.
Journal Article
Lowest places on the planet
\"Simple text and full-color photographs describe the lowest places on the planet\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Differences in Thematic Map Reading by Students and Their Geography Teacher
A school world atlas is likely the first systematic cartographic product which students encounter in their lives. However, only a few empirical studies have analysed school atlases in the context of map reading and learning geographical curricula. The present paper describes an eye-tracking study conducted on 30 grammar school students and their geography teacher. The study explored ten tasks using thematic world maps contained in the Czech school world atlas. Three research questions were posed: (i) Are students able to learn using these particular types of maps? (ii) Have the cartographic visualization methods in the school atlas been adequately selected? (iii) Does the teacher read the maps in the same manner as students? The results proved that the students were sufficiently able to learn using thematic maps. The average correctness of their answers exceeded 70%. However, the results highlighted several types of cartographic visualization methods which students found difficult to read. Most of the difficulties arose from map symbols being poorly legible. The most problematic task was estimating the value of the phenomenon from the symbol size legend. Finally, the difference between the students’ and teacher’s manner of reading maps in each task was analysed qualitatively and then quantitatively by applying two different scanpath comparison methods. The study revealed that the geography teacher applied a different method than her students. She avoided looking at the map legend and solved the task using her knowledge.
Journal Article
Jiaoyufication as an education-driven gentrification in urban China: A case study of Nanjing
As a type of urban gentrification oriented by high-quality educational resources, jiaoyufication is a socio-spatial process that refers to the middle-class group that attaches importance to education realizes the agglomeration in famous school districts by purchasing high-price school district houses. Based on the theoretical analysis of jiaoyufication conducted by Chinese and foreign scholars, this paper takes Nanjing as a case city, applies multi-source data like POIs (points of interest), real estate market data, mobile-phone user portraits and questionnaires, and develops a composite measurement of jiaoyufication to identify jiaoyufied school district, jiaoyufied group & its spatial characteristics, and discusses the causal mechanisms and effects of jiaoyufication. With the GIS-entropy-TOPSIS model, this paper evaluates the jiaoyufication level of public primary school districts in the main urban area of Nanjing. The result show that 218 primary school districts are categorized into four types, i.e., high jiaoyufied school district, mid-high jiaoyufied school district, medium jiaoyufied school district, and low jiaoyufied school district. The high jiaoyufied school districts are closely associated with the institutional system. In the high jiaoyufied school districts, many middle-class families have abundant social, economic, and cultural capital. They purchase and move to houses with lower living quality in school districts to pursue high-quality education for their children. The strict school district system, soaring school district housing prices, and intense educational competition continuously solidify the jiaoyufication levels of famous school districts and lock the opportunities for high-quality education in specific school-district spaces and classes or groups. The phenomenon of this socio-spatial reconstruction process, which results from the unequal distribution of high-quality educational resources, tends to aggravate the rich-poor gap and social segregation in cities. It is suggested that equalization of compulsory education services should be effectively carried forward as soon as possible.
Journal Article
Surface mass balance downscaling through elevation classes in an Earth system model: application to the Greenland ice sheet
The modeling of ice sheets in Earth system models (ESMs) is an active area of research with applications to future sea level rise projections and paleoclimate studies. A major challenge for surface mass balance (SMB) modeling with ESMs arises from their coarse resolution. This paper evaluates the elevation class (EC) method as an SMB downscaling alternative to the dynamical downscaling of regional climate models. To this end, we compare EC-simulated elevation-dependent surface energy and mass balance gradients from the Community Earth System Model 1.0 (CESM1.0) with those from the regional climate model RACMO2.3. The EC implementation in CESM1.0 combines prognostic snow albedo, a multilayer snow model, and elevation corrections for two atmospheric forcing variables: temperature and humidity. Despite making no corrections for incoming radiation and precipitation, we find that the EC method in CESM1.0 yields similar SMB gradients to RACMO2.3, in part due to compensating biases in snowfall, surface melt, and refreezing gradients. We discuss the sensitivity of the results to the lapse rate used for the temperature correction. We also evaluate the impact of the EC method on the climate simulated by the ESM and find minor cooling over the Greenland ice sheet and Barents and Greenland seas, which compensates for a warm bias in the ESM due to topographic smoothing. Based on our diagnostic procedure to evaluate the EC method, we make several recommendations for future implementations.
Journal Article
Research on the Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Educational Facilities Based on POI Data: A Case Study of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area
This study aims to provide a precise assessment of the distribution of educational facilities within the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, serving as a crucial foundation for managing educational resource allocation and enhancing the quality of educational services. Utilizing a kernel density analysis, global autocorrelation analysis, and geographic detectors, this research systematically analyzes the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of educational facilities in the area. The findings reveal significant geographical disparities in facility distribution with dense clusters in urban centers such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and less dense distributions in peripheral areas like Zhongshan and Macau. These facilities exhibit a multi-center cluster pattern with strong spatial autocorrelation, mainly influenced by the population size and economic and urban development levels. The results provide actionable insights for refining educational planning and resource allocation, contributing to the enhancement of educational quality across diverse urban landscapes.
Journal Article
Perceptions and Revitalization of Local Ecological Knowledge in Four Schools in Yasin Valley, North Pakistan
Mountains are often recognized as sites of biocultural diversity, and local ecological knowledge (LEK) is an integral part of community life. Rapid cultural standardization and urbanization have threatened biocultural diversity, posing threats to LEK in mountain areas. The current study aimed to gather data on the status of LEK in the Yasin Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, and discuss options with the local population for revitalizing LEK in future educational programs. We explored the perceptions of local communities on the importance of LEK and its possible revitalization and transmission in the school curriculum. Data were collected from students, teachers, and local knowledge holders in 4 schools located in the valley. In the area, LEK is considered an important part of the local biocultural heritage, playing a potential role in socioenvironmental sustainability, but we observed a lack of intergenerational transmission of LEK, using LEK of wild food plants as a proxy. Participants confirmed that the existing environmental and food education does not cover the local cultural ecologies, and thus the prevailing centralized curriculum system has isolated students from learning LEK. Preliminary interactions with participants did not reveal any opinions on the transmission of LEK through teaching–learning processes. During group discussions, however, we discovered some potential strategies that could help in the revitalization of LEK in schools, such as study trips, traditional food day celebrations, developing herbaria, art competitions, and the introduction of food scouting. More importantly, place-based education, connected to the local biocultural heritage, could provide a useful foundation for the intergenerational transmission of LEK. Therefore, on the basis of our case study, we appeal to local policymakers to pay attention to the erosion of LEK and ask that it be given space in future development programs to achieve sustainable development and help mountain communities.
Journal Article
Collaborative Immersive Virtual Environments in Geography Education on Climate Zones: A UX Case Study
This study examines students’ experiences with Biomes, a Collaborative Immersive Virtual Environment (CIVE) designed to teach climate zones through virtual reality. The research employed a combination of Research through Design (RtD) methodology and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how students view their CIVE experience and its perceived impact on learning. 16 students (aged 12–15) participated in structured lessons using Meta Quest 2 headsets, followed by semi-structured focus groups. The analysis yielded three overarching themes: challenges with object manipulation, perceived benefits, and desired additional functionalities. While participants encountered challenges with precise thumbnail placement and grip distance control, they reported high levels of enjoyment, appropriate difficulty levels, and notable knowledge acquisition. The immersive nature of the virtual environment created authentic experiences that traditional classrooms cannot replicate, although perceptions varied by age group, with younger students showing greater enthusiasm. The findings demonstrate that despite technical challenges, CIVEs have the potential to facilitate engaging educational experiences. It is imperative to integrate advanced interaction techniques, incorporate age-specific design elements, and strike a balance between technological innovation and pedagogical efficacy to optimise educational outcomes in virtual reality learning environments, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of future developments in this domain.
Journal Article