An Evaluation of Secondary School Students’ Perceptions of Geography at Key Stages 3 and 4.

This study is an investigation into a) How students perceive the teaching of geography at school, and b) Curriculum continuity and progression between Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. The effectiveness of the Geography National Curriculum in achieving its aim to inspire a curiosity and fascination about the world (National Curriculum, 2014) is evaluated. Pupils perceptions for three year groups (Years 7, 9 and 11) were collected using a mixed-methods approach to gather mainly rich qualitative data, alongside further qualitative and quantitative data, principally through posters and questionnaires at two schools. Interviews were also conducted with geography staff. Using a phenomenographic approach to analyse the data, the differences between students’ perceptions of geography were identified. The main findings revealed that students’ perceptions of geography at school are focused on the everyday study of the world and its relevance to their daily lives. These perceptions originate from a variety of sources, although teachers appear to have the greatest influence. While students do appear to have genuine curiosity and fascination about the topics encompassed in school taught geography, by re-evaluating the balance of the opportunity for productivity and creativity, the relationship between students and geography can be heightened. These findings provide an insight into the potential for improving students’ perceptions to learning geography and the skills necessary to continue academic and personal development. Furthermore, this evidence can be used to implement changes to students’ learning processes in secondary education.